Antique Lure Collectibles

Heddon Lure Hardware Identification 1904 to 1930

Early Heddon lure distinctive features of the hook hardware  

The earliest c.1905 Heddon hardware is a shallow cup made of brass with an eye screw in the center of the cup.  The props would be unmarked. heddonbrasscup.jpg (25500 bytes)
Nickel plated cup hardware with an eye screw in the middle of the cup is typical of the 1906-1912 era.  This hardware would be consistent with the unmarked prop.   heddoncup1.jpg (25989 bytes)
After 1912 and into the 1930's, Heddon used the L-rig hardware has a screw showing outside the nickel plated cup. heddonlrig.jpg (27655 bytes)

The earliest props (Figure 1) are unmarked and consistent with the cup rig hardware.  The later post 1912 props are all marked with the words "Heddon" and "Dowagiac" on the prop.

heddonpprop.jpg (19924 bytes) heddonprop2.jpg (19627 bytes)
Figure 1: plain prop Figure 2: marked prop

Heddon Hardware

Identifying Heddon lures can be made much easier if you know the types of hardware and the time period they were used.

Cup rig: hardware typical of Heddon baits made prior to 1915-1916.   The earliest cups were made of brass and the later were nickel plated.  There were variations in the early years with rim anatomy and variations (flat rim cup dates prior to 1907, raised rim cup dates to 1908 and later) detailed in the NFLCC article "Eight Years of Heddon Hardware" by Bill Sonnett.

    

  • Props: Cup rig underwater minnows can have two types of props: unmarked (No Name On Prop) which dates them prior to 1915-1916; and Name On Prop, which dates them after 1911 when the name Heddon Dowagiac was stamped on the front and rear prop. Heddon made a gradual change to L-rig during the 1914-1915 time range, so it is possible to find NOP lures with cup rig (lures fitting this criteria date from 1912 through 1915-ish) .  Apparently they wanted to use up the last cup rig lures and placed the new marked props on the older cup rig lures.
  • See additional photos to identify Heddon lures by the props.

Personal notes from Bill Sonnett's 1991 article on '8 Years of Heddon Hardware' published in the Premier Issue of the NFLCC Magazine:
  • Forward raised cups were used on 100's and 150's until the conversion to L-rig sometime in 1915.
  • "Killer" props refers to No Name On Prop spinners used on 100,150, 175,300's during 1904 to 1912.
  • Only the 400 and 450 used 'Killer' props for the whole life time of their production.
  • In 1912, all lures featured "Dowagiac" on the spinners.
  • The shift to 'fat body' 100's  occurred in 1910.
  • Long sweeping gill marks on 100's were gone by 1905.
  • 1907 100's can have one large or two belly weights, slim body, low-rimmed hardware, tiny nose washer, and nickel-plated hardware.
  • The 1911 #100 is a fat body style.
  • 1912 is the year NOP (name on prop) became standard.

 L-rig: first cataloged in 1914 on the Dummy Double. . The hook screw has an arm for an attachment screw which comes out of the cup and onto the body.   Earliest L-rig is single hump, later two hump L-rig seen after 1915.

  • Props: Generally only Name On Prop.

Toilet seat: made in two pieces and the toilet seat shape gives it the name. This hardware was in use during 1927 to 1936.

  • Props: Name On Prop.

 

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