Old Tackle Boxes

[heavyfoot]

What are the most interesting items you found in an old tackle box you purchased or were given?

I like to collect old fishing gear and purchase tackle boxes (TB) at garage sales, estate sales, EBay and auctions. Collecting TB’s is buying Americana. Diving into a TB and reviewing what you purchased is like an archeological dig, a historical timeline of the person. Listed below is what I typically have been finding in a 70-80 year old TB.

TB made of metal or wood, some out of plastic. Overall very heavy. Top single tray is made of wood and removable with no hinges. Usually there are thin wooden boxes recycled in the bottom used for storage. Old salted cod boxes are popular.

The fisherman used one TB and stored both fresh/saltwater gear inside.

Finding various wooden plugs with glass eyes. The occasional corresponding cardboard box a big bonus.

Many of the men were into designing and manufacturing their own hand carved lures.

Don’t find a lot of plastic type tackle in the box.

Hooks wrapped in wax paper and sold in card board boxes. From manufactures such as Pflueger or Kirby.

Unique shaped lead weights you don’t see today. Split shot sold in small metal tins with sliding covers from Pflueger.

Brass fish weight scale from manufacture such as L.F.+C.

Jars of Uncle Josh pork rind. Usually paint peeling off the jar covers.

Beer opener, spoon., lighter and pipe.

Various folding knives, but usually find a yellow 2 blade fish fillet knife with scaler.

Reel key that unscrews all screws on the fishing reel.

Old oil bottles, several Singer Sewing machine oil cans and grease tubes for reels.

Coiled braided line for bridge gaff or crab line.

Spool of the old black fishing line braided dacor or nylon for bait casting reels.

Usually there is 1-3 fishing reels in the bottom of the TB. Most are the old bait casting reels. Again a bonus if the cardboard box is included.

Good luck in your search for old tackle boxes!

[wba593]

In my Great-Grandpas i found a couple reels, and an old, very tiny vicks vapor rub medicine bottle that was cobalt blue. It looked like this . http://www.bottlebooks.com/questions...ne_23vicks.jpg
But i went through his tackle box a few years ago. My grandpa still has all of his antique fishin stuff.

[heavyfoot]

Ya never know what you're going to find.

[Blue Water LED]

I enjoy it also. When you find a complete box it's like you can tell someone's past and all they did. I like the beaters as much as or better than the excellent condition stuff.

[jaxsprat]

You won't find anything much in the old boxes at estate/auction sales here in Northern IL. The folks running estate sale go thru all boxes/rods/reels and pull all the good stuff as they have collectors waiting to buy.

[dvuks]

Alot of old junk. some nice tins with hooks in them, an old baitcaster that dosn't work. The best was a Zebco still in the box, it gad a ball by the button to thumb when casted. Have to find it though to find what model it is.

[ARSlabber]

Never thought about this. Sounds like an exciting hobby

[fatrap]

here are a few of the things that I have found in old tackle boxes. Look closely at the old reel in the picture of fishing tools.

[Fishaholic]

I own everything you have in the bottom picture except the Budwiser lure, and all the lures and float types you have in the middle picture, and quite a few lures you don't show at all. I've also picked up a heavy bamboo boat rod with copper guides, several split bamboo flyrods, an old sears and roebuck telescoping tubular steel flyrod, a number of old baitcasting reels, and even some old books on fishing and illustrations from old damaged books. One of these days I'll photograph some of the stuff I've gotten over the years and post 'em here.

[wharfrat]

about 3 yrs ago I got a metal umco 6 tray tackle box from a garage sale, that had various lures in them, nothing major. But it did have some little metal containers with screw on tops that kodak used to store and sell 35mm film in. There was six altogether. 2 of them was full of sinkers and the other 4 was full of mercury dimes. Still got them.