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Frequently Asked Questions About Old Fishing Lures and Collecting
Last Updated: 06/21/04
I want to get started collecting. Any suggestions?
- Lots of suggestions: How to find lures. Collecting Knowledge. About collecting lures. How and what I collect.
Where can I find information of my lures?
- Since there is no way anyone can answer all the questions people come up with on the Internet, and especially on plastic or post-1940 lures, you have to rely on a book. There is one book that will answer most of your research and pricing questions....Carl Luckey's book on Antique Fishing Lures.
How can I find out what my lures are worth?
- Again, if you want prices, you are going to have to work like crazy. Everyone is constantly trying to figure out what anything in this hobby is worth and the answer is usually going to come from a collector like me if it's about something I collect (I don't know about all areas, no way to know), or you have to 'mine' the information on www.ebay.com. Auction sites like eBay have sales everyday which may be like your lures and you just have to figure out if yours is like theirs. It's a tough job. No one said collecting or pricing is easy. It takes an enormous amount of time and energy to keep up with prices. Buying all the books alone costs a small fortune. But, unless you have buddy in the business, you have to rely on the books.
How can I tell if my lures are pre-1940?
- Just work your way through this lure worksheet to determine what age lures you have.
What is the best way to pack lures for shipping?
- Take a good look at this illustration of the best way to wrap lures.
- Pack the lure, after it is wrapped in tissue, in a zip-loc baggie and then float it in bubble wrap or foam peanuts to prevent crushing. What you want to avoid is water damage and crushing by the post office.
- Use a good solid cardboard box or get one of the post office's Priority Mail boxes since that is the best way to ship.
How can I send a photo of my lures for you to evaluate?
- Send your digital photos with your e-mail as an attachment in .jpg format or mail prints to Randy's office address.
What's the best way to clean a lure?
- The answer is in Lure Knowledge along with a lot of other information.
I want to find out what kind of CCBC (Creek Chub) I have, and can you tell me what it's worth?
- There is an excellent and relatively inexpensive book by Harold Smith which covers 'everything' including prices for Creek Chub: See The Creek Chub Book by Harold Smith in the books section of this site.
I can't seem to find anything on fly rod lures. Where can I find out about fly rod lures?
- The short answer is you still can't find out anything about fly rod lures because there is only one book on them and that book is out of print and not worth much anyway. Most of the guys who buy them do so by the seat of their pants. Not many collectors know much about fly rod lures, but those who do are buying them like crazy before the price goes up. Fly rod lures are a great area to start buying because they are still kind of cheap. There is no long answer.
I want to join the NFLCC, how do I do it?
- First read this article about the NFLCC and then go to a search engine and type in NFLCC and see if it comes up. They have a new site.