Julius vom Hofe - New York, NY
Julius vom Hofe reels were first made when he was an apprentice with his father Frederich vom Hofe. They established their business in 1857. He made and sold a large range of reels for a long period of time. He was born in Germany on August 6, 1837. Julius vom Hofe apprenticed with his father Frederich when they established their business in New York in 1857. That was 10 years before his brother Edward established his business. The firm "Frederich vom Hofe & Son" became "Julius vom Hofe" in 1882. He received several patents during his lifetime. The first Julius vom Hofe patent was on November 26, 1867. It was for the bridge over the drive gear inside the reel. His next patent was for the adjustable pivots for the spool end shafts on January 17, 1882. The patent was assigned to him and Charles Imbrie, of Abbey & Imbrie. The third patent was for the reel end plates being made of hard rubber with metal protective bands. This patent was granted on November 17, 1885. The other common patent date seen on his reels is October 8, 1889. This was for a rear spool bearing steel pivot and washer. Julius vom Hofe died in New York on April 19, 1907. His business was carried on by his two sons Julius, Jr. and Alfred. The Julius vom Hofe Company had 9 patents granted to Julius, Sr. and his son. One of his most important patents was granted on March 21, 1911 for the free-spool and gear designs seen on the B-Ocean reel. His last patent was granted on June 28, 1928 for an adjustable drag salmon reel. Julius, Jr. died in 1939.
Julius vom Hofe reels range from the highest quality solid nickel silver (German silver) reels to less expensive nickel plated brass and hard rubber reels. All of his reels are sought by collectors. His earliest pre-patent date reels were the ball handle or S-handle style and had a distinctive clover leaf logo stamped in the reel's head plate. Julius vom Hofe made reels for a number of Sporting Goods dealers and marked them with his name and that of the company. This included companies like Thos. J. Conroy, Leonard-Mills, Abbey & Imbrie and von Lengerke & Detmold in NY. All of the reels pictured below are made of solid German silver or German silver and hard rubber.
The Julius vom Hofe Company made reels for about 80 years. A lot of the reel designs evolved over the years. As such, there are a large number of different reel models and sizes. The reel photos below are broken down into 4 categories - Fly Reels, Salmon Reels, Casting Reels and Big Game Reels.
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 3 Perforated Rim Fly Reel
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 3 Perforated Rim Fly Reel Variations
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 3 Fly Reel
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 2 Fly Reel, circa 1900
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 1 Aluminum Fly Reel, circa 1900
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 4 Fly Reel Made for VL&D
The JULIUS vom HOFE Fly Reels Made for LEONARD and for Abbey & Imbrie
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 4 1/2 Inch Nickel Plated Brass & Rubber Salmon Reel
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 4 Inch German Silver & Rubber Salmon Reel
The JULIUS vom HOFE Salmon Reel Made for Dame Stoddard Co.
The JULIUS vom HOFE "The Wells" Salmon Reel Made for Thos. J. Conroy
The JULIUS vom HOFE 1903 Patent Model No. 400 Salmon Reel
The JULIUS vom HOFE Salmon Reel with the 1928 Patent Made for William Mills & Son
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 1 Reel Made For LEONARD-MILLS, circa 1928
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 2/00 Reel with Clover Logo, circa 1885
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 1 Reel, circa 1890
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 2/00 down to Size 4 Reels, circa 1900
The JULIUS vom HOFE B-Ocean Size 6/0 down to Size 1 Reels, circa 1920
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 3 Tournament Reel
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 4 Bass Reel, circa 1890
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 3 1/2 Bass Reel, circa 1900
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 4 Bass Reel, circa 1900
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 1 "Quadruple" Reel
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 2 "President" Reel
The JULIUS vom HOFE 150 Yard Size Reel and Box
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 3 1/2 Bass Reel, circa 1900
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 2 Surf Tournament Reel, circa 1900
The JULIUS vom HOFE Regal Tarpon Reel, circa 1920
The JULIUS vom HOFE 3/0 Free Spool Reel, circa 1920
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 2/00 SILVER KING Reel for Thos. J. Conroy, circa 1920
The JULIUS vom HOFE Size 2 Raised Pillar Casting Reels
The JULIUS vom HOFE 100 Yard Reel made for William Mills & Son, circa 1890
The JULIUS vom HOFE B-Ocean Size 1 Reel, circa 1930
The JULIUS vom HOFE B-Ocean Size 2/0 Reel, circa 1930
Early JULIUS vom HOFE B-Ocean Style Size 9/0 Reel, circa 1930
The JULIUS vom HOFE B-Ocean Size 12/0 Reel, circa 1930
The JULIUS vom HOFE B-Ocean Size 6/0 and 12/0 Reels, circa 1930
JULIUS VOM HOFE Reel Shown in "1884 Abbey & Imbrie Catalog"
JULIUS VOM HOFE Reel Ad in March, 1885 "Forest and Stream" Magazine
JULIUS VOM HOFE Reel Ad in March, 1885 "Forest and Stream" Magazine
JULIUS VOM HOFE Reel Ad in March, 1894 "Forest and Stream" Magazine
The JULIUS VOM HOFE "President" Reel in a 1896 Catalog
JULIUS vom HOFE 1914 Catalog Pages
JULIUS vom HOFE B-Ocean Catalog Pages, circa 1930
The JULIUS Vom HOFE November 26, 1867 Patent
The JULIUS vom HOFE January 17, 1882 Patent
The JULIUS vom HOFE January 17, 1882 Patent
The JULIUS vom HOFE October 8, 1889 Patent
The JULIUS vom HOFE October 8, 1889 Patent
The JULIUS vom HOFE October 20, 1903 Patent
The JULIUS vom HOFE October 20, 1903 Patent
The JULIUS vom HOFE March 21, 1911 Patents
The JULIUS vom HOFE March 21, 1911 Patents
The JULIUS vom HOFE June 12, 1928 Patent
The JULIUS vom HOFE June 12, 1928 Patent