Knowledge for Advanced Collectors of Heddon

FULL SITE INDEX & ARTICLES 

Heddon Dowagiac Lure Boxes

By Dr. Michael Echols

The tough question is always: What Heddon Dowagiac lure should be in which Heddon box?  You have to be able to coordinate hardware, lure shape, box type, and the nomenclature to match up the correct lure with the correct Heddon box.  If you are in the field or at a show and need this information, it can save your butt, not to mention your wallet. 

Note: Some Heddon box information was drawn from discussions with various collectors; an article by Bruce Dyer in the NFLCC Magazine, 1993;  Clyde Harbin's Historical Foot Prints book, Roberts and Pavey's Heddon Book, 2002.

See the page on identification of early Heddon lures by hardware and prop type.

Heddon Dowagiac Boxes:1906-1930

1902-1905: Heddon Picture boxes: the 'vine or oak leaf' type border is earlier than the double straight line design.  A Slopenose picture box above, and the 'Killer' picture box below.

1906-1911:  Heddon White cardboard and intro boxes: shows the later double straight line design.  See article on lures which go in the white box.  At the top is the 'standard' white box, below that is the Bucktail Surface Minnow, and at the bottom is the Intro 900 box "It Swims".

1906-1913:  Heddon White Musky Boxes, the earlier is marked "MUSKY"  on top, and has a double blue line on the border.  It is also marked Musky on the end.  The later box (c. 1912-13) has the down leaping Bass logo printed, not pasted, on the top of the box which has a single blue line on the border.  The later box is marked Musky on the end of the box.  Both of these "MUSKY" boxes are marked for a 707 sienna lure.  The same downleaping Bass labeled box was used for the Black Sucker and marked 1300.

1905-1910: Heddon wood boxes (variations type 1 - 5):  the more expensive line of lures were packaged in wood boxes, while the cheaper lines were sold in the white boxes/

Click here for an extensive discussion of Heddon wood boxes

1912: Heddon Pinetree cardboard box: marked on side with "Stamped on Spinners"  Expect fat body 100's and 150's with long gill marks, cup rig, single belly weights, both name and no name on the props, but name on prop started in 1912. See article on lures which go in the Pinetree box.

Heddon Dowagiac: Down leaping Bass boxes

1912 only:  blue or white  border; down leaping Bass box.  Contains fat body lures with cup rig, sweeping gill marks, and no name on the prop.  Click here to see the correct brochure paper for this box.  Note the blue border around the box on the lower left and the white border around the lower box on the right.  The outside rim of the box is blue on the blue border and the whole box is white on the white border. 

     

1912-@1915  Note on the side it says: "stamped on the Spinner"; down leaping Bass box

1915-@1920  Note on the side it says: "stamped on the Metal"; down leaping Bass box

1920-@1924  Note box is folded style with mis-print "is'nt"; down leaping Bass box

1924-@1930  Note it's now 'Genuine" on top of box; down leaping Bass box

Top: 1912-15    Middle: 1920-24  Bottom: 1924-30

       

Heddon Lures: 1905 to 1909

1905 High forehead 100 with brass hardware, two belly weights, long sweeping gill marks to eyes

1906 same as above, only it has nickel hardware instead of brass

1907 first version with blunt nose, except it's a little narrower and longer

1908-9 blunt nose baits found in wood boxes

Heddon 100: 1904 to 1912

Body anatomy and boxes used from 1904 to 1912

Heddon Paper 

Sequences of paper brochures

Cover of the 1914 Heddon Catalog

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A FULL TOPICAL INDEX FOR ANTIQUELURES

A LIST OF ALL EARLY FISHING LURES IN THIS COLLECTION