posted on March 14, 2004 09:40:05 AM new
A friend gave me two tackle boxes that belonged to her father. They're filled with vintage fishing lures that smell to high heaven. Should I dump them in a bucket of warm soapy water or just sell "as is"?
posted on March 14, 2004 11:03:34 AM new
I would go ahead & wash them. It shouldn't hurt them as they were made to use in water.
I would use a mild dishwashing liquid.
posted on March 14, 2004 11:05:12 AM new
absolutely do not put these in a bucket of water, sell them as is! my son is a diehard collector of fishing lures and he says do not clean them beyond wiping the loose dirt off with a damp paper towel. you may lose paint or worse if you soak them.
posted on March 14, 2004 11:11:19 AM new
Here is a great website. Lots of information here. Enter Cleaning fishing lures in the yahoo search and there are more websites.
posted on March 14, 2004 12:11:50 PM new
I wouldn't clean them. You could damage the surface or paint on them. Besides, aren't they supposed to smell like fish guts?
posted on March 15, 2004 07:35:31 AM new
Thanks, everyone...and Libra for the link. Guess I'll sell them "stinky and smelly"...and do all of my work in the garage so the house won't smell like fish guts!
posted on March 15, 2004 05:07:07 PM new
Don't Some of watch the Road Show? hahahaha, NEVER! NEVER! NEVER clean,,,,,,Anything!!! they call it Patina! Uncleaned, refinished,,,$4000.00!!!!!!!!,,,,,,Oh!,,,Grandma refinished it,,,,,,$200.00......Sorry.
posted on March 16, 2004 08:02:42 AM new
That's what I always thought too..EXCEPT on a recent "Road Show", the expert said that silver SHOULD be cleaned...he did say it should be done carefully so as not to remove a lot of the silver...but that was the first time I'd heard that...
posted on March 16, 2004 08:30:20 AM new
There is a silver polish by Wrights that is a paste and probably the best. don't use walgreens Tarnex or anything like it because that removes silver. Wrights has been around a long time and I mean really long because I as a young girl had to clean the silver and that is what we used. Oh, how I hated holidays. Never put silver in the dish washer either.
[ edited by Libra63 on Mar 16, 2004 05:45 PM ]
posted on March 16, 2004 03:43:22 PM new
Don't wash them if they are wood you risk the wood swelling from water absorption which could possibly flake and crack the paint and reduce their value. However, if they are plastic consider using a mild solution of sudsy ammonia to clean them with the aid a cotton swab. In most cases you can safely clean plastic lures with a brief soak in sudsy ammonia, then use a well worn tooth brush to gently scrub them. If you need any assistance with cleaning or help with the identification, let me know!
You know, if it were me, I think I'd just spritz them, one at a time, with plain water and let them sit a while, maybe on a couple of paper towels. That should loosen quite a bit of gunk. Then I'd spritz them again, enough to rinse them off. A Q-Tip would work in the small places, using it very carefully, of course.
posted on March 17, 2004 01:13:28 PM new
I "collected" 6 from the tackle box that were marked "Heddon". I've listed them for launch on Thursday and have decided to sell them "as is"...smell, gunk and all. Frankly, I can't tell if they're wood or plastic since their surface is somewhat glossy...although, I suspect they're wood. One final question...Their hooks are VERY sharp. Would it be OK to put a styrofoam peanut around each hook to protect it? Plus, I don't want to get some dread disease from being accidentally "hooked" on one of these nasties! I am going to wear gloves though.
posted on March 17, 2004 01:28:27 PM new
you can eithe do that or they sell plastic tubing to cover the hooks with...that protects the surface of the lure too.
posted on March 17, 2004 02:21:58 PM new
I think a peanut would be sufficent. You should also beable to put masking tape around them. I doubt if that will take off any of the finish but probably a lot of gunk.
Good Luck with them.
posted on March 17, 2004 05:00:49 PM new
Stick those suckers in a plastic bag , stuff it in a box and send it it,,,he's a fisherman,,, He knows what he's getting in that box,,,,put a Sticker on the outside of the box,,,,,,,fish hooks,,,,Caution....
posted on March 20, 2004 11:52:59 AM new
Rarriffle...I think they're doing GREAT...since I have no knowledge of this type of thing (nor does my friend), we're both delighted so far. The auction number is 3667513731. I just dragged 6 more out for auction Thursday. None in the next batch of "stinkies" has a name but I think they have pretty colors and are sort of unusual...One's got a sticky rubber tail...sort of looks like an octopus...on the end.
posted on March 20, 2004 01:29:14 PM new
BlueEyes,
The auction #3667513732. Those lures are all plastic, the lucky 13 could be plastic or wood, can't tell from the picture, my guess plastic. Every lure you have in that lot at one time was made in wood, and then plastic with the exception being the tiny lucky 13, made only in plastic. That Crappie finish punkinseed is by far your best lure in the lot. Rare colors on lures will bring the most money, that Punkinseed itself has a value of 40-90$ dependent on condition. The red flitter color scheme on that same lure is around 600-900$. It will pay to research these lures!!!
posted on March 20, 2004 01:44:35 PM new
Thanks for the info...appreciate it. My thinking is that the "lure of lures (pun intended) is a really specialized area...I've made errors before in researching other items, finding it in a book, then saying it's "thus and so"...only to find there was some tiny detail that I missed...and then being told by helpful eBay-ers that the item was not what I said. I'm suspecting there are a zillion lures with varying colors, designs, materials, etc. I will probably try to do some research but have found that the bidding public tends to be pretty knowledgeable and will know much more than me. One "stupid question"...is there any way to determine whether a lure is plastic or wood...other than taking a small gouge out of it? Thanks!
posted on March 20, 2004 01:55:34 PM new
Yes, there is look for mold lines and wood grain that shows through the paint or remove hardware, which can be risky with a wood lure due to paint falling off or damage from a tool slipping. The reason I tell you to research these plugs, is that if by chance you have a stand alone bait (i.e... meaning one of significant value) and you don't know the name or who manufactured the bait and your selling it within a lot. You most likely will not get the true value of the lure in auction format. The search is everything!!! Good Luck!!
posted on March 20, 2004 02:02:06 PM new
Thanks bunches...that's helpful info. As far as I can tell, none of the others has a manufacturer's name...is that common or are most of the "high dollar" lures marked with a name/maker? The funny-looking one in my next batch is named "Hula Popper"... I do appreciate your expertise...Thanks again.
posted on March 20, 2004 02:06:58 PM new
I think they are doing pretty good. You still have a long way to go and I am sure the collectors know just what they are. Are you going to list the rest of them?
posted on March 20, 2004 02:15:38 PM new
The Hula-Popper, unless a fly rod bait it is most likely plastic and not worth much at all, unless it is extremely rare color. Most of the high-end lures are unmarked and can only be identified by hardware and paint patterns.
posted on March 20, 2004 08:55:34 PM new
You all are so GREAT...I do appreciate the info/guidance. Wouldn't you know the "high end" ones are unmarked and can only be recognized by hardware and paint patterns? ARGGG. I guess the key will be very good close-up photos so details can be easily seen. Next batch of 6 goes on this Thursday. I've already taken photos but think now I'll re-do them. I tried a black background but the contrast isn't as good. Thanks again for all the help...!
posted on March 27, 2004 08:01:07 AM new
I am going to bump this back up. I notice your lures are doing good. What I would like to comment on is how beautiful your jewelry pictures are. Clear, Great color and the presentation is great also. What do you do to get thos great pictures? I notice you only list on Thursday with 10 day auctions. So you think you do better that way and have you tried anything else like 7 day ones? I know there are a lot of questions but it seems like you are doing everything right. Thanks in advance.
posted on March 27, 2004 08:24:00 AM new
Hi Libra...Thanks for the kind words...made my day and I'm not even on my second cup of coffee! I use my trusty Sony Mavica for the pictures. I don't think there's anything better and it's SO easy! I have a white towel I use for my "background"...real "high tech"! I also have a black jersey fabric I use on some items. Interestingly, I seem to get better contrast when I take photos at night using regular "living room" light (rather than during the day with natural light). I do list on Thursdays/10 day auctions but, with the 10-day fee increase, have considered going to the 7 day and re-listing (if item doesn't sell). This strategy was suggested by someone on this board and it made sense. Just haven't done it yet. So far, though, the 10-day works pretty well. Thanks again. And, yes, I'm happy with how well the stinky lures are doing. When I can gird my loins (and try reduce my sense of smell), I'm going to go back out to my garage and sort through the rest of them. They really are kind of neat! Also have some interesting flies with feathery tails...a couple from France...so hope those do well too.
