The water was fine and the bidders were biting at Morphys auction of the Wayne Edens collection of antique and vintage fishing lures, part one, which tallied more than $900,000. The 622-lot sale on Dec. 9 was singularly focused on treasures from the Edens collection, the largest, most comprehensive and historically-important collection of its type ever to come to the public marketplace. As predicted, the top lot was an all-original Heddon frog lure (or bait) personally crafted by James Heddon, founder of the Heddon Company. One of eight created and subsequently exhibited on a display board at the Heddon plant in Dowagiac, Mich., the frog was formerly the property of Dudley Murphy (1940-2022), co-founder of the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club. Murphy had obtained the lure directly from the Heddon factory. In addition to its unbroken line of provenance, Edens frog lure was definitively photo-matched to one of the original eight board examples, and sold within estimate for $30,750. A rare Heddon special order 1309 Black Sucker in a five-hook configuration dazzled with its spectacular white saltwater color, glitter finish and solid amber-glass eyes. Graded Excellent Minus to Excellent, it reeled in a winning bid of $22,200. Prices reported include buyers premium. A Heddon 707 Dowagiac Musky Minnow bait with a sienna crackleback finish was of a type first marketed in 1909. Sturdy and sizable at 5-3/8 inches long, it was one of the finest of those few known to have survived. On top of that, it was accompanied by its oversize introductory box. It landed within its pre-sale estimate range at $20,910. Sought after, a Shakespeare No. 64 five-hook Red Musky (Muscallonge) Trolling Minnow bait exhibited deep crimson coloration and a high forehead design that definitively dated it to ca. 1906-7. Oversize baits of its type are rarely encountered, and with the bonus inclusion of an elusive pictorial box, it was one of the auctions most desirable entries. Attracting 15 bids, it sold near the mid-point of its estimate range, for $27,600. Another highlight lure was a Shakespeare No. 1611 Wooden Minnow with five hooks, a red back and white belly, thin, handpainted gills, and perfect glass eyes. Dating to ca. 1907-09, the irresistible fish-enticer came to auction with its correct and equally-rare white-label pictorial box, making it an incomparable duo for any serious collector. Against an estimate of $10,000-$15,000, it leaped to a winning bid of $19,680. Made by one of the most collected of miscellaneous makers, A.F. Bingenheimer, Milwaukee, Wis. established 1904-05, a gold-painted Bings Nemahbin Minnow was graded VG Plus to Excellent Minus. It retained ,its incredibly rare pictorial box adorned with an image of the bait, its name, and the description A NEW BAIT. One of the box ends was correctly marked GOLD WEEDLESS. Cataloged with a $5,000-$15,000 estimate, it swam to even friendlier waters, settling at $18,000. Also noteworthy, a desirable Missouri Barberpole made by Charmer Minnow Company and known as The Charmer Minnow certainly lived up to the claim imprinted on its included original orange box: The Most Attractive Fish Lure Any Angler Ever Cast. Additionally, the box label indicated a retail price of $1 and the words THE CHARMER and Patent Applied For. It rose to $7,200 against a pre-sale estimate of $2,000-$4,000. Parts two and three of the Wayne and Lori Edens fishing lure collection will be auctioned at Morphys in 2025, with dates to be announced soon. Each of the sales will offer 600 to 700 lots and feature many special-order and one-of-a-kind lures, some in their original picture boxes. For additional information, visit www.morphyauctions.com. All images courtesy of Morphy Auctions.