William Shakespeare Lures

William Shakespeare lures

William Shakespeare, Jr. Company - Kalamazoo, MI

The William Shakespeare lures were made by one of the longest operating companies of the now classic lure makers. The Shakespeare Company was founded by William Shakespeare, Jr. in 1897. The company's first lure was the called the Revolution. The first Revolutions were made of wood and then later the bodies were made of hollow aluminum. Shakespeare then made a couple of rubber lures. They were called the Sure Lure and the Evolution. In 1905, they acquired the rights to the Fred Rhodes wooden minnow patents. This is when we see the first Shakespeare wooden lures with glass eyes. The oldest lures have a see-through wire hook hanger design with small brass cups. The hooks were held through the body with a paper clip style design. Then in 1910, the through body design used a small flat plate to attach the hooks. This design was later followed by the normal cup and screw eye design to hold the hooks. William Shakespeare lures were later made with glass eyes and a natural paint design showing scale patterns and colors.

Examples of the wide range of lures made by Shakespeare can be seen in the photos below and in the 1909 Catalog at the bottom of this page.




William Shakespeare lures William Shakespeare lures William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE Wooden Revolution, Circa 1900


William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE Revolutions


William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE Glass-Eyed Evolution


William Shakespeare lures

An Early SHAKESPEARE Minnow Collection

Photo of David Lindsey's Shakespeare Wooden Lures


William Shakespeare lures William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 44GY Minnow and Box


William Shakespeare lures William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 44 Minnows


William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 33 Torpedo


William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 03 Submerged Minnow


William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 43 Glass Eye Slim Jim


William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 43 Pressed Eye Slim Jim


William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 12 Minnow and Wooden Box


William Shakespeare lures William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 135 Darting Shrimp


William Shakespeare lures William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE Twin Minnow


William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 6508 and 6509 Fisher Baits


William Shakespeare lures William Shakespeare lures

The SHAKESPEARE No. 6511 Plopper


William Shakespeare lures William Shakespeare lures

A SHAKESPEARE Revolution and Evolution Lure Collection

Revolutions and Evolutions from the Collection of Bob Coon


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SHAKESPEARE Ad in 1901 "RECREATION" Magazine


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SHAKESPEARE Lures in 1918 Edwards & Walker Catalog


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SHAKESPEARE 1909 Catalog


To see the 1909 Shakespeare Catalog, click on the link below.

Link to 1909 Shakespeare Catalog



If you have a vintage antique fishing reel or lure, I can tell you what it's worth.

For any questions about vintage antique fishing reels, lures or tackle, please feel free to Email or Call me. I always like to talk about old tackle.

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Email me at: ron@luresnreels.com or Call or Text me at: 407-496-7940

Thanks!

Ron Gast

Frostproof, FL



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