My nephew is cleaning out his late grandfather Bill's house and ran across a Brand New In The Box Penn 113H, red, probably '60's vintage, from the looks of the box. Bill's uncle put mono on it and gave it to him. The reel is a righty, Bill was a lefty, so it's never been put on a rod or used. I have read that the drag system on those old ones was lame, and to use it effectively, you need to upgrade to the carbon fiber drag washers(over $30). Is that reel worth anything as is(new), or is it worth upgrading the drag washers? IslandJim

First of all, one question: is it red or black?

If it is high speed red 4/0, it might have some (and not really low) price for collectors (unlike current Senator "made in China"!). I will not be surprised at all, if you will have offers around $100 - $200 for reel like that if it is in a real good shape.

Second thing: I'm not 100% confident, but HT-100 stack should go no more than $5 - $10 (plus S/H).

Third: it is still a nice reel, even today! I like older reels, and you might know: people could catch real good fish in 60s )))) Pair it with some glass rod with wooden handle and metal guides, and you will fill GOOD on a boat!

Tight lines!