Eric Moller

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My favorite Qld lure to collect. And one of the greatest names in fishing throughout the country. ANSA names one of it's highest awards after Eric.

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A color Eric made famous in Qld, Eric started out making lures in about 1968. You could buy him lures by writing him a letter and he would return a lure in the mail. You could buy the lure in the finished look or at nearly any stage and you could finish the lure yourself. Even Peter Newell was known to have some.

[Tagged]

A much rarer model of Moller is the 75mm version. This is in mint condition and as you can see still shines like it was made yesterday even though its 33 years old.
Eric was born in Childers near Bundaberg and was schooled in Kilkivan near my home town of Gympie.

[TonyM]

Awesome lure Tagged

I didn't know that about Eric,Thanks!

[Tagged]

Another Moller, this one is signed P Newell. I would like to protect the signature and the lure. Any advice on what you think I should do to look after both.
There's not many lures, even Newell's that are signed by Peter. But as you look at the top picture you can clearly see P Newell.
It's shows you that all great lure makers referred to other makers work, to learn from it and to add it to his own works of art. This one has been sanded back to reveal the grain in the timber. It's not copying, but it's how the cottage industry grew with each maker learning from each other. No one maker did anything by themselves, there are many great lure makers who predate even Moller.

[TonyM]

I would like to protect the signature and the lure. Any advice on what you think I should do to look after both.

I know it's not what you're asking but I'd be torn between storing it in a safe and having it on display so I could gawk at it

I have heard people mention of storing rare timber lures in a cigar humidor (think that's what they're called!) to keep the humidity constant, although I think the main reason for that is protecting the paint due to the timber expanding/contracting but you don't have to worry about the paint at least, Peter sorted that!

What a marvelous piece of history, truly priceless.

Can't believe I held this in my hand - was very hard to give it back!

[The Chief]

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Is that a genuine Moller lure?

If so, I'd be interested to know why it was sanded & subsequently signed by Newell

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It is a genuine Moller.
I bought it from a auction site last year and asked the question about being sanded back. I was wondering if it was worth buying in that condition. It was then I realized who I was dealing with and asked if Peter could sign it for me. He was happy to do so. What little paint that is left on it is original.
I don't know that it adds value to the item or takes away, maybe it's just fancy vandalism. As I have no real evidence is Peter's signature.
But it does make for a interesting talking point, as I think it shows a connection between many great lure makers and not just the two mentioned.
Oh and if anyone has one signed by Eric I'll happily swap them, lol.

[TonyM]

Here's a few more of Eric's lures

[grahams]

Did you know Eric Moller also produced a deep diver version? I have 1 or 2 somewhere. The top of the head was flattened and the front eyelet moved up. The bib is also a bit steeper.They were prizes for some ANSA comp in the 70's. I think I still have a couple of the original tiger colour as well. I used to have a couple of original Heddon tigers that were apparently Eric's starting point. I remember using the heddon tiger at Baffle Creek and caught a whiting???
Most of my mollers ended up being taken home by coral trout.