Heddon Dummy Double

The Dummy Double lure was made by James Heddon & Sons in the early 1900's. It's date of manufacture is not clear but various books list it anywhere from 1907 to 1913. It appears in early Heddon catalogs from about 1913 to 1916. The lure was one of a number of experimental lures made by Heddon in an attempt to come up with a hook which would not scratch or gouge the lure.

Heddon was a leader in developing hooks and fasteners to that end and this was one such lure. The hook itself was patented by Heddon and is detachable by its design. The 'non' hook hangs to the inside when you hold the lure in a horizontal position, thereby eliminating any scratching of the body of the lure by the hook.

This wooden lure has front and rear spinners which are are clearly engraved "Heddon Dowagiac" and has glass eyes. This lure, in the color white body with red and green spots, was rated in 'E-' condition and valued at $1500. Due to aging, the 'white' on this particular lure had a yellowish hue.

Other colors include a yellow body with red and green spots. Karl Luckey's book also lists colors including fancy green back/white belly, blended white body with red eyes, blended red, rainbow, frog, spotted frog, yellow perch, and fancy back.

If anybody has additional information or paperwork such as early advertisements they would share it would be greatly appreciated.

Unknown Lure

The 'unknown' features a wood lure, having a metal lip which is painted red on the bottom to match the red of the body. It has glass eyes and cug rigging. It had three treble hooks but the front and rear trebles are missing. The owner suggested it may be a South Bend experimental lure.

Unknown Status: Unidentified

If you have any further information on any of the items displayed on this page which you'd like to share, please send your comments to me and I'll update the page accordingly. Contributions of interesting items and/or unknowns are encouraged.