A Very Strange Mitchell 351 5/1

[cshannon772]

Hello Mates,
I received this Mitchell 351 5/1 today and have been very anxious to receive it. After my "Round Bodies", the 350's are my favorite reels to collect as they were never very popular and the manufacturing numbers reflected that. I have never seen an inverted Mitchell 351 before and I figured it was a Franken Mitchell / Home modified reel - or simply a mis-stamped 350 faceplate ( I have a couple of those reels in the Reel Room (331 and a 300C)). Was I in for a surprise!!! I have seen and posses a number of inverted Mitchell's / Mitchell 301's in my collection but again, I've never seen a real inverted 331 or 351 Mitchell.

351 Mitchell 1956.jpg (148.84 KiB) Viewed 5223 times

351 Mitchell 1956 1.jpg (121.9 KiB) Viewed 5223 times

It has been gently used as there are a few marks on it but nothing serious. It cleaned up nicely and is exceptionally smooth - as expected The serial # is 1273713 on the reverse of the body indicating circa early 1956.

351 Mitchell 1956 2.jpg (156.4 KiB) Viewed 5223 times

This reel is all original - no modifications and still had the original grease in it which made it a little stiff to operate and real trouble to completely clean.

351 Mitchell 1956 3.jpg (199.02 KiB) Viewed 5223 times

Mission accomplished and I have absolutely no doubt that this is a Mitchell factory original inverted stamped Mitchell 3_5_1 5/1 reel but here's where it gets REAL interesting!!!!

[cshannon772]

Again Mates,
Hopefully, by now I have your interest.
This faceplate has both anti-reverse dog lugs positioned in it for both a 350 and a 351 which leads me to think that this faceplate started life as a 350 and then was converted to a 351 in the factory prior to painting and stamping. Also note the stud welded to the interior of the anti-reverse lever (more on that later)

351 Mitchell 1956 4.jpg (172.56 KiB) Viewed 5220 times

351 Mitchell 1956 5.jpg (230.14 KiB) Viewed 5220 times

More detail to indicate (to me at least) that this was not an aftermarket assembly - it's too exact and precise with no difference in either the upper or lower lug. Also note the stud located inside the anti-reverse lever. Nobody has ever been able to explain why there was a hole in the 350 anti-reverse lever but what if (and purely speculation on my part) this stud was designed and welded into the lever to prevent over extending the anti-reverse lever which is common on this type of lever, leaving gouges in the faceplate - which the common ones do. What if it was never installed in later reels in the interest of cost savings and manufacturing efficiency???

351 Mitchell 1956 6.jpg (198.11 KiB) Viewed 5220 times

Here are the marks from the stud making contact on the back of the reel to prevent over extension of the anti-reverse dog and the lever gouging the back of the reel.

351 Mitchell 1956 7.jpg (117.86 KiB) Viewed 5220 times

I am thrilled to own this reel which I think is the earliest of the Mitchell 351 5/1 reels. I've never seen anything like this in all of the Mitchells I own or have observed. I would be very interested in any other Mates observations like this on any other reel. I think this is likely my best find for 2021 and possibly ever in my collecting experience - - Until I find a RHW Mitchell Wedding Cake DL Tournament Casting reel Mates, I would be very interested if you have ever seen anything this before or have an explanation as to how this reel came about - i truly believe this particular Mitchell 351 5/1 is very special. As always, comments and questions are always welcome.
Kind Regards,
Chris

[toulady6]

Hi Chris ,

Very special reel ! It looks like a try -out version from ''bureau d'etudes '' that was made just after the Mitchell Rapid .
Maybe one of the first with the new style AR lever.
Congratulations with this find.

regards from the lowland

Dries

[Wallace Carney]

Hi Chris, here's one that was sent to me for further study. The serial number is close to yours being 1274336. I'll let you know what I find but right now it looks like a few of these 351 - 5/1 cover plates were produced. Best Regards, Wallace

351 1274336 sideplate.jpg (431.7 KiB) Viewed 5195 times

351 1274336 interior.JPG (574.17 KiB) Viewed 5195 times

[cshannon772]

Hello Dries and Wallace,
I'm looking forward to doing some research and comparisons with this reel. Last night was dedicated to disassembly, cleaning, documenting and reassembly.
Dries,
I think you are right that it's likely an extremely early Mitchell 351. I do know that Mitchell did make a RHW Rapid but I've only seen photos from another Collector and it's the only one I've ever seen.
Wallace,
Very interesting and they look identical as expected (Including the main gear rub on the inside of the faceplate) with such close Ser#'s. Now, the only two I've ever seen. By chance does your reel have the box or paperwork? I would be very interested in your findings and I will post anything I learn here in this thread.....This is fascinating stuff!
Thank you both for your responses and Wallace for sharing your Inverted Mitchell 351 5/1.

Kind Regards,
Chris