First manufactured in 1904, the Heddon 150 series five hook underwater minnows were produced until 1954. The one pictured here is circa 1907/1908, showing the era classic blunt nose with fat body, three hand painted red gill marks, glass eyes, nickel plated hooks and hardware with unmarked nickel plated props, in more than likely the most common color ever ordered, “Fancy Back.” From 1904 through approximately 1908, they came packed one each in a durable wooden box, although the earliest boxes had to be improved upon, as they were thin and would warp. The wooden box in the photo is the last phase they made before changing to pasteboard boxes, showing bold red printing on both sides, both ends and the top. Ok, you can’t see all the sides and ends in this photo, but I promise the red print is there! I suppose what I love so much about this particular era of the 150, is the all around “stocky” appearance of the lure. To quote a section in the 1907 Heddon catalog where they write about the quality of the lures they produced, they state, “We could state volumes of praiseworthy things about the “HEDDON” Minnows, but we prefer to let the goods speak for themselves.” I truly think this 150 does speak for itself!
If you have any questions/comments, Elissa Ruddick can be reached at elissaruddick AT aol DOT com.
-- Elissa Ruddick
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