Books and References for pre-1930 lures

Much of the knowledge about early lures and boxes has been handed down collector to collector. All too often that knowledge was closely held by those individuals. A handful of knowledgeable collectors have published what they know, but in general, very little is known about the details for most lures.

Here is a sketchy outline of the references and books I use on a regular basis to discover and interpolate information. It is not a complete list or meant to be a bibliography by any measure, but just parts of the puzzle. My objective is to show new collectors where to look for information not to answer the questions.

You can obtain some of the books on Amazon.com, but the NLFCC Magazine articles are only available to members through the NFLCC library. Kimball's book is in paperback reprint. Some Lang's catalogs are available from Lang's Auctions.

NFLCC Magazine Heddon's Round Bodied Minnows An extensive article on Heddon lures made for the trades in the early years. Harbin, Sonnett, D. Roberts, Martin Nov. 97
NFLCC Magazine Shakespeare Wooden Minnows An in-depth discussion of early minnows with details about Rhodes minnows as well as charts which discuss the hardware of Shakespeare minnows. William Sonnett Dec. 1999
NFLCC Magazine Fred Keeling Story 1914-1919. Joern, Martin June 1998
NFLCC Magazine Chippewa Information on the Frost Chippewa and Skipper. Terry Larsen June 1998
Early Fishing Plugs A complete discussion of history and identification of early miscellaneous lures from 1900 to the 1940's. The main value of this book is in details put together on all the various small early companies and the lures they made. Art and Scott Kimball 1980's
Oliver's Auction Catalogs Photos and descriptions of rare boxed and unboxed lures from the 1980's when lures were 'cheap' and plentiful. It's the only place you will find clear photos of some rarer pieces. Lang's Auctions 1980's
Lang's Auction Catalogs Extensive photos of rare and seldom seen lures and boxes. The best photo resource of rare pieces. Lang's Auctions 1990-2000
Heddon Historical Footprints Extensive historical research on lures, boxes, and the individuals involved with Heddon. This is a must for the serious Heddon collector. Clyde Harbin 1990's
Heddon Catalogs A collection of the Heddon catalogs over the history of the company from 1902 to the later years. Great for research. Clyde Harbin 1970's
Heddon Video Tapes Video tape about early 1903 to 1916 Heddon lures from the early catalogs. Also, 40 of the rarest lures, both Heddon and early miscellaneous lures. Clyde Harbin 1970's
NFLCC Magazine Packaged to Perfection A detailed outline of Heddon boxes from the 1902 to the 1960's. This is the best article to date on this subject. Bruce Dyer 1990's
NFLCC Magazine Kent Frogs and Minnows An in-depth discussion of Pardee and Kent minnows. Dick Wilson 1990's
NFLCC Magazine 8 Years of Heddon Hardware The definitive article on early Heddon 100 hardware. William Sonnett Jan. 1991
NFLCC Magazine Expert information about Shaffer, Woods, Keeling. Great photos of the various lures and the boxes avaiable. About the only information published. Jack Looney
NFLCC Gazette A "Charmer" for sure! Details about Charmers with color charts and details about this highly prized lure and their boxes. Bob Brown
NFLCC Gazette An extensive dissertation on the Chippewa lure. It covers all area of the history, colors, and box nomenclature. Richey et al
NFLCC Gazette Details on the miscellaneous company that produced the North Channel Minnow. Clyde Harbin
NFLCC Magazine An extremely valuable series of articles in the Magazine over a period of years. A major contribution by the author in his continuing efforts to document the history of early lures by Heddon. William Sonnett
NFLCC Gazette Details to uncover the difference in the Heddon 400 and 402 confusion. Other information on the Bucktail Minnow. William Sonnett

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Books and References for Pre-1930 lures and boxes