The value in vintage lures

Do you have an 1859 “Giant” Haskell minnow in your tacklebox? If so, the 10-inch, hollow body, copper lure could line your pockets. In 2003, one auctioned in Boxborough, Massachusetts fetched a staggering $101,200 US —roughly $221,000 Canadian today. Most of us don’t own vintage lures worth that much, but we do tend to hang on to hand-me-down tackle. I’m no exception. My collection includes some gear passed on by my late grandfather, a Second World War navy veteran. His scratched, dented, and rusting tackle proved how much he loved being on the water. Nostalgia strong My dad’s 1964 nickel-silver Shakespeare Marhoff reel isn’t worth much on the open market, I learned, but that doesn’t matter. Its beauty is in its simplicity, utility, and connection to his memory. That’s why it sits on a shelf where I can see it every day. There is something about the look of old lures, too. They can be utterly simplistic and artful. Others are impractical and impossibly ugly. Some would argue that’s part of their charm. Take, for instance, James Heddon’s hand-carved frogs. With only eight known to exist, the first arrived at auction in December 2024 with an estimate of $30,000- $60,000 US, though some said the price could exceed $100,000. Heddon was a honey manufacturer who gifted these frogs made from broomstick handles to potential distributors of his product in the 1890s. Today, they are considered the first wooden artificial fishing lures and an invaluable contribution to the history of angling. They’re not quite priceless, but certainly pricey. Slightly less expensive is what Lang’s Auction deemed to be the “single most historic and important wooden minnow to ever come to auction” at $42,560 US in 2006. Hand-carved and painted, its provenance is something of a mystery, having been found in an old tackle box by an Ohio fisherman. Then there’s the 1908 copper Chautauqua Minnow manufactured by Krantz & Smith of New York. Advertised as one of the first weedless trolling lures, it didn’t live up to the hype and was soon discontinued. Only 13 to 17 exist. One of these sold for $37,400 US. Importantly, it came with its original box. On the other hand, my retro Canadian Wiggler might fetch $10, according to eBay auctions. I guess I’ll have to put off buying that Ferrari. For now. Do your research The trade of vintage tackle can be a big