Hardy Bros. LRH Lightweight Silent Check Fly Reel

(with Abercrombie & Fitch provenance, c. 1960s, original Hardy case)

If reels could tell...

Hardy Bros. LRH Lightweight Silent Check Fly Reel

(with Abercrombie & Fitch provenance, c. 1960s, original Hardy case)

If reels could tell fish tales, this one would probably start with “back in the mid-Sixties, when Abercrombie & Fitch was still a temple of tweed and tackle…”

🎣 The Reel

• Model: Hardy Bros. LRH Lightweight, Silent Check

• Maker: Hardy Bros. Ltd, Alnwick, England

• Special Commission: Engraved “Made by Hardy Bros. Ltd England for Abercrombie and Fitch Co.” – a sure sign it was destined for Manhattan gentlemen who ordered Scotch by surname only.

• Era: Most likely produced circa 1964–1970. The ported spool design, red Hardy zip case, and the limited Silent Check mechanism pin it firmly in the Swinging Sixties.

📦 The Case

• Original Hardy Bros. red vinyl zip case, with the gold crest logo.

• Inside: worn felt lining (with a cheeky little hole, as though a moth fancied a taste of Northumberland) and a satin base that has picked up a few riverbank stories of its own.

• Despite its cosmetic adventures, it zips perfectly and adds serious authenticity.

🧾 Condition

• Reel exterior: Honest wear along the frame edges — the sort earned only by years of faithful casting.

• Spool face: Clean, bright, drilled porting intact.

• Mechanics: Smooth and silent, as the Silent Check should be — more whisper than ratchet, perfect for the angler who prefers stealth over ceremony.

• Case: Fully original, perfectly serviceable, and exactly what collectors expect with a 1960s Lightweight series reel.

💡 Why It Matters

The Silent Check LRH is already a rarer bird than its click-pawl siblings, but combine that with an Abercrombie & Fitch commission stamp and you’ve got something that straddles both fishing lore and retail history. Not to mention — it still looks fantastic parked on your fly rod, or simply perched on a library shelf beside a glass of something amber.

✨ The Angler’s Barge Pitch

In short: This reel has survived both trout streams and Madison Avenue. It is not just tackle, but a mid-century passport to the gentleman angler’s world. One imagines it once dangled a fly into a Catskills pool while its owner’s driver waited in the car with the Times.

💰 The Price of Nostalgia

We’ve set this treasure at $375 — which, let’s be honest, is far less than a weekend’s Scotch bill at the old Abercrombie & Fitch sporting club. A fair exchange for a reel that whispers history every time the line slips through your fingers.

This item is Final Sale. Please review details carefully.