Dux reels have ‘Patent applied for’ stamped on the turn-table of the reel. There doesn’t appear to be any corresponding patent application. I am in possession of a reel which is identical to a Dux and patent applied for on the turntable which is stamped JC & S on the back plate. There was a patent application made for a fishing reel in March 1926 by J.R Smith Bros. J.R Smith Bros (J.R and C Smith) were manufacturers, agents and importers of fishing tackle who operated from 351 Brunswick Street, Valley, Brisbane. This is where the initials JC & S came from. J.R Smith and C. Livingston were on the committee and founding members of the Brisbane Big Game Fishing Club. The unique star drag appears on several other reels which appeared in the 1935 catalogue for the ‘Emperor Fishing Tackle’. The Emperor brand appears to be a partnership between Nick Cross and Charles Livingston. Advertisements for ‘Dux Reels’ started to appear in ‘Cribb and Foote’ in 1935.
