1963 Heddon Catalog Trade Letter to Dealers

The Heddon 1963 Catalog Trade Letters to Dealers Packet provides collectors with a detailed look at the lures and fishing tackle offered by the James Heddon's Sons, out of Dowagiac, Michigan.  Heddon was one of the most influential fishing lure manufacturers of the twentieth century. By 1963, Heddon had undergone ownership change but was still a giant in the fishing lure industry and continued to produce lures, rods and reels popular with anglers and collectors today.  Marketed as "World's Largest Producer of Artificial Baits and Custom Built Rods".  Vintage fishing lure dealer packets like this are important reference materials for identifying lure models, studying finishes and packaging, and researching the history of classic fishing tackle.

This catalog is part of the My Bait Shop Master Catalog Archive Project (MCAP), a growing digital archive of vintage fishing tackle catalogs and historical reference materials for collectors and researchers.

Popular Lures Featured in the 1963 Heddon Trade Catalog

• Heddon Basser — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Chuggers — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Crazy Crawlers — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Lucky 13 — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Mouse — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon River Runts — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Punkinseeds — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Sonar — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Sonic — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Torpedo — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Tadpolly — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Vamp — Browse examples for sale
• Heddon Zara Spooks — Browse examples for sale

Related Heddon Resources

• Browse Vintage Heddon Lures for Sale
• Heddon Color Charts
• Vintage Fishing Lure History
• Fishing History Articles

Historical Notes from the 1963 Heddon Trade Catalog - Letter Packet

This letter packet matches up to the 1963 Heddon Trade Catalog.  It is full of some great information that gives you a look into the time capsule that was Heddon during the mid to late 1962 period as they prepared for the 1963 season.  One thing you might find interesting that is easy to miss is that dealers can order their catalogs in limited but two sizes of 9 1/2" x 11" or 10 1/2" x 11".  I'm not sure how many of each size made it into the field.  Any interesting tidbit.

You also get a great look at what the promotions were that Heddon was offering dealers at the time.  A cool and informational piece of history.

Below is the complete scanned 1963 Heddon Trade Dealer Letter Packet. Each page is shown in order so collectors and researchers can study the lure models, finishes, and tackle descriptions used by the Heddon company during this period.

Catalog Cover

Cover of the 1963 Heddon Trade Letters.

Catalog Pages

Page 2

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Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

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Page 8

Page 9

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Page 14

Back Cover