Antique Lure Sets Record At Auction

A 10 inches hollow minnow made of copper, known as the "giant Haskell," set a new high-water mark in antique lure collecting by more than doubling its high estimate. It sold for $101,200 (including buyer's premium) at a Lang's auction in Boxborough, Massachusetts, on November 8, 2003.



The buyer was Tracey Shirey, 33, a construction company owner from Pomaria, South Carolina. With his wife and two children in tow, he drove to the auction determined to come home with the prize. While there, he also picked another jewel in the crown, a 3 1/2 inches "baby Haskell," for $19,250.

"After the auction he paid his bill and then drove the family back to South Carolina," John Ganung said. "By then it was about eleven p.m., but he said he needed to be at work the next morning. He's a very hard worker and an extremely nice guy with a great family. We've known him for six years."

For John and Debbie Ganung of Waterville, New York, who purchased Lang's Sporting Collectables, Inc. just 12 months earlier, the $380,000 auction marked the end of a whirlwind year. In their October 17, 2003, auction in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a "baby Haskell" sold for $16,500.

"We were thrilled we had the opportunity to sell three of these rare lures in one month," said Debbie Ganung. She said that the media jumped on the "giant Haskell" story, resulting in coverage on CNN, Sports Illustrated, and large and small newspapers around the country. John Ganung said Haskell lures are the most coveted because very few were made and because they are the first lures known to use an actual fish shape. Each was made with a rotating tail, and they are the first lures patented.

Riley Haskell of Painesville, Ohio, was a gunsmith by trade but dabbled in creating a new form of lure. The "giant Haskell," only one of which is known, is believed to be his first, crafted in 1859. He also made a wooden box for it, which the Ganungs said contributed to the high price. Both the "giant Haskell" and its box are marked "R. Haskell."

Because the giant lure is considered too large and heavy for simple casting in a typical Ohio stream or lake, it is theorized that it was made as a model for lures of a more practical size. The Ganungs referred to it as a "work of art" and "sculpture" because of its fine workmanship in the scales, fins, eyes, and overall appearance.

Succeeding Haskell models bore the same design but became progressively smaller. There is the 7 1/2 inches "musky," the 5 1/2 inches "common size," and the 3 1/2 inches "baby." John Ganung said that only a few examples are known of each of these smaller sizes. "The `giant Haskell' is the rarest and best-known lure in the world," he said.

The Ganungs said that despite the $101,200 price paid, the lure is nevertheless "undervalued" because American fishing tackle still lags behind other sporting collectibles in worth and significance. "If this had been a duck decoy or a gun of the same rarity, it would have sold for ten times the price," John Ganung said. "Tracey bought a heck of an investment that's not going anywhere but up."

Shirey, who has been collecting for only seven years, told the Ganungs that his goal is to own one of each of the four types of Haskell lures. Currently he has the largest and the smallest. Shirey comes from a family of fishermen. His grandfather, Glenmore Shirey, had been the superintendent of the state's fish hatchery.

The "giant Haskell" had been given a presale estimate of $35,000/45,000 based on how the "baby Haskell" had performed at their October 2003 auction. Bidding opened at $35,000. Shirey told the Boston Herald that he was prepared to pay $150,000.

The Ganungs said the lure had been consigned to them by a private collector who had owned it for a mere two weeks. Check those old tackle boxes.