Rare lures and boxes are at an all time high as of mid-year 2000.  Shown on this page are three examples of 1903-05 Heddon lures which traded hands recently for five figures.  What made these lures so valuable was unavailability, extreme rarity, excellent condition, color rarity, and individuals who wanted to pay top dollar to place the pieces in their collection.  

Large quality condition collections are currently being appraised in excess of $500,000 and in some cases for over one million dollars.  These are not the lures you find in an old tackle box, but those accumulated by knowledgeable, long-term collectors.  Smaller collections or single examples like those shown here are not found everyday, but they do exist in the general population and turn up from time to time in the hands of non-collectors.

What do these highly valuable lures have in common?  They generally have glass eyes, they were made prior to 1910, and they are in almost new condition.  The other test for the three examples shown on this page is they were all made by one company: Heddon.  Heddon, Shakespeare, and other makers are selectively collected by collectors.   Taste for any given company varies from decade to decade and with publication of collector books or auction reports.  What's hot this year may change next year.

Are all lures this valuable?  Not by a long shot, but the values for well preserved and rare lure-box combinations is climbing at a rapid rate.  Will these prices continue?  No one knows, but lures have leveled off and trended downward at various times in the past.  When the 1991 recession started, lure prices dropped like a rock.   Any collecting is sensitive to market psychology and antique fishing tackle is no different in this respect. 

So who buys this collectible whose current relatives are still available at the local Wal-Mart?  People from all walks of life is the quick answer.  But how many people can step-up and pay $25,000 for one lure and box?  Not many to tell the truth.  Most intermediate collectors are currently paying $100 to $500 for additions to their collections.  More advanced collectors may range from $500 to $5,000.  The ultra high-end collectors, who you can count on two hands, may pay up to the five figure prices to complete an area of their collections.

So, if you have your grandfather's old tackle, you would be smart to get the lures identified and evaluated.  One good set of early lures could pay the way to college for four years.  Contact us if you think you have valuable lures which are for sale.

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A FULL TOPICAL INDEX FOR ANTIQUELURES

A LIST OF ALL EARLY FISHING LURES IN THIS COLLECTION