The H. M. Royal Fin-Nor 15/0 by Fin-Nor Reel Co.

Lot 74

About Seller

20 Winter Street
Pembroke, MA 02359
United States

Founded in 2005, Copley Fine Art Auctions is a boutique auction house specializing in antique decoys and American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Over the course of the last two decades, the firm has set auction records for not only individual decoy makers, but also entire carving regions. Copley...Read more

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$50,000	$5,000

About Auction

The Sporting Sale 2025, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

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The Sporting Sale 2025, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 10, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-07-10 10:00:00 2025-07-10 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2025, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2025-day-1-19844 Lots 1-316 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

The H. M. Royal Fin-Nor 15/0

Fin-Nor Reel Co.
Miami, FL
1937
7 1/2 in. diameter
5 in. spool width
box is 10 1/2 by 13 1/2 by 15 3/4 in.

The 1930s are often considered the golden age of North American sportfishing and tackle, with destinations like Miami, Bimini, and Nova Scotia rising to prominence. Pioneers like Ernest Hemingway, Zane Grey, Tommy Gifford, and Michael and Helen Lerner continued to advance the sport, catching more and larger fish than ever before. At the heart of this evolution was the Fin-Nor reel, born from a collaboration between fishing legend Captain Tommy Gifford and master machinist Fred Grieten.

In 1936, Gifford and Grieten made the first two or three Fin-Nor reels and eagerly began testing their capabilities. Paired with a Tycoon Tackle "Bimini King" rod nicknamed "Betsy," the second Fin-Nor reel ever made went North with Gifford to Nova Scotia, where it was rigorously tested on tuna and marlin during the summer of 1936. That reel was fished by a select few of the era's greatest anglers and landed many giants. It was stamped with the names of every person who caught a fish over 300 pounds using it and featured big names, such as Ernest Hemingway, Michael Lerner, Erl Roman, S. Kip Farrington, and Tommy Gifford. One of those names, forever stamped into the chronicles of fishing history, reads "H. Royal. Tuna 442."

H. M. Royal was the founder and head of a chemical and compound company in New Jersey, which was successful enough for him to afford reels that cost $500 in 1937 (over $11,000 today). He fished alongside the greats of his day and was there for Fin-Nor's formative summer in 1936. After landing his impressive 442-pound tuna, Royal undoubtedly fell in love with the power and efficiency of Gifford's reel and purchased a Fin-Nor for himself.

Offered here is one of H. M. Royal's personal big-game reels, a rare and important 15/0 "G" model Fin-Nor. It is engraved "H. M. Royal, Trenton, N.J. 1937" for its owner. The "G" model was developed around 1937 with a sleek and improved internal drag mechanism. Royal's reel is stamped "Patent Pend," meaning it was created before Fred Grieten's Patent #2096299 was approved in October 1937, making it one of the earliest known "G" model reels. Several components of the reel are bench-numbered "4," and the "Fin-Nor Miami Fla." logo is hand-engraved on the back plate. A sliding drag lever with "OFF," "1/8," "1/4," "1/2," and "ON" markings allows for seamless drag adjustments, even while fighting a fish. Attached in the center of the back plate is a removable second handle, a feature that lets users crank with both arms when battling big fish.

Attesting to this reel's rarity, two-handled reels were banned in 1943 by the International Game Fish Association, as their organization felt they gave fishermen an unfair advantage over their quarry. Authors Bruce Matthews and Ed Pritchard estimated that only 35 or 40 Fin-Nor reels were made between 1936 and mid-1938, with a small fraction of those being "G" models. This offering presents a rare opportunity to acquire one of the earliest, finest, and most sought-after Fin-Nor "G" model reels in existence.

Accompanying the Fin-Nor is its custom carrying case, a spool of linen line, a screw-on spline cover, and an additional plate for attaching the reel to a rod.

Included in this lot is a handle from one of Royal's other Fin-Nor reels, which is marked "H.M.R No 2." This additional handle likely belonged to a first-model two-speed Fin-Nor and has its own internal drag. Also included in this lot is a letter on Fin-Nor reel operating instructions typed by Royal.
Appears to be in good working condition with some fishing wear. Reel has been polished, likely by H. M. or his son, Bud, Royal. Tip of one grip has been reset.
Provenance: H. M. Royal Collection
H. M. "Bud" Royal Jr. Collection
Private Collection, New York
Literature: Bruce Matthews and Ed Pritchard, "Fin-Nor: The Legacy Years," Tulsa, OK, 2007, p. 48, second Fin-Nor reel with stamped names illustrated, p. 49, related "G" model illustrated, and p. 83.

Condition

Please refer to the description; if you have additional questions, email ben@copleyart.com.
Shipping Info
- Copley does not offer in-house packing or shipping. For clients who require shipping, please complete the Shipping Release Form and return it with your payment. The form includes a list of shippers we frequently work with.