By Doug Bucha
A sampling of the valuable antique lures found in a smelly old tackle box.The night began like most of our antique fishing lure collectors monthly meetings at the Heddon museum in Dowagiac.
Things were going slow; a couple of members brought in displays of old fishing lures for show-and- tell, something we do to share historical information with interested collectors.
It was getting late and everyone was about ready to call it a night when two men walked in with an old, dirty Kennedy tackle box.
This 1920s relic was in such bad shape and stunk so bad that we smelled it before we saw it! The odor came from an accumulation of 60 years of dead fish, nightcrawlers, pork-rind juice, and who knows what else.
However, the smell didnt deter one anyone; we immediately had the box open and were rummaging through it while its owners explained they were curious if anything in it had a value.
The first lures that caught our eyes were two Heddon Underwater Minnows in their original boxes and made in the 1920s. When the two men realized these lures and others in the box were definitely collectors items, they wanted to sell them.
Offers were made and most were accepted. By the time the dust settled, the men walked out with more than $800 in their pockets.
While my fellow collectors focused their attention on the Heddon lures, my eyes were drawn to what was in the bottom of the box - a nice little Creek Chub 200 Wiggler. This lure was a 1916-1917 sample and one of the first lures that Creek Chub ever made.
Lure collectors dream of lures like this one!
I tendered a good offer that was quickly accepted. This little jewel was going to make a great addition to my collection, even though it was a little dirty and very smelly.
After all the evenings business dealings were handled, the two happy visitors explained that they had only paid $20 for the entire box and were totally overcome by what they had received.
Our group of collectors didnt care; we were happy to get some good lures for our collections.
The men also mentioned that they had originally been approached by producers of The Pickers TV program who wanted to go through their warehouse of treasures for a program segment.
However, after reading about our monthly meetings at the Heddon Museum on Louie Stouts website, they decided to bring their lures to us first. We were thrilled they did!
Our group extends an open invitation to anyone wanting to stop by our meetings. They are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m.
One last thing; the collector who bought the old dirty, smelly tackle box and its remaining contents left it in his barn because his wife wont let him bring it near the house. Needless to say, its for sale!
Special thanks go to Don and Joan for letting our group use the Heddon Museum for our meetings. The museum is located in the old converted Heddon factory office building on the south side of Dowagiac at 414 West St.