Heddon's Early Dowagiac Lures
Early Heddon is not necessarily a pretty site, BUT THIS STUFF IS TOUGH AND RARE! For the most part the paint is usually poor and the high art of the workmanship of the later lures is not perfected as yet in these early examples of Heddon.
Click on the photos to enlarge
| A rare (c. 1904) Heddon Killer picture box with a three belly weight Killer lure in aluminum color. About as tough as it gets since there are only a few boxes known to exist. |
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The earliest Heddon Slope Nose Expert
with brass hardware, two pin collar, c.
1904 in a picture box.
See the story about this lure
in the Families who preserved section.
Box according to Joe
Stagnitti:
If your Slopenose has two collar pins, has a brass cup and tail cap,
has a nickel line tie and screw eyes, it goes in a picture box with a
double straight line border as opposed to this lure which is in the
rounded corner single line of oak leaves border. |
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Heddon's early, c. 1906, 150 with high forehead, brass cups, brass line
tie, sweeping gill marks and two belly weights.
With the correct wood box marked 150 on the end, no writing on the long sides, and inscribed with "See how the hooks are hung!" The " ! " point is the key to the box top being the correct one for this early lure. The x-rays show the two belly weights and hardware. There is a top view and side view. The eyes, cups, and belly weights are clearly visible. X-rays are a good way to verify authenticity of early lures. Much can be learned by this method when combined with UV light examination and experience. |
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| A rare (c. 1906-7) Heddon 175 in a "tall" wood box marked with " SEE HOW THE HOOKS ARE HUNG! ". The paper is exceptionally rare as is the box. The box is marked 176 which is early rainbow. In the early Heddon lures, rainbow is a green back, pinkish orange sides and a white belly. |
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| A rare 1909 transitional 300 with the "high forehead" profile and slim body style. This lure would be found in the white box and preceded the wood box model which appeared in 1910. |
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| A rare
(c. 1910) 900 floating minnow (901 color) with the introductory box
which says: "It swims, it swims". Click here to see additional photos and info on the 900 |
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| A (c.
1911) 900 floating minnow in the later double blue line box which followed
the intro box. Click here to see additional photos and information on the 900 |
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| A (c. 1911) 150 in sienna fancy back, cup rig hardware, no name on the props, sweeping gill marks to the eye in the early white box with double blue lines. Included is the correct paperwork in the box. |
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| A (c. 1912) cup rigged 150 with sweeping gill marks in blended red with a Pinetree (up leaping Bass to left) box. |
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| A (c.1912) cup rigged 00 with sweeping gill marks in yellow with red and green decorations, props are marked. In the correct exc. plus Pinetree box with the end marked 001. Tough...! |
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| A rare (c.1904) Heddon Dowagiac Underwater minnow in aluminum finish with two belly weights, marine brass hardware, oversized front prop and rear rudder prop. This lure is the predecessor to the 100 and 150 and rare. |
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| An extremely rare Multiple Minnow box and No. 500 metal lure, c. 1909 |
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A rare combination: the Heddon No. 11 casting minnow, c. 1912 with the correctly marked early white "Heddon and Son" blue double line box. Note the distinctive squared hook on the no. 11 minnow. Not pretty, but rare and almost unheard of with the box. |
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| A rare cup rig, no tail cap Heddon "peckerhead" floating minnow. This one is luminous. c. 1914 and in mint condition. |
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| A single belly weight c. 1906 450 'Killer", this one in red white red, no name on the prop and no eyes. Rare. |
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