30 Antique Fishing Lures and Why Theyre Collectible
Another source of information is the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club, a nonprofit educational organization which provides member forums and publishes a quarterly magazine. If you become a member you can access their bibliography of educational resources, including antique tackle collecting books. Some such books have become collectible themselves and, though published two or more decades ago, have value for identification purposes if not for valuation of tackle in the current market. Certain wooden lures that were discontinued by their manufacturers a few decades ago but favored by anglers were hoarded by those in the know and can still fetch a good buck. It is very helpful if you have photos, as with any collectable and especially ours the price is based on condition, desirability, rarity, and I need to stress again, condition.
Chapman’s New 1897 BaitThis fishing lure has a cute design with extended wings, a grooved body, and a hair-dressed tail. Chapman Theresa, N.Y” is stamped on both wings to show it’s an early Chapman piece. This simple lure is an uncatalogued serpent spinner. Attached to this is the flat brass body of the lure. It features raised white eyes on top of the head, and slightly curved stubby wings on each side of the head. The arrangement is such that the lure revolves on the shaft when pulled under water.
It also features a blush of red on its nose, and blemish-free glass eyes. This iconic red and white moonlight lure is rarely offered for sale. The 4-inch long body features brass washer hardware and spinners and both ends. The very rare lure has some pointers and age lines and is graded VG+. This rare Pikaroon is a beautiful piece with a yellow finish and black stripes, black eye shadow, and a blush of red on the nose. It is lined with 5 treble hooks, 2 at each side, and one on the rear spinner.
The attractive lure features hand-painted gills, a riveted eye and an oblong external belly weight. After catching a few fish, however, it would very likely resemble a dog’s chew toy. The Thoren Minnow Chaser was an elaborate bait made by A.H. It was designed to mimic a fish chasing a fish, and features some of the most elaborate mechanical hardware ever used in a lure. It must have made quite a sight moving through the water!
It has five treble hooks – two at each side, and another hooked to a rear three bladed prop which is marked “PAT Feb 5th 1908”. The life-like Michigan fishing lure is in shiny Ex condition. A very popular lure right now with collectors is the Immell Bait Company Floating Musky Chippewa Minnow . The wood body with red painted center spinner, marked with the Nov 1, 1910 patent date, make this unique bait a centerpiece for many musky lure collectors. This lure is in very good condition and in a stunning color.
It’s time you look around for those old fishing lures as they can be worth serious money today. It is “rarity” that makes some fishing lures very valuable despite being only a few decades old. For example, if only a limited number of lures are made as part of a special order, in only a few decades, they’ll be very hard to get. The moonlight bait has a body similar to the Pikaroon which is lined with 5 trebles. It was made about 923, and is one of the most sought-after lures amongst collectors.
It was produced as part of a special order, so it measures 18 inches, which is 4x the size of the actual. The tan crab lure has 8 rubber legs and 2 giant black glass eyes. Amazingly, it also comes with the original box (which features Jonathan A. Hardy on its body).
Click here to seeFishing Lures from and1865 Shipwreck. The Creek Chub Bait Company out of Garrett, Indiana made some of the most beautiful lures ever assembled. One of these “special” baits is this Creek Chub Plunker. It it extremely rare in a Shur-Strike Yellow Scale Finish.
This one comes complete with its’ wooden box with sliding top. I always like seeing these early slide top wooden boxes. I always picture these somewhere out there undiscovered in some little old ladies house filled with spare buttons or safety pins and nobody knows what they have.
Dion Liriano is a 51-year-old American zookeeper who has retired from the business. He was once a highly successful director of the Zoo and Aquarium, but he has since hung up his gloves and moved on to other ventures. Dion's passion for animals began at a young age, when he would help his father care for their family pets. This love grew exponentially when he started working at the zoo; Dion quickly became one of the most experienced keepers in the business. He credits his success to the relationships he built with both staff and animals over the years.