Antique 1898 Heddon Hand Carved Surface Bait/Slope Nose - - Early Heddon Prototype
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:363443 |
Antique 1898 Heddon Hand Carved Surface Bait?Slope Nose-- Early Heddon PrototypeThis Antique 1898 Heddon Hand Carved Surface Bait/Slope Nose-- Early Heddon Prototype Vintage was in my late husbands antique fishing Collection for over 33 years. He was always collecting various items that were hard to find and very collectible and this was a treasure find.
In 1985 my late husband and I attended the Richard W. Oliver Auction Gallery
FISHING TACKLE AND RELATED ITEMS Publ...ic Auction in Kennebunk, Maine. In the parking lot of this crowded FISHING TACKLE auction was an additional outdoor swap meet where I also had a table set-up with assorted fishing tackle items for sale. I came across one of the vendors tables close to my table that had assorted cheap flat fish and cheap lures but there was an older primitive looking lure that immediately caught my eye.
When I talked to the person at this table, he mentioned that this was a lure that was originally found in a cabin in Long Lake, Michigan that also came with a hand-carved frog that someone else had previously bought. I knew immediately this this old lure was hand carved and was as it was very dirty. I bought this lure for my husband who was inside the crowded auction house, while I was running our swap-meet table.
My late husband and I did extensive research and found that James Heddon had a cabin in Long Lake Michigan. We concluded that is is an early prototype that James Heddon carved before he founded his Heddon Company in 1902 to sell the lures, that were originally made by hand in the Heddon family kitchen in Dowagiac, Michigan.
My husband loved this antique lure and had no intention of ever selling it. There was never-any Certificate of Authenticity (COA) created but it is well-known in documented history that Heddon's hand-carved frog in 1898 valued at $30, 000 was carved at the same time as the earliest prototypes of James Heddon Surface Bait/Slope Nose.
It is recorded in Streeter's Reference Catalog of Old Fishing Lures that the earliest of James Heddon Surface Baits/Slope Nose were cup hook rigged and had the metal tail caps and were 4 1/4" long.
This surface bait is believed to be the early rendition of the slope nose with White Body and Blue head and the collar---it is hand carved, 4 1/4 inches long and has no hook rig and no tail cap. It has the white body, blue heads and metal collar. The metal collar has broken looses and comes off. It is in remarkable condition for its antique age after I cleaned it
Heddon History
Heddon is a brand of artificial fishing lures created by James Heddon who is credited with the invention of the first artificial fishing lures made of wood in the late 1890s. 1898- The original fishing lures were frogs carved from broomsticks by James Heddon. He came upon the idea when he threw a stick he had whittled into a local lake known as the Mill Pond, and watched as a bass hit it. 1902- The first manufactured fishing lures were created by James and his son Will (also, W.T.).[1] Will moved to Florida to test and develop new plugs, as the wooden lures became known.
Richard Oliver Fishing Tackle Auctions Richard Oliver founded the auction house Oliver's in 1970 (1970 -1992). Located in Kennebunk, Maine, it grew from a one-person operation to a serious competitor and established itself as dominant force in a number of antiques and collectible markets. Oliver's specialty departments included Americana, Victoriana, Decoys, Fishing, Toys & Dolls, Firearms, and Advertising. Cultivated business in excess of $100 million through skillful consulting, appraising and auctioneering for clients dealing in fine and decorative arts.
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In 1985 my late husband and I attended the Richard W. Oliver Auction Gallery
FISHING TACKLE AND RELATED ITEMS Publ...ic Auction in Kennebunk, Maine. In the parking lot of this crowded FISHING TACKLE auction was an additional outdoor swap meet where I also had a table set-up with assorted fishing tackle items for sale. I came across one of the vendors tables close to my table that had assorted cheap flat fish and cheap lures but there was an older primitive looking lure that immediately caught my eye.
When I talked to the person at this table, he mentioned that this was a lure that was originally found in a cabin in Long Lake, Michigan that also came with a hand-carved frog that someone else had previously bought. I knew immediately this this old lure was hand carved and was as it was very dirty. I bought this lure for my husband who was inside the crowded auction house, while I was running our swap-meet table.
My late husband and I did extensive research and found that James Heddon had a cabin in Long Lake Michigan. We concluded that is is an early prototype that James Heddon carved before he founded his Heddon Company in 1902 to sell the lures, that were originally made by hand in the Heddon family kitchen in Dowagiac, Michigan.
My husband loved this antique lure and had no intention of ever selling it. There was never-any Certificate of Authenticity (COA) created but it is well-known in documented history that Heddon's hand-carved frog in 1898 valued at $30, 000 was carved at the same time as the earliest prototypes of James Heddon Surface Bait/Slope Nose.
It is recorded in Streeter's Reference Catalog of Old Fishing Lures that the earliest of James Heddon Surface Baits/Slope Nose were cup hook rigged and had the metal tail caps and were 4 1/4" long.
This surface bait is believed to be the early rendition of the slope nose with White Body and Blue head and the collar---it is hand carved, 4 1/4 inches long and has no hook rig and no tail cap. It has the white body, blue heads and metal collar. The metal collar has broken looses and comes off. It is in remarkable condition for its antique age after I cleaned it
Heddon History
Heddon is a brand of artificial fishing lures created by James Heddon who is credited with the invention of the first artificial fishing lures made of wood in the late 1890s. 1898- The original fishing lures were frogs carved from broomsticks by James Heddon. He came upon the idea when he threw a stick he had whittled into a local lake known as the Mill Pond, and watched as a bass hit it. 1902- The first manufactured fishing lures were created by James and his son Will (also, W.T.).[1] Will moved to Florida to test and develop new plugs, as the wooden lures became known.
Richard Oliver Fishing Tackle Auctions Richard Oliver founded the auction house Oliver's in 1970 (1970 -1992). Located in Kennebunk, Maine, it grew from a one-person operation to a serious competitor and established itself as dominant force in a number of antiques and collectible markets. Oliver's specialty departments included Americana, Victoriana, Decoys, Fishing, Toys & Dolls, Firearms, and Advertising. Cultivated business in excess of $100 million through skillful consulting, appraising and auctioneering for clients dealing in fine and decorative arts.
08051
