April 2009
Franklin A. Alger (1862 – 1939) was a true lure pioneer and designed many different styles of lures in the early 1900s. His lures all very hard to find and considered rare as he never made them in large volumes and they were not manufactured for sale for many years (probably stopped in 1915 or so).
Frank used an old foot powered sewing machine that was made into a lathe to manufacture many of his lures. Alger used a variety of hardware on his lures, basically whatever he had around, so they are hard to date.
Rumor has it, after Mr. Alger passed away in 1939, many unfinished and completed lures were throw out or burnt when people went through the estate. But, who knew? I believe Frank did not have any children and times were different then they are today.
The Tantalizer was one of the few lures that Alger sold commercially. This lure features his long hook hardware to keep the hooks away from the lure and his “tree bark” paint job. If you have a Frank Alger lure, let me know, but I probably won’t be able to afford it!
Tantalizer
Manufactured by Franklin Alger
Grand Rapids, MI
1910
