Vintage antique lures were first commercially available pre-1900 and made of either brass, nickel silver or nickel plated brass. In the early 1900’s, wooden lures were available commercially and gaining in popularity. The first patented lure, and the most desirable lure to collectors, is the 1859 patented R. Haskell Minnow. The Chautauqua Weedless Trolling Bait and the Comstock Flying Helgramite are also early cool baits. Any metal bait made by W.D. Chapman & Son is collectible. Below are some photos of some cool baits that are considered by collectors to be very desirable and collectible. Glass Minnow Tubes, Miller’s Reversible Minnows, Joe Pepper lures, Cold Water Bait Co. lures and Fred Nichols of Nichols Lure Co. in Corpus Christi, TX are some of the cool baits. These are by no means all the collectible lures. You can see a list of collectible vintage antique lures on the Lures Wanted page.
ANDERSON & CO. Chautauqua Minnow, Jamestown, NY, circa 1909
COLDWATER BAIT CO. HELL DIVER Lure, circa 1918
Glass Minnow Tube and Miller’s Minnow Lure Collections
E.C. ADAMS JERSEY EXPERT Lure, circa 1907
JOE E. PEPPER Roman Spider, circa 1915
NICHOLS LURE CO. Perch & Shrimp Lures, TX, circa 1930’s