Originally posted by: papa_d on 12/2/2005 3:24:57 PM

EVEN SO; YOU MAY HAVE TO BUILD ON AN ADDITION!!! <!--graemlin::eek:-->

Originally posted by: Mike Barrett on 12/2/2005 2:51:48 PM

Just wondering how many of you are lure collectors?
I myself have settled down because I was collecting everything I could get my hands on. Then I made up my mind to collect the companies I liked.
I collect Heddon, Creek Chub, and Bomber lures. My favorites are the Heddon Model 2100 series Crazy Crawlers and the Heddon Vamps any models. I like the Creek Chub Pikies earlier models with double line ties. And since I am from Michigan I like all kind of pencil plugs. It,s a nice hobby and been a member of the N.F.L.C.C ( National Fishing Lure Collectors Club) for years.

Originally posted by: Frogman2 on 12/2/2005 6:07:22 PM

Not I...frogs are collected around here...Thanks to my kids!

Originally posted by: lendog6963 on 12/2/2005 8:27:18 PM

this year i started a collection of hellbenders also called whopper stopers since they worked soo well on pike last year in quebec, not really saving them for show or anything, just fishin with them, and most that i got came with the original box, got them from e-bay

Lenny/LM/Blandon

Originally posted by: ouachitabassangler on 12/3/2005 7:27:53 AM

I now have about 80 Heddon River Runts, some worth quite a lot still in the box. I fish one of each model, a timeless bait that catches bass. One seller on EBay threw in a Creek Chub jointed Pikie perch just to finish selling off her daddy's lures. I wrote her back to tell her it was worth $100, but got no reply. I got her 6 Runts for $5 each, some worth $35-$75 each. My wife is protesting now, with over $1,000 in the Runts alone, so I've stopped buying and won't be selling. I think I could get $3,000 for the collection, worth over $4,000.

Hang on to boxes. They are often worth more than the lure because most anglers throw them away, so they are relatively rare.

Jim

Originally posted by: Mike Barrett on 12/4/2005 8:06:11 AM

Jim: Sounds like you have a nice collection of River Runts. You got a nice deal on them also. Heddon being the most popular lures to collect and also bring in the most money. I also have alor of them. Look out for the rare colors like Luminous, black body white head. Yes the # 110s made in 1935 at 2 5/8" go for $45.00 - $65.00, more for the rare colors @ add the box $75.00 on up.
Look out for the Giant River Runt # 7510s. Made in 1939 they were used for musky,pike,@ salmon.The length was 3 1/4" and go for $150.00-$200.00. Robert Pavey who wrote the book: The Heddon Legancy has a great collect of River Runts. He also has a great collection of Heddon pumpkinseeds which are a great lure to collect and go for $75.00 on up depending on color. I am not a seller also and for right now keep all mine. Great way to keep tract of what you got is to buy the 321 Collect. It,s a collectables Management Software program and it,s good for collecting anything.

Originally posted by: Mike Barrett on 12/6/2005 10:30:44 AM

Lenny: If you have good luck with Hellbenders you might want to try the Bomber Waterdogs also.They came in 3 sizes, The #1500 were 2 1/8",# 1600s 3", and the #1700s in 4" long. Both lures are about the same but the Bombers have a nice spinner on the end of the lure and were made of wood.
I have caught pike and muskey on both.They also made a lipless waterdog in the 1960s that was 4" long and in 1968 they made a lipless but had a spinner on the fwd. and aft. of the lure. These two lipless type go for $150.00 to $300.00 if you are a collector.

Originally posted by: ouachitabassangler on 12/6/2005 5:15:15 PM

There's just such a rush fishing a $100 lure. It's like smoking a $75 cigar sent to me by Rush Limbaugh for making a comment on his radio show that he really liked. It's not that I "smoke", but once in a blue moon I'll enjoy a fine stoggie. Now I'm not terribly foolish with my collectables, but sometimes I just can't stand not having ever fished a lure that was famous. It'll easily get dunked at least once on a full retrieve. The Runts are what I have most of, several models in pairs or better, so I fish the least perfect which sometimes are the best swimmers. And they do catch nice bass.

Jim

Originally posted by: lendog6963 on 12/6/2005 5:33:05 PM

thanks mike, i'll have to keep an eye out for a waterdog, those hellbenders are made by heddon also i believe, i also aquired a couple hellraisers which are lipless with a spinner at the rear, also made by heddon


Lenny/LM/Blandon

Originally posted by: Mike Barrett on 12/6/2005 6:27:31 PM

The Hellbender were made by Whopper-Stopper Inc. in the 1950s in Sherman Texas. Like I said great lures. I started collecting heddon Sonics at first because they were cheap to collect and then went to the Heddon Crazy Crawlers which I found out can get very expensive.
The history behind them is very interesting and what they are worth now is more interesting. Jim collects Heddon River Runts which I like also and I am sure he knows what colors, sizes, and condition he likes to buy them for. The thing about Heddon is you won,t find a better made lures of that time. Heddon used 15 to 18 coats of paint on there lures. There #150 underwater lures not hard to find either go well over $1000.00 or more.And if you have the boxes in some cases the boxes double the price. I have over 30 collector books and have read them all and it,s a great hobby and a great investment.

Originally posted by: The Rod Tosser on 12/7/2005 10:28:53 AM

cant realy aford to collect as of yet but i got a few
i love heddon as you all have said i got a few ofthere newr stuff thats hard to find like a plastic jointed zarra-gossa i also loved the riverrunts hellbenders pikeies babe orenos
if im not mistaken they also made the cisco kid
jitter bugs and hulla poopers

Originally posted by: Mike Barrett on 12/7/2005 12:11:40 PM

Rod Tosser: All the lures you mentioned are great old lures. The Cisco Kids were made by Wallsten Tackle Co. of Chicago Ill. They made 5 in all in the 1950s except the Musky Cisco made in 1965. Babe Oreno,s were made by South Bend and the jitter bugs and Hula Poppers by Fred Arborgast of Ohio.
I have went to garage sales and found people selling tackle boxes with River Runts , Creek Chub Pikies, @ south Bend lures and only paid $10.00 for the whole tackle box. My best find was for a Heddon 150 underwater minnow in luminous color which is very rare made in the 1920s in Ex+ condition for $15.00 which the true value is around $600.00. You would be suprised how many wifes sell there husbands fishing items when they have garage sales. Start small, pick a lure you really like and if you see one in good condition cheap by it. Just because it isn,t made of wood, plastic lures are bringing alot of money also. Heddon Crazy Crawlers #320s in the Victor/Kiddle box went for $75.00 today. I collect mostly lures Pre-1940s but will never pass up a Crazy Crawler wood or plastic because they are so collectable. Just have fun and do some reading on collecting.

Originally posted by: davesett2000 on 1/9/2006 10:40:51 PM

http://www.bomberbaits.com/

Originally posted by: papa_d on 1/10/2006 12:42:09 AM

NICE SITE DAVE; NOW YA GOT ME LOOKING...

Originally posted by: John C. Taylor on 1/10/2006 6:19:09 AM

I pick up on old lure or two once in a while. I've got about three dozen so far and I'll probably add to my collection a little more this year. Once in a while I'll get lucky and get the original box too.

I'm a bit of a bargain collector and I don't pay antique shop prices, however, I once bought some nice "Ike" lures in a shop where the owner just got tired of looking at them.

JCT

Originally posted by: davesett2000 on 1/13/2006 6:49:26 PM

Here's a few websites that I found while surfin'

http://www.tacklecollecting.com/

http://www.mrlurebox.com/navigation.htm

http://www.oldfishingstuff.com/companies.htm

http://www.antiquelurecollectibles...._index.htm

http://www.joeyates.com/

http://www.antiquelures.com/

http://www.oldfishinglure.com/index.html

http://www.antiquelureconnection.com/index.html

http://www.antiquereels.com/

http://www.fishingantiques.com/

Heddon Sites

http://www.heddonlurecollector.com/home.html

http://www.braceface.com/lures/

http://www.lurelore.com/museum.html with info about the Heddon Museum in Dowagiac, MI

Creek Chub Sites

http://www.sova.net/antiquetacklebox/

http://www.creekspeak.com/index.htm

http://www.oldlures.org/home.html

Originally posted by: Mike Barrett on 1/16/2006 12:39:07 PM

I think sometimes when we collect we forget about the modern era!!! I personally think anything post 1940 is modern. The prices of modern lures are going up. Fred Arborgast with his Jitterbugs, the common red and white with metal lips are going for $25.00. Ones made in the war era with plastic lips go for $50.00 - $75.00.
Heddon bassers made in the 1950s are going for $75.00 in the right colors. Heddon Pumpkinseeds are very hard to get for less than $75.00. Some Rapala,s in the right colors go for $40.00 or more. And lets not forget about Heddon River Runts which have sky-rocketed in value.
I guess what I am trying to say is don,t forget about the lures you have right in your tackle boxes because the value has gone way up. Storm, L@S Lures, Kautzky natural Ike Models go for $30.00 or more in the right colors. The main thing is having some knowledge of what your buying. Know what it is, when it was made and by who, the size and especially the color and hardware and condition. We all will never know all the lures that were made but people like Carl Luckey, Dudley Murfey, Karl White, @ especially Russell Lewis with his Modern Fishing Lure collectable books have made it alot easier for us who like to collect. Without them doing the research, we would be lost!!!!

Originally posted by: davesett2000 on 1/16/2006 1:59:38 PM

You're quite right Mike...

Usually a person can find used books by an author fairly easy <!--graemlin:;)-->

I like to use http://www.bookfinder.com and the book search by author at http://www.amazon.com .... <!--graemlin::cool:-->

Today though, I did a search for books by Carl Luckey...found only 2 <!--graemlin::eek:-->

But if you click on this link, it will give you results for Karl White (a LOT)...

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?author=Karl+White&title=&submit=Begin+search&new_used=*&currency=USD&mode=basic&st=sr&ac=qr

And here for Russell Lewis...

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?author=Russell+Lewis&title=&submit=Begin+search&new_used=U&currency=USD&mode=basic&st=sr&ac=qr

Used books are a great way to start off being able to identify things...and though they may not be as up to date as new ones, they are an inexpensive way to start out...as are the websites above valuable for identification too <!--graemlin:;)-->

I don't actively collect myself, being like the guys above...if I run across something, great...but I don;t buy a box based on anitque value...

Originally posted by: Mike Barrett on 2/8/2006 2:32:40 PM

One fishing lure that amazes me is made by Heddon and it is the "Crazy Crawler". The ones I were collecting are from the 1940s, the #2100 series and the 2120s. These were made of wood and had wings attached with a screw.The model # 320s came along in 1954 and the 9120s in 1957. The older ones you.ll pay $75.00-$100.00 but in color GM or GR which is a green color will fetch $300.00 or higher in excellent condition.
But the #320s and the 9120s which are made by Pradco to this day and only in 3 colors sell for good money. I see them on E-Bay all the time going for $20.00 - $30.00 and you can buy them at any sports store for $4.99. This lure has tee shirts, hats, books of the lure. As a collector there one of my favorite lures to collect in the Heddon family. After watching for a year now what the 320s and 9120s are going for I buy a few everytime I go to the store.

Originally posted by: davesett2000 on 2/11/2006 10:52:38 PM

Good info Mike <!--graemlin:;)-->

I've never fished one...don't even OWN one for SOME Crazy reason <!--graemlin::eek:-->

But will be loooking to get a couple in the near future to fish with <!--graemlin::)-->