December 9, 2024 Fishing Lure
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/9/2024
3 - 1/2" Length. One of the rarest early minnows you will ever see, precious few examples of William Stuart & Co.’s baits still exist today. Fortunately, included with this auction is an exceptionally rare box insert, detailing Stuart’s different models, colors, and configurations, and the importance of this document cannot be overstated. As a result, we can derive that the 3 5/8-inch bait included in this lot, painted in “green”, is model number 103-G. The box is a wooden, 2-way slide top with a handwritten capital “G” on one end. The lid advertises a “Congress” Wooden Minnow and states “Patent applied for”. We know that Stuart’s Eclipse patent dates to about 1905. The box’s condition is Very Good Plus to Excellent Minus and it is solid at all joints. The minnow has some flaking due to no primer coat under the green & white finish. Solid white glass eyes appear “stalky”, as they are mounted in shallow depressions in the wood body. Typical Stuart shallow aluminum cups and brass prop shafts supporting two unmarked, pointed, forward-oriented tube props. Two belly weights and three sets of very folky hand painted gill marks round out this extraordinary offering.
Item Dimensions: 3 - 1/2" Length.