Jonny Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 I picked these up last week on ebay... $10.50 CAD for both (including shipping) from South Carolina. They're the same as ones my dad used decades ago. I didn't ask him for his because he still uses them occasionally. Anybody else got a favourite or two from bygone days?
rbaquial Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 Aren't those still being produced? (I guess in different patterns?)
Jonny Posted August 5, 2009 Author Report Posted August 5, 2009 Oh yeah, you can buy them new. But it's like buying anything old; it's somehow more interesting. Like old rifles I've bought... a little bit of careful cleanup and they're more fun to own and use than new ones.
Dara Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 I have a couple like that , that my dad had. Not in nearly as good a shape though
GBW Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 I have those very same ones and LOVE them in the PM. Mine are also over 15-years or more old...
sully Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 I was going to make a table with a glass top, and under the glass I was going to display some old antique lures, UNTIL I RESEARCHED THE PRICE OF ANTIQUE LURES...man their crazy expensive...so no table.
John Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 I was going to make a table with a glass top, and under the glass I was going to display some old antiquelures, UNTIL I RESEARCHED THE PRICE OF ANTIQUE LURES...man their crazy expensive...so no table. Sounds like a great project Sully. Don't let the prices of a handful of high priced rare lures put you off. There are many interesting old ones that you can buy on line for a few $$'s each that would look just as good as those several hundred $ ones.
backbay Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 I have a Heddon Dowagiac Vamp that was my dad's that I throw every now and again for good luck. Sorry, no pics, my camera and tackle are up north, but it looks like this: I don't have the box though!
LucG Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 I picked these up last week on ebay... $10.50 CAD for both (including shipping) from South Carolina. They're the same as ones my dad used decades ago. I didn't ask him for his because he still uses them occasionally. Anybody else got a favourite or two from bygone days? These don't look that old. Does anyone have a production date?
Jonny Posted August 5, 2009 Author Report Posted August 5, 2009 These don't look that old. Does anyone have a production date? You can tell? Both those exact patterns have been produced since 1939. The configuration is trademarked and has never changed. They've been made of plastic since 1943. The hook hangers haven't been changed since 1947. I can't really tell how old they are. I don't think you can either.
bassjnkie Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 I do some collecting, mostly reels. $10.50 for the 2 Jitters is a good deal. They aren't worth huge $$$, but they are in great condition for their age, you can easily double your investment. Great find, Ebay is a great place.
LucG Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 You can tell? I can't really tell how old they are. I don't think you can either. Never said I did...They look very modern is all...
cram Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 These could be 3 months old, or 30 yrs. Likely impossible to tell except for the hook coating (if there is any)
bassjnkie Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 (edited) Jokco, is there an engraving on the lip? If, so what does it say? Never mind the bugs you have there are vintage, no question about it. The lip and the bulging eye give it away. I can't tell you the actual year, but I looked around and they go for $10 - $20 each, depending on the conditions and if the hooks are original. Edited August 5, 2009 by DanielM
jediangler Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 That's my favourite top water lure hands down. I like the black ones for night top water fishing. I've even got a huge musky sized one but I haven't caught anything on it yet. That's a good deal but I got this one for free out of a tree in Guelph lake. I figure lures that I find are inherently lucky, since I didn't have to pay for them .
Rich Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 My dad's got display cases of both antique lures and antique fishing reels. I will take a pic and share it next time I'm at his place.
Cudz Posted August 5, 2009 Report Posted August 5, 2009 You can tell? Both those exact patterns have been produced since 1939. The configuration is trademarked and has never changed. They've been made of plastic since 1943. The hook hangers haven't been changed since 1947. I can't really tell how old they are. I don't think you can either. I would guess 20 years old. THey have been made of plastic for some time but those built during the war did not have metal lips as the metal was being used to build "war stuff" Either way Jitterbugs are solid lures. They are never really worth all that much due to the fact that there are still so many around and yours are not by any means rare in colour. Good lures though.
Jonny Posted August 5, 2009 Author Report Posted August 5, 2009 (edited) Jokco, is there an engraving on the lip? If, so what does it say? Never mind the bugs you have there are vintage, no question about it. The lip and the bulging eye give it away. I can't tell you the actual year, but I looked around and they go for $10 - $20 each, depending on the conditions and if the hooks are original. I don't know a whole lot about Jitterbugs, Daniel; I just liked these because they do have an "old" look to them and they are the same as the ones my Dad has. Not likely I'll ever part with them. The lips on both of them say: JITTERBUG MFG BY FRED ARBOGAST AKRON OHIO PATENT NO. [and a long number] I would guess 20 years old. THey have been made of plastic for some time but those built during the war did not have metal lips as the metal was being used to build "war stuff" I could have picked up a black one with a black plastic lip at the same time for the same price (less than $5) but I didn't know until reading about them that it was a wartime lure. Oh well... Edited August 5, 2009 by Jocko
wask Posted August 6, 2009 Report Posted August 6, 2009 Those are probably from the 70s/ early 80s. Pre-Pradco for sure. Arbogast was bought by Heddon in the early 80s (I think). You can tell the different since all of the companies (Bomber, Heddon, Arbogast, ect.) were bought by Pradco in the late 80s or early 90s. Sorry my dates aren't really exact. I used to collect lures heavily (ask my wife, she'll tell you, haha). You can tell the age of the bug by the hardware I think, but both of those are very common patterns. The olds bugs seem to be more valuable as a fishing lure than a collector because of the quality they were made with. Ive broken two of the newer ones that just came off the shelf. They're crap. If anyone has any antique lure questions, I can answer them or am friends with folks who can.
Jonny Posted August 6, 2009 Author Report Posted August 6, 2009 If anyone has any antique lure questions, I can answer them or am friends with folks who can. Thanks for the offer. It's always good to have some knowledge to fall back on!
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now