Sometimes it starts in your grandpa’s basement; sometimes you find an old lure in an auction box lot. However it happens, once they discover their first vintage fishing tackle, some people find themselves progressing from mild curiosity to full-blown obsession.

Why Do People Collect Lures?
I’m guessing few people can actually define the reason that they collect antique or vintage lures. Perhaps they have a general interest in all things fishing, or all things old, or the combination. To a collector, perhaps old lures, especially pre-1940s lures hold a special appeal, a sort of a tangible
angible memory of a simpler life.

Whatever the reason a person begins collecting, they certainly don’t do it to make money. Antique lures can be extremely valuable, but a hobbyist must possess a unique passion and dedication to evolve into a successful collector or dealer.

Curiosity Inspired Obsession:
When someone with no knowledge of collectible antique fishing tackle buys a box lot at an auction and finds an antique wooden lure in it, chances are they head straight to Google to see what they can find out about it.

They may be surprised when Google’s search engine returns over 750,000 results for the term “old red and white wood lure”. In an effort to determine which lure they have, they follow various links and image results. For some people, revealing the previously unknown variations of colors,
manufacturers and value of such lures triggers an obsession for more discovery and more old lures.

From Collector to Dealer:
A collector may start looking at antique malls, or Ebay.com to purchase antique lures and fishing tackle. They soon find that paying retail price for some of these lures is simply unfeasible on a regular basis. They begin negotiating trades with other collectors for items they want. The more they learn about vintage fishing tackle, the more items they covet for their own collections.

In order to support the growing desire for rarer and more expensive lures, a collector may start selling other items. They soon find themselves buying old tackle boxes at garage sales and auctions for the sole purpose of re-selling.

Before they really realize exactly where their original curiosity has led them, a casual collector has also become a dealer of antique fishing tackle, as well as an avid collector.