The Story behind the book
I (Stephen) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in September 2015. I was a late starter with fishing. We bought a couple of beach rods with spinning reels from a large sporting store. Well, they lasted two weeks; everything just jammed up with corrosion. I remember contacting the manufacturer; the required parts would cost five times the reel’s price. I recall catching some Dart (note: At that time, I was fishing in the middle of the day) and soaking up those mindfulness moments. The plan was to keep fishing. I visited a local Bait & Tackle shop and a large Outdoor Sporting store. When I told them my story, they said, “Mate, you need an Alvey”. I recall asking myself, ‘What is an Alvey? & ‘What does this Turbo do’? I bought a 625B reel and a ROD 625L. They gave me an Alvey CD and the yellow 2012 Alvey guide. I then spent the week reading and watching the CD repeatedly, trying to put some line on the spool, and then I went Alvey fishing. And yes, I caught more Dart at Cabarita Beach (NSW) and was happy fishing. My rods and reels always get a good wash in the ocean; as I often fall, I just let the rod & reel go, then get myself up, pick up the gear and cast another line.
When I was assessed as medically retired, I needed to keep the Parky body and brain as active as possible. Recreational fishing and the opportunity to volunteer to manage the Lions Greenback Fishing Competition from 2017 to 2021 (held in early June on the Northern NSW Coast) kept the body and brain active. Within those few years, I became hooked on fishing and Alvey reels and met the Alvey team (When picking up Alvey sponsorship goods). The Alvey collection soon commenced. A large quantity of Alvey paraphernalia was gifted when buying some high-quality rare reels, which showed an intriguing story. My engineering, project and knowledge management PhD research skills combined to develop the Alvey story. The Alvey team was approached with a structured Alvey story concept, and I received a positive ‘Yes, We Are Go’. Appropriate agreements were signed, and the book journey commenced in February 2021.
Writing this book has had its challenges, with each task filled with interest, learning, amazement and sometimes anguish, no thanks to Parkinson’s. The Alvey Den was secured and established to be the home of the Alvey collection (~ 800+ all different Alvey reels and accessories/memorabilia) along with other collectables and career memorabilia.
The Alvey Den is where the book has been put together and where Alvey fanatics can gather and entertain. You may even hone your engineering fitter and turner skills on the original Alvey 1923 Capstan Hand Screw Lathe.
At the project’s end, the technical issues with the image software were extremely challenging and time-consuming when working with over 2,100+ images. It didn’t help reading and receiving different advice from the experts. For a while there, towards the end, I felt like I was playing red or black at a Casino with the combined 3$,$$$ funds. Working on the book daily from 2 pm to 3-4 am became the standard mode of operations research. I have used research resources to help write the history of Alvey and develop the product value guide. No history is ever complete, and attempts have been made to record the history as accurately as possible. Hopefully, you will find the Scarce to Rare in this book and the Not-so-Rare but Hard-to-Find-to-Common reels, some of which you may have in your collection or the reels you use to go fishing. You may also be able to identify that unknown reel hiding in storage or in a box of old reels you bought at a sale or were handed down from grandparents or a retired angler.
The book was written for the history timeline with both collectors and anglers in mind. Many of the reels can be found at reasonable prices. Remember that the book value guide is for reels rated ‘excellent condition’. I hope you enjoy reading and referencing the book.