Ideas for Displaying Antique Fishing Reels

Bookends

• Antique fishing reels can dress up a bookshelf or console table by being used as bookends. The heavy material that old fishing reels are made out of makes them sturdy enough for the job of holding up books. This decorative idea adds more character to the book display than a pair of ordinary bookends that you purchase from bookstores. Additionally, if you only have one fishing reel -- instead of a pair -- you can set the books against one side of the shelf and use the one reel to hold them up.

Paper Weight

• Piles of paper, envelopes, mail and other materials have a way of becoming disorganized, but you can hold them down and in place with a decorative antique fishing reel. Antique fishing reels are heavy, and can be set on top of any type of paper pile to add charm to the stack. If you have a magazine pile in the living room, another idea is to use the antique fishing reel as a magazine weight to keep the pile in order and to serve as an accent piece.

Wall Decor

• You can dress up an empty wall by mounting sea-related decor to it. An antique fishing reel can be mounted to the wall, joined by framed seashells, vintage pictures of the sea, fishing plaques and old fashioned, black and white postcards. In essence, you can create a wall collage of objects and pictures to make the wall look artsy, while maintaining that antique tone. Find a wall in your home that is appropriate for such a display, such as the library, study, living room or even the bathroom.

Collection Shelf

• Antique fishing reels may not be the only vintage collectible you own. If you have several old fashioned pieces in your possession, dedicate a console table, end table, coffee table or hutch to display the collection. A collection shelf or ledge draws attention to the various vintage items that can be placed strategically around to show off. You can keep the shelf strictly for fishing, or expand it to other types of items as well. Examples of other items to display with the fishing reels include old-fashioned compasses, clocks, anchors, fishing lures, fishing rods and old fishing signs.