Worlds Rarest Lure
The 10-inch Haskell minnow has been refered to, by previous owner Tracey Shirey, as the “Holy Grail” of fishing. This, almost pricless, artifact of fishing history was previously bought for $101,200. Holy Crap! Kerry Chatham is the new owner and declines to tell how much he paid for it, but its previous owner vowed only to sell at double the investment.
The lure was designed by Riley Haskell of Painesville, Ohio and was the first articulated bait ever patented, reciving Patent #25,507 on September 20, 1859. Haskell was a gunsmith, his expertise with manufacturing aided very well with the construction of his lure, but repairing firearms is most likely what “paid the bills”, especially during the Civil War. The Haskell minnow was a very ornate design, a rarity among lures of the era, having eyes, fins, distinct scale pattern, and a spinning tail.
To this day the lures tail still spins, a sign of its durability and quality construction.
“There’s probably been four (owners),” said Chatham, who also owns three smaller Haskell minnows. “The patent was 1859, but this was made before that … probably about 1850, well before the Civil War.
“We feel like it probably is (the only one), because it is so big and it was not feasible to make that piece and try to fish with it. That’s why you see so many of the (smaller) bass and pike size, and not many of the muskie. That’s why we only have found three of those.”
Since then, Chatham said, he has had half a dozen “serious offers, which I consider to be more than what I paid.” One person offered $500,000, which Chatham declined.
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4 months ago #
4 months ago #