Heddon Pre-1930 Lure Boxes

The tough question is always: What Heddon lure should be in which Heddon box?  You have to be able to coordinate hardware, lure shape, box type, and the nomenclature to match up the correct lure with the correct Heddon box.  If you are in the field or at a show and need this information, it can save your butt, not to mention your wallet. 

Note: Some Heddon box information was drawn from discussions with various collectors; an article by Bruce Dyer in the NFLCC Magazine, 1993; and Clyde Harbin's Historical Foot Prints book.

I'm interested in buying any of the Heddon boxes shown on this page for this collection.  Please contact me for discussion and pricing. 

See the page on identification of early Heddon lures by hardware and prop type.

Heddon Boxes:1906-1930

• 1902-1905: Heddon Picture boxes: the 'vine or oak leaf' type border is earlier than the double straight line design.

• 1906-1909:  Heddon White cardboard and intro boxes: shows the later double straight line design.

• 1906-1913:  Heddon White Musky Boxes, the earlier is marked "MUSKY"  on top, and has a double blue line on the border.  It is also marked Musky on the end.  The later box (c. 1912-13) has the downleaping Bass logo printed, not pasted, on the top of the box which has a single blue line on the border.  The later box is marked Musky on the end of the box.  Both of these "MUSKY" boxes are marked for a 707 sienna lure.  The same downleaping Bass labeled box was used for the Black Sucker and marked 1300.

• 1905-1910: Heddon wood boxes (variations type 1 - 5):  the more expensive line of lures were packaged in wood boxes, while the cheaper lines were sold in the white boxes/

Click here for an extensive discussion of Heddon wood boxes

• 1911: Pinetree cardboard box: marked on side with "Stamped on Spinners"  Expect fat body 100's and 150's with long gill marks, cup rig, single belly weights, no name on the props.

Heddon Dowagiac: Down leaping Bass boxes

• 1912 only:  blue or white  border; down leaping Bass box.  Contains fat body lures with cup rig, sweeping gill marks, and no name on the prop.  Click here to see the correct brochure paper for this box.  Note the blue border around the box on the lower left and the white border around the lower box on the right.  The outside rim of the box is blue on the blue border and the whole box is white on the white border. 

Blue border box		White border box

     

• 1912-@1915  Note on the side it says: "stamped on the Spinner"; down leaping Bass box

• 1915-@1920  Note on the side it says: "stamped on the Metal"; down leaping Bass box

• 1920-@1924  Note box is folded style with mis-print "is'nt"; down leaping Bass box

• 1924-@1930  Note it's now 'Genuine" on top of box; down leaping Bass box

 

Heddon Lures: 1905 to 1909

• 1905 High forehead 100 with brass hardware, two belly weights, long sweeping gill marks to eyes

• 1906 same as above, only it has nickel hardware instead of brass

• 1907 first version with blunt nose, except it's a little narrower and longer

• 1908-9 blunt nose baits found in wood boxes

Heddon 100: 1904 to 1912

Body anatomy and boxes used from 1904 to 1912

Heddon Paper 

Sequences of paper brochures by Joe Stagnitti

Cover of the 1914 Heddon Catalog