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The next time you look at a
fishing lure hanging from a rafter of your boathouse,
over the fireplace, or tucked away in Grandpa’s tackle box, you better take a
real good look. Why? Because lure collectors have driven the price of
famous maker pre-1940 lures in unfished condition through the roof.
Even some of the 1940s to late 1960s plastic lures from the Heddon Company are
now bringing in excess of $20 each. These in particular can still be found in
tackle boxes stored in the garage or shed and may still even be used to
fish with by the owner.
Antique lures are hot collecting items. It seems almost anyone who collects
anything is looking for old fishing lures, and the hottest are those designed for
Musky fishing. Some Musky lures by Shakespeare, Pflueger, or Heddon are bringing
$3,000 and up depending on condition. Now, we are not talking about the lures
with teeth marks all over the body and paint chipped off, but the one someone put
on a shelf as a back-up or had put in a shadow box by his wife for his birthday.
In the antique lure collecting world, condition is everything.
If the thought of getting thousands for an old fishing lure makes you happy, then
hold on for what the boxes these lures came in are worth. An empty c. 1910
wood slide-top box for a five hook Musky minnow by Shakespeare will bring over
$2,000 — some cases, way over. The price for a cardboard box for a Heddon
three or five hook Musky 700 wood lure might curl your hair when someone tells
you what it’s worth – $1,500!
Generally the most collectible lures were produced by the major companies such as
Heddon,
Creek Chub, Pflueger, Shakespeare, and South Bend. While these are always
sought by collectors, old lures manufactured by one of the obscure lure companies
in business less than a year in the early teens and twenties can also bring big
cash to the lucky seller.
Other old fishing tackle is also spawning new collections. Reels, trout creels,
fly rods, old fishing displays from hardware or sporting goods stores, and even
the gizmo type gadgets of the 1940s and 50s are hot items.
Exactly what should you be looking for to cash in on this bonanza of foolishness?
Take a look at the website www.antiquelures.com to get details about collecting or prices of
various lures. With over 500 pages of printable information, it just might pay
for a year or two at college for your child or that remodeling job you’ve been
wanting.
Gabby Talkington
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