Is One Man's Trash Another Man's Treasure?

If the previous post gave rise to some interest among any readers in perhaps testing the waters of an antique-lure or old-fishing-tackle collector, you may be wondering how to get started with such an endeavor. What follows are some grassroots ideas for your consideration should you choose to pursue a course of action directed toward finding out whether one man's trash really is another man's treasure.

Estate sales, garage sales, yard sales--any of these are always worth your time to investigate. Another possibility not to be overlooked are flea markets.

As was my experience at the estate sale I referenced in my previous blog post, a lot of the tackle being sold there was marked down to unbelievably low prices. I simply didn't find any antiques, and buying more tackle just because I could didn't make any sense.

You see, I already have entire tackleboxes of my own filled to overflowing that I haven't opened in years. One of my biggest fears, as I've expressed before, is that, should I pass first, my wife simply will start selling everything for a buck (or some other ridiculous price), just to get rid of it all. [See my blog posts of Jan. 21, 2014 ("A Little Bass-Bait Sticker Shock") and Feb. 2, 2014 ("Problem Solved").]

Be nice to your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and close friends with the same. Do likewise with all  those family members on your wife's or significant other's side, too. For that matter, you might even try to be civil with any exes who live in Texas or elsewhere, especially if you know they have some older fishin' kinfolk. If you're not able to get a peek in some of their tackleboxes while they're still alive, perhaps they'll think kindly enough about you to leave the boxes to you in their wills.

You know those free papers you find in your driveway nearly every week--the ones most people (myself included), out of irritation, immediately toss in the nearest trashcan? They're an ideal spot to run an ad for old fishing tackle. Why? you may be asking. I'll give you two reasons: (1) The ads usually are cheap, and (2) the people who typically read them are members of the over-60 crowd--the same people who generally have the lion's share of old tackle.

Your ad doesn't have to be anything fancy. Something as simple as "Wanted: Old fishing tackle for my collection" likely will work. Include your full name and a phone number where you normally can be reached anytime of day, and then just sit back and see if you get any calls. And remember, this may be a case where persistence will become your ticket to success. In other words, be prepared to run the ad more than once.

As a young kid in my little hometown of Oswego, KS, I used to spend a lot of time at the local auto-salvage yard--for a couple of reasons. First, my Granddad T used to like spending time with the dad of the two brothers who owned and operated the business. I'd drive Granddad out there, and he and his friend would spend hours sitting under a giant old elm tree swapping stories in German--both spoke it fluently--and no, if you're wondering, I don't speak the language. My dad could speak a little, but neither my brother nor I ever picked up any of it (our loss, I'm sure).

The second reason I spent a lot of time there was to dig through all the old wrecked cars for whatever I could find. Because of my graddad's association with the brothers' dad, I was allowed to roam the premises at will, and whenever I needed a part for one of my old jalopies, I could count on a deep discount on the price. When I wasn't looking for parts, I used to find lots of old souvenirs (always freebies, courtesy of the brothers), including some fishing tackle along the way. If you choose this route to look for antique tackle, you have to make sure you dig through glove boxes, seats, floorboards, ashtrays, trunks--in short, every nook and cranny there is. You never know what you'll find or where it'll be.

Another potential gold mine for old fishing tackle are the proprietors (or their surviving kin) of old-fashioned hardware or auto-parts stores that dotted the American countryside during the 20th century. These businesses often were the only place you could buy fishing tackle in those years, especially in small towns. I was lucky to have two such stores in Oswego--a Western Auto and a Firestone. As these stores disappeared, it's entirely possible some of that fishing tackle never got sold, and if you're lucky enough to track down those original proprietors or their surviving kin, you might strike it rich.

Have you ever watched "Storage Wars" on TV? For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with this show, it involves auctions of the unclaimed contents of storage units. In some cases, everything is in boxes, suitcases, or other containers of some kind. Other times, items are left loose in the units, with the door closed. Either way, people bid on the contents with no knowledge of what they're getting until they win the bidding and are allowed to see what's behind the closed door or to open the containers.

Watch the local newspapers for advertised auction dates and make plans to attend. If a bidder ends up with some fishing tackle he/she doesn't want, there's at least an even chance he/she may be willing to sell the stuff to you for a fair price--just to recoup some of his/her costs.

Local pawn shops also are worth a visit. I truthfully can't say I've ever seen any old lures, reels or other tackle in one of these shops, but I have found some nice newer stuff on display in them.

Finally, as I also mentioned in the previous blog post, you always have the option of going on eBay and bidding on antique tackle or buying it now, depending on how the things are listed. I checked that resource just the other night, and there are lots of things available for a price. It's up to you to decide whether it's enough of a treasure to warrant the going price.