Morphy’s ‘lured’ collectors of antique fishing baits to $900K+ sale of Wayne Edens collection, Part I

Extremely rare lures, many of them boxed, included one of eight legendary frogs hand-carved in 1898 by James Heddon and displayed at Heddon factory, plus many other seldom-seen examples

DENVER, Pa. – The water was fine and the bidders were biting at Morphy’s December 9 auction of the Wayne Edens collection of antique and vintage fishing lures, Part I, which tallied more than $900,000. The 622-lot sale was singularly focused on treasures from the Edens collection, the largest, most comprehensive and historically-important collection of its type ever to come to the public marketplace.

As predicted, the top lot of the day was an all-original Heddon frog lure (or “bait”) personally crafted by James Heddon, founder of the Heddon Company. One of eight created and subsequently exhibited on a display board at the Heddon plant in Dowagiac, Michigan, the frog was formerly the property of Dudley Murphy (1940-2022), co-founder of the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club. Murphy had obtained the lure directly from the Heddon factory. In addition to its unbroken line of provenance, Edens’ frog lure was definitively photo-matched to one of the original eight “board” examples. It made its first-ever auction appearance on December 9 at Morphy’s and sold within estimate for $30,750.

An extremely rare Heddon special order 1309 Black Sucker in a five-hook configuration dazzled with its spectacular white saltwater color, glitter finish and solid amber-glass eyes. Graded Excellent Minus to Excellent, it reeled in a winning bid of $22,200.

A Heddon 707 Dowagiac Musky Minnow bait with a sienna crackleback finish was of a type first marketed in 1909. Sturdy and sizable at 5-3/8 inches long, it was one of the finest of those few known to have survived. On top of that, it was accompanied by its oversize introductory box. It landed within its pre-sale estimate range at $20,910.

Among other exotic Heddon lures that met with success on auction day was an 8-inch 7602 Musky Vamp produced around 1925. With red eyes and tail, a shiny finish and perfect glass eyes, it was graded Excellent and came with its Excellent original box. It sold for $9,840 against an estimate of $4,500-$6,500. An Introductory 3-bellyweight 150 Dowagiac Minnow in early olive-green Fancy Back crackle-paint finish, with egg-yolk glass eyes, represented the earliest of all Heddon Underwater Minnows from the 1904 season. It correctly matched its thicker Type II intro wood box with a slider top, and glided to $7,680 against an estimate of $2,000-$4,000. Also, a Heddon 309V Dowagiac Surface Minnow in the desirable special-order motif of glossy orange paint with black spots, L-rigged on its belly with marked pointed props and perfect glass eyes, surpassed its high estimate to realize $5,280.

Beautiful and sought after, a Shakespeare No. 64 five-hook Red Musky (Muscallonge) Trolling Minnow bait exhibited deep crimson coloration and a high forehead design that definitively dated it to circa 1906-7. Oversize baits of its type are rarely encountered, and with the bonus inclusion of an elusive circa-1908 pictorial box, it was one of the auction’s most desirable entries. Attracting 15 bids, it sold near the mid-point of its estimate range, for $27,600.

Another fabulous lure was a Shakespeare No. 1611 Wooden Minnow with five hooks, a red back and white belly; thin, hand-painted gills, and perfect glass eyes. Dating to circa 1907-09, the irresistible fish-enticer came to auction with its correct and equally-rare white-label pictorial box, making it an incomparable duo for any serious collector. Against an estimate of $10,000-$15,000, it leaped to a winning bid of $19,680. 

Made by one of the most collected of miscellaneous makers, A.F. Bingenheimer, Milwaukee (established 1904-05), a gold-painted Bing’s Nemahbin Minnow was graded VG Plus to Excellent Minus. It retained its incredibly rare pictorial box adorned with an image of the bait, its name, and the description “A NEW BAIT.” One of the box ends was correctly marked “GOLD WEEDLESS.” Cataloged with a $5,000-$15,000 estimate, it swam to even friendlier waters, settling at $18,000.

A Jan Cummings Fairform Bait Works set consisting of four diminutive handmade Savage Shrimp, each displaying a different, exceptionally beautiful color, was a popular entry. Each bait was new in its individual paper-labeled box, along with a larger dealer case to accommodate the quartet. Against a $3,000-$6,000 estimate, the appealing little fly rod baits drew 22 bids before closing at $14,145.

Also noteworthy, a desirable “Missouri Barberpole” made by Charmer Minnow Company and known as “The Charmer Minnow” certainly lived up to the claim imprinted on its included original orange box: “The Most Attractive Fish Lure Any Angler Ever Cast.” Additionally, the box label indicated a retail price of $1 and the words “THE CHARMER” and “Patent Applied For.” It rose to $7,200 against a pre-sale estimate of $2,000-$4,000.

Parts II and III of the Wayne & Lori Edens fishing lure collection will be auctioned at Morphy’s in 2025, with dates to be announced soon on the Pennsylvania company’s website. Each of the sales will offer 600-700 lots and feature many special-order and one-of-a-kind lures, some in their original picture boxes. To discuss consigning antique or vintage fishing or sports-related antiques of any type to a future auction conducted by Morphy’s, please call Dan Morphy at 877-968-8880 or email [email protected]. Visit Morphy’s online at https://www.morphyauctions.com. All enquiries are kept strictly confidential and there is never an obligation to consign.