Today’s vintage tackle contest entry comes from Patrick Rohlfsen, who didn’t specify where he got this lure, but says he has a whole “box of them.” Patrick, as your about to find out per Dr. Todd Larson of The Whitefish Press and “Fishing For History” blog, if you truly have a whole box of these old-school metals in this condition, you’re about to be a very happy man.
Dr. Todd says:
“You’ve got a really cool lure on your hands! It’s a Raymac Revolving Minnow from the late 1940s, made (as the card states) by Raymac of Minneapolis, Inc. This lure has caused some confusion in the past; it’s sometimes called the “Poor Man’s Chautauqua Minnow” as it bears a resemblance to the extremely rare and desirable ($2000+) Chautauqua. An earlier guide book declared this to be a Wisconsin lure, but as we know it hails from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. A couple of additional things. First, I’m from Minnesota and collected nearly my whole life and have only seen one of these lures on a card before. Second, I have never seen the dealer box for it. It’s just superb. On the card I would value the individual lures at $75-$100 each, and you can add another $100 for the dealer box (_not shown in photo). A superb find. To see another lure from Raymac, click here.”
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Killer find, Patrick! You’re the biggest money winner we’ve had in a while! Thanks for sending and keep an eye on your mailbox, because there’s a set of Berkley Aluminum Pliers headed your way.
If you’ve already sent me photos of your vintage tackle, keep checking every Thursday to see if I chose it for an appraisal by Dr. Todd. If you haven’t and want to enter the contest, email photos of your old tackle to fstackle@gmail.com, along with your name, mailing address, and story of how you acquired the gear. If I use it in a Thursday post, you get a pair of Berkley Aluminum Pliers (above) worth $50.