Don’t forget the retro folding beach chairs, picnic gear, and aluminum webbed chairs all popular in the 1950s, now very popular collectibles found at yard or estate sales, auction sales. auction or just in the basement or storage shed of your own home.

Many people have these items stowed away in their homes in surprisingly good condition, as well as some that have gone through the years to become favorites. People replace the strap, fabric, or recolor beach chairs.

Sturdy metal chairs are also always popular and repainted in bright colors with matching seat covers that can look great on the dock or on the grass near the cabin or cottage. These vintage chairs can cost from $ 2, depending on the chair and its condition. I even love the look of vintage wicker.

3 things in 1

Let’s talk about fishing! There are many reasons why people fish. For sport, for food or just for quiet relaxation on the shore or in the boat.

I believe Bob Frank from Winona can combine all three into one. As a longtime resident and seller at Treasures Under Sugar Loaf, Frank started collecting fishing rods, gear, lures and more “when I was a little younger,” he said. . “I worked as a meat cutter at a local grocery store and after working… I found fishing as a way to relax and bring food home. Surrounded by the Mississippi River and lakes, this was no problem finding a place to fish and relax. I now have a nice collection of items in my booth which I add at least twice a week. “

Glenn Vinton, of Winona, is the owner of Backwater Custom Tackle. “I am a professional walleye fisherman and started very young,” he said. “(I) continue to compete professionally in the FLW (Fishing League Worldwide) Walleye Tour and the Full Throttle Walleye Circuit. I do workshops, seminars to teach my skills, and I also sell new lures, blades and Moreover.”

Wayne Carrigan, owner of Root River Lures in Chatfield, said: “I have well over 100 antique bait-casting reels and several hundred old fishing lures from 1910. Most are from the 1930s and 1940s. My favorites are fishing gear. boxes sold with all contents. As I sort through it, I start to wonder where the box was and the gear was, what the owner looked like, and what kind of experiences he had.

“I have a few reels and lures in the $ 50 range,” Carrigan said. “I’m definitely not here for the money, but I do know that reels and lures can be priced in a thousand dollar range. I have discovered that the secret to high-end collection is condition, and a decoy with their original the box brings a premium, while some collect for sentimental value, as two of my favorite reels are from my uncle Bob. “

Carrigan also likes to make decoys. “By buying old reels, I started buying a few old fishing lures, and the next thing I knew, I focused on the lures and started making my own in 1997,” he said. he declared.

Find vintage gear

Look wherever this material has been sold for over 40 years. I have even heard that around the old banks of your favorite fishing lakes or rivers, lures have been found under the brush.

“I find most of my old fishing lures at flea markets, auctions and yard sales,” Carrigan said. “Of course (I found them) on the various sites, but nothing like holding the objects in my hand. A $ 10 lure that I know a story of would mean more to me than a $ 500 lure bought at an antique fishing show. “

Chris Rand Kujath, of Old River Valley Antique Mall, Stewartville, said, “We have tons of fishing gear, carrying around 1,000 fishing lures, traps, floats, anchors, portholes, nets and more. When it comes to fishing lures, the most desirable one is the old wooden lure with glass eyes. Our lures start at $ 3 and up. More if they have the original boxes. We have a few crates full of fishing lures. “

Jim Kieffer, of Sarah’s Uniques and Jim’s “Tick Man”, St. Charles, said: “I have a lot more lures in the store now than in the past. This includes a collection of old lures that are hard to find in boxes. in a price range of $ 5 and up. Some are antiques and some are just good old lures for fishing. I carry all kinds of old and newer fishing gear and reels up to $ 30 , including collection names. “