I have been lucky to have a couple of lures that my grandfather fished with in the 30s. Now, my grandfather was not much of a fisherman, but did fish on a rare occasion. When I was a kid, the family cleaned out his home after he passed. My father and I found these old Heddon lures in his shop. My father said he remembered these when he was a kid and fished with them on the Duck River during the depression.
As you can see, they have seen better days. In fact, someone tried to modify the top lure for some reason. I do wonder what's the story behind this bait, where was it purchased, and what fish were caught. I'm sure if this bait could talk, it would be fascinating.
They are made of wood. The shellac has deteriorated with age and the paint is starting to crack and flake off. The quality of the craftsmanship is excellent. The diving spoon is thick and made from high quality metal, no rust after 80-85 years.
I bet my father or his brother modified this lure when they were young and decided a spinner would be better added to the front. Oh well, I am glad to have these old relics.They are not worth much to anyone else but me. I do want to preserve the story and place them in a better container. So, I decided to print and build an old fashion lure box made of paper.
Now folks in the future will know a little more about these old lures and the story behind the bait. "Old fishermen may pass, but their bait lives on!"
The above is a proto-type box and I am working to improve. I think it needs to be a little thicker and better graphics. I will add a new picture when I finish.
Remember: Life is short, get away from the big the screen and get on the big screen.