The Medalist 1494 is the classic American trout fly reel: a simple, single-action reel about 3¼ inches across, with a click mechanism and an adjustable drag.
The click and drag are the Medalist's only moving parts besides the spool, and a worn click spring or pawl gives a soft, uneven sound and little resistance.
Price range is INFERRED from completed eBay listings; verify against current sold comps before bidding.
36 Medalist 1494s are listed, and most working reels sell for $40–75 delivered. Era markings drive price: everyday AK- and DA-coded black reels run $37–56 here, while a Patent Pending reel asks $125. A $651 reel with no explanation is the outlier to ignore. The Medalist is a simple click-pawl reel, so listen for a crisp, even click and check that the spool latch holds. Anglers should buy the $56 AK reel; collectors, the Patent Pending one.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
A black DA-coded Medalist at $36.99 delivered on Buy It Now, the lowest total on a complete 1494 and just below the $40–75 band, from a 100% feedback seller. There's no working claim, so ask whether the click pawl engages evenly and the spool latch holds.
Vintage Pflueger Medalist 1494 DA Black Classic Fly Fishing Reel Made in USA
An AK-coded reel described as excellent, $56 delivered on Buy It Now from a 99.9% seller, mid-band at $40–75. It's about $19 more than the cheapest reel for a condition claim; confirm the click and latch by message before buying.
Pflueger Medalist 1494 AK Fly Reel Black Aluminum Lightweight Excellent
An AK-coded reel described as excellent at $56 delivered on Buy It Now, mid-band, from a 99.9% feedback seller. A sound 1494 holds a trout line plus backing and needs nothing but occasional oil. Confirm the click and latch by message before buying.
Pflueger Medalist 1494 AK Fly Reel Black Aluminum Lightweight Excellent
Described as very nice and working, with the seller's condition tag in the photos, at $84.95 delivered. That's above the typical band, about $29 more than the excellent AK reel, for a confirmed working check. Feedback is 99.9%. Read the tag for any noted faults.
V NICE VINTAGE PFLUEGER MEDALIST 1494 FLY REEL SEE TAG USA WORKING
Marked Patent Pending, the early marking Medalist collectors hunt, at $125 with free shipping from a 99.6% feedback seller. That's well above the fishing band but reasonable for an early reel if the marking is genuine. Ask for a sharp close-up of the stamp before buying.
VINTAGE PFLUEGER MEDALIST 1494 FLY REEL PATENT PENDING MODEL RARE!
Snapshot captured — listings may have ended
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
UsedVintage Pflueger Medalist 1494 DA Black Classic Fly Fishing Reel Made in USA
$29.99 + $7.00 shipping
Black DA Medalist at $36.99 delivered, the cheapest fixed price; ask about the click.
barbmmo1963
100% positive
UsedPflueger Medalist 1494 AK Fly Reel Black Aluminum Lightweight Excellent
$49.97 + $6.03 shipping
Excellent condition claimed on an AK reel at $56 delivered; a solid fishing buy.
djyocum
99.9% positive
UsedV NICE VINTAGE PFLUEGER MEDALIST 1494 FLY REEL SEE TAG USA WORKING
$74.95 + $10.00 shipping
Working per the seller's tag at $84.95; read the tag for any noted faults.
dano1155
99.9% positive
UsedVINTAGE PFLUEGER MEDALIST 1494 FLY REEL PATENT PENDING MODEL RARE!
$125.00 · free shipping
Early Patent Pending marking at $125 shipped free; get a close-up photo of the stamp.
ajs3564wxk
99.6% positive from 3.2K ratings
UsedPflueger Medalist 1494 Fly Reel
$632.50 + $19.00 shipping
$651.50 delivered with no stated reason; ask what makes it special before considering it.
motorcityanglers
100% positive
Prices and availability change daily. The full, current search on eBay shows every matching listing, including new ones since Oct 1, 2026.
See all current listings on eBay ⟶The Medalist 1494 is the classic American trout fly reel: a simple, single-action reel about 3¼ inches across, with a click mechanism and an adjustable drag. Pflueger of Akron, Ohio, applied for the design patent in 1928 and introduced the Medalist in 1929, and the reel stayed in production for the rest of the century and beyond.
Shakespeare bought Pflueger in 1966 and kept making Medalists in Akron until the end of the 1960s; from 1970 they were made in Asia, and letter codes after the model number, such as CJ for Japan and AK for Hong Kong or China, mark those later reels. Our latest snapshot found 36 listings, most later-production reels at $40 to $75 delivered.
The collector money is in early Akron reels with a patent-pending marking, sculpted pillars or a round line guide, which can fetch $125 and more. Listen for a crisp, even click and check that the spool latch holds.
The catalogue files it under the 1940s, the earliest decade it lists; the Medalist dates from 1929.
