Author Topic: Centennial Model 120A versions  (Read 1799 times)

salmonfishing

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Centennial Model 120A versions
« on: August 04, 2017, 10:08:29 AM »
I don’t see many Centennial Model 120A reels come up for sale. And when I do, they usually have the red front cover. I recently acquired a 120A with a couple of green front covers. One was a Century 100B cover that had been put on the reel that I know is incorrect but it also came with a plainer green front cover. So I started doing some research looking at the posted catalogs. I know the catalog pictures can be misleading but those and the descriptions contained within them as well as a few 120A owner and marketing documents I have are all I can go by when researching reels. The 1959 catalog appears to show the reel with a black cover with the ribs around it similar to the black covers on the previous model 120 reels. A 1962 owner document for a Model 120A also shows a picture of that black cover on the reel as does the schematics contained in the document. By reading the 1966 catalog we know that Johnson introduced that year the 120A reel with “black gear cases and Mohave Red front covers” as described in the 1966 catalog. It also appears to have a white button. Then in reading the 1965 catalog a year earlier, they describe the 120A reel as having an “anodized aluminum cover” but do not mention what color it is. The picture in the 1965 catalog also seems to indicate the reel has a black button, seems to have a black gear case frame, and has a cover that in appearance  including the drain slot positions (without knowing the color) that matches the green front cover (which is anodized) that came with my black button 120A reel. So my red cover 120A matches the 1966 catalog and I am thinking my green cover 120A matches the 1965 catalog. So it appears to me that the 120A first came out with a green gear case frame and black cover and button (which Dennis (Huckster37) has and sent to me a picture of his),  then for a brief period was a black gear case frame with a black button and a green cover, and finally a black gear case frame white button version with the red cover. Three 120A versions! As a follow-up, Dennis looked on eBay  and found a couple more black frame, green cover, black button reels that look like mine that had previously been listed so that kind of confirms the green cover Centennial reel existence. I also noticed on this green cover reel the rotor pin pickup was different for this pick up configuration then I normally see. Usually the actual pin mounted in the nylon holder is metal. On this reel it is ceramic. So I looked at a few other reels and see that this same ceramic pin arrangement is on my Gull 122 reel also. Also the green gear case frame 120A has a rough finish, the black gear case frame green cover 120A also has a rough finish on the gear case frame but the 120A red cover black gear case frame is smooth. I just acquired a 120A green frame black cover and will add a picture of that after it arrives. The reels in the attached pics certainly have been used but are fully functional. Eventually I will get around to cleaning them up a bit! Fun stuff!
« Last Edit: August 04, 2017, 12:02:22 PM by salmonfishing »

Skip Smith

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Re: Centennial Model 120A versions
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2017, 04:37:04 PM »
Good info here, Chuck.  Nice job of researching details!

salmonfishing

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Re: Centennial Model 120A versions
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2017, 03:50:28 PM »
I received my green frame black cover 120A reel today. Here are pictures. Dennis had told me the black cover on the 120A was different than the black cover on the 120. So also am attaching a comparison of the green gear case frame 120A on the left to green 120 on the right. I see three differences. Like Dennis advised, the drain holes on the 120A are forward facing rather than being on the side of the cover as on the 120. Also the push button has gone from flat to sculptured. Finally the double handle crank has a flatter profile. I recently saw a red cover 120A sell on eBay for a really high price and wondered why since it was used. In taking a closer look at that listing, I saw it did not match my 120A red cover reel. The one listed on eBay had a rough black gear case frame with a black button rather than shiny black with a white button and a red cover with drain holes forward facing rather than on the side like mine. Three pictures from the eBay listing are attached. Then Dennis sent to me a picture of a 120A with a blue cover! So now I wonder how many 120A versions are out there?

GaryWB

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Re: Centennial Model 120A versions
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2019, 05:17:11 PM »
If you look at the 1972 schematic we have for the Centennial 120A, it shows a front cover with drain holes in the front of the cover.  Vice on the sides.

It also shows the front cover part number as 102-5-R.  I am pretty sure this signifies a red colored cover.

If you look at the 72 Century schematic the front cover part number is listed as 102-5-G.  G signifies a green colored cover.

I've seen quite a few cases where the letter in the part number is correlates to the front cover finish.

Gary

Skip Smith

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Re: Centennial Model 120A versions
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2019, 05:40:44 PM »
Good eye, Gary!

salmonfishing

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Re: Centennial Model 120A versions
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2020, 09:12:38 AM »
A few more observations. The Centennial 120 model face plate with bearing was metal and used a screw with a bigger head to anchor in the hole in the line spool. The first version 120A went to a plastic face plate and used a molded tab as the line spool anchor. The first two pictures below show this. The 120 is on the bottom of the first pic and to the right in the second pic. The front cover also changed between these two models regarding the ribs and the drip holes. Then when Johnson came out with the green metal front  covered second version 120A, they switched not only the front cover to metal but apparently went back to a metal face plate. They also went from a metal line pickup pin to the ceramic pin. Then they came out with a third version 120A featuring the red metal front cover. Not sure which came first but they had both a smooth black framed and a rough black framed 120A with the red front cover as seen in the last picture. Others have pointed some of this out but thougth I would add some pics to show.

 

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