Swimming to the sale-topping price of $40,590 was this 3½-inch-long brown spotted Wilcox Wiggler, complete with its original paper label box and paper insert. Considered “one of the rarest combos in the collection,” it doubled the high end of its $10/20,000 estimate.
Review by Kiersten Busch
DENVER, PENN. — On December 9, 2024, Morphy Auctions conducted the first part of the sale of the Wayne and Lori Edens antique and vintage fishing lure collection, which earned more than $900,000. On May 17, the firm was back with a second installment, offering 680 lots of lures from the collectors’ trove. “The auction overperformed overall,” shared owner Dan Morphy. “There was strong bidding across all platforms. We were excited to see so many of the top lots surpass their estimates.” Morphy also reported on the bidding pool, which was “really spread out throughout the country, with some concentration of bids coming from the Midwest and South.” With a 97 percent sell-through rate, the sale earned more than $875,000 once the dust (or, the water) settled.
Scott Jedd, Morphy’s fishing lure expert, added, “The Jan Cummings and Charles Wilcox baits were exceptionally strong, and the post-auction online chatter has been all positive. An exciting auction all around!”
Speaking of Charles Wilcox, the day was led by a brown spotted Wilcox Wiggler, which was accompanied by its paper label box, graded “very good.” “One of the rarest combos in the collection, there are only a handful of Wigglers in this color that have been found, and only a few of these Wilcox boxes are known,” the auction catalog explained of the lure’s significance and rarity. In near-excellent condition, the 3½-inch-long lure had most likely never seen water and swam past its $10/20,000 estimate to hook $40,590. The brown spotted example led a group of four Wilcox Wigglers in the sale, which also comprised a gray ghost ($2,952), a greenback ($2,460) and a red back ($2,337).
Made by the Enterprise Manufacturing Company (Pflueger) of Akron, Ohio, this early model brown and gold Trory minnow, 1900-1901, 3¾ inches long, came with its original hardware and earned $23,370 ($6/12,000).
Pflueger, or the Enterprise Manufacturing Company (Akron, Ohio), was represented by 27 lots of lures in the sale, highlighted by a brown and gold Pflueger Trory minnow, “one of the most historically significant American underwater minnows ever produced,” according to catalog notes. Dating to 1900 or 1901, this early model had a “crudely formed” wooden tail and a natural brown body with a dark back; it also retained its original, uncleaned hardware. Discovered in a tackle box in the Canton, Ohio, area, the lure hooked a $23,370 finish. The other 26 Pflueger lots earned prices ranging from $92 for a Pflueger O’Boy lure with a natural frog scale finish, to $7,380 for a silver Trory minnow with green accents.
Approximately 50 percent of the sale, or 346 lots, were made by Heddon. The group, which only saw one lot go unsold, contained lures of all shapes, sizes and prices — perfect for green and experienced collectors alike. Bidders competed for lots ranging in price from $31, earned by an X9750 Vamp Spook lure in white with a yellow stripe, to the $23,370 captured by a Hi-Forehead 150 minnow combo in yellow. The latter, which dated to 1905, appeared barely used and had its original hardware and glass eyes. It was also accompanied by its matching wooden box with “graphics that still really pop,” according to catalog notes, as well as an insert titled “The Why Of It.”
Additional well-performing Heddon lures included an Intro 155 all-brass minnow painted yellow that came with its box ($20,910), a 1902 Dowagiac underwater in box ($11,685) and a 1300 musky sucker in its correct box ($11,070).
Floating to $23,370 was this 3-5/8-inch Heddon Hi-Forehead 150 minnow combo in yellow which dated to 1905 and was accompanied by its wooden box and a “The Why Of It” insert ($10/20,000).
A musky minnow with an aluminum base and green back by Rhodes led a group of seven lots by bass fishing lure manufacturer Jay Rhodes at $11,685. Made circa 1903, the bait “would’ve made a good-sized wake” because of its unusual 6½ inch length, according to catalog notes.
While most lures in the sale were in the form of fish, two Hosmer Mechanical Froggies were offered, earning $9,225 and $3,444, respectively. The former, in the rarer yellow color, was still functional and came with its original box. The latter, a more common green color, was graded Excellent but came without a box.
The third installment of The Wayne and Lori Edens Fishing Lure Collection Auction will take place September 13. Before that, Morphy will hit the road for Santa Fe, N.M., for its Old West Auction on June 21, and. Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 877-968-8880 or www.morphyauctions.com.
