Antiques around the clock: Fishing collectables
by Bob Becker |
Living around Canadarago Lake, I do a little fishing and a lot of
watching, especially of those hardy souls who go ice fishing. You must
have a passion for it to subject yourself to temperatures constantly
below freezing, with a strong wind blowing from the west across an
unbroken expanse. Oh well, you don’t have to worry about your catch
spoiling or the beer getting warm. In my experience, the best lure on
this lake is a feisty night crawler (the one that bites you will be the
one to attract fish). My grandson keeps coming up here to fish and he
constantly keeps buying lures to see which one works best. In the end
he reverts to the box of night crawlers he brought along (just in case).
The collecting of fishing lures (pre 1960) and old fishing tackle is
growing by leaps and bounds. I suppose if you can’t get out there to
fish anymore this is a satisfying substitute. A few years ago I
remember visiting a friend who had an antique shop and I was looking
wide-eyed at a Bate’s Pat Spinner Lure that he said was worth over $100
(it would have been worth more if he had the original box). I didn’t
believe him because it wasn’t perfect but a few weeks later he sold it
for $125. Today that lure books for $400 in excellent condition (always
learning). Yes, like anything collectable, condition is
everything, but in fishing collectables it is expected that items will
show some wear if they have been used. A tackle box isn’t the best
place to store lures or reels if you want them to remain in good
condition. Another phenomenon is that collecting fishing items is
mainly a man’s hobby. Men have a tendency to decide more quickly than
women, and be very passionate about their particular specialty. There
has given rise to the proliferation of dealers who specialize in
“mantiques” because of the fast turnover and hotter collector interest.
The lures that seem to generate the most interest are the hand made
ones carved out of wood and able to do things either on or below the
surface. Wriggling, spinning, flashing and popping seem to fill the
bill. Some lures that were mass produced have increased in value; old
Heddon, Shakespere, Pfueger, South Bend, Creek Club, Abercrombie &
Fitch and Arbogast are among the popular ones.
Another area of collecting that’s not as popular as lures are rods,
reels, creels, floats, advertising, fish hooks, canoes, canoe paddles,
buckets and decoys. We all know that duck decoys are valuable and very
collectable but another decoy is growing in popularity. That is the
fish decoy. A yellow perch decoy by Oscar Peterson that is seven inches
long with weights (the weights were in the bottom of the decoy to make
sure it floated in the right position) books at $375 in excellent
condition. A new industry is popping up in the carving of fish decoys
and other items. These are done by individuals who conceive, carve and
paint their art with little use of power equipment. True, they may hang
them in trees for a few years to age them, but for the prices they ask
for them it’s a great investment in tomorrow’s antique. A rule to
remember is that some purists consider anything made after 1848 is not
a true antique because it was produced after machine mass production
began. Therefore these present-day hand made decoys, which are limited
to the amount one person can produce, can certainly be considered folk
art.
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