Bagley Values

    There are as many opinions on how to value individual Bagley's as there are fishermen and collectors; and that's the way it should always be! It is believed by most top Bagley collectors that there are at least 800 different colors and variations that were painted by the Bagley Bait Co.. I have pictures of over 600 of those colors listed in the Color Codes & Rarity Ratings page of my website already. This factor alone would make trying to price Bagleys an insurmountable task, but there are many more factors to consider!

True Life Bream on White

    In Winter Haven alone, Bagley offered over 46 different series of baits. Some of the most popular were the Divin' B, Kill'R B, Honey B, Fat Cat, B Flat, Bang-O-Lure, and the Small Fry Series. The 46 different series' were divided into over 250 different models. If all of the different models had been painted with all 800 colors Bagley was believed to have produced you would end up with the incredible number of 200,000 possible color/model combinations.

    Of course, we know that no single model got painted in 800 colors. Some models like the Small Fry Trout only came in one color, Rainbow Trout, while other models like the Divin' B 3's and Kill'R B 2's are each known to have over 320 colors found so far! I know of many models that have well over 100 colors already found. These include, but are not limited to, the following series: 4" & 6" Top Guns, 2" & 3" Balsa Shiner/Pinfishs, 2" & 3" Small Fry Shad, 5" Small Fry Shad/Monster Shad, DB1, DB2, DB3, KB1, KB2, KB3, Honey B, Fat Cat, 007, Bang-O-Lures in sizes 2" through 7", Balsa B's ins sizes 2" through 4", Diving Bang-O B's in sizes 3" through 8", Bass'N Shad, B Flats in size 2" through 8". Are you starting to get the picture now? I believe a conservative estimate of the possible color/model combinations made by Bagley would be in the 20,000-25,000 range.

    The next factor that makes pricing Bagley's near impossible is the subtle differences in color variations that can make a huge difference in value. A perfect example of this is the DB3-GSH (Gray Shad) which most collectors would value at about $15. This color is typically a solid pearl white with very light gold scales on the top, however, if it has an orange belly it becomes a GSHOB (Gray Shad/Orange Belly) worth around $400. Another good example would be a 2" Small Fry Bass. This fine lure can usually be bought from most sources in the $15-20 range in either of the Baby Bass colors, however, this bait was made with 3 different diving bills, shallow, deep, and double deep. The shallow and deep lips are typical, but the double deep is not. On the Baby Bass colors the double deep lip would increase the value of the baits to over $100 each. On the Smallmouth color you can double that to almost $200.

    By far, the biggest mistake any Bagley owner can make is to assume their lure is only worth what it sold for on eBay over the course of a few months. This is wrong on so many levels. The assumption is that since eBay is such a large community, surely whatever amount a particular lure fetched on any given day would be an accurate barometer of what that bait is worth. This is not the case at all.

    I can't tell you how many times a Bagley has been listed on eBay that I really wanted but just didn't have the money at the time to place a bid, and I'm just one person. I'm pretty sure that for every tough Bagley listed there are dozens of collectors just as broke as I am, consequently, there are not enough bidders to push the value of the bait to where it should be. Compound that with the fact that on every tough lure listed there is a "gentlemen's" agreement, usually amoungst several groups of collectors, of "I'll pass on bidding on this one if you pass on the next one for me". This practice, in effect, serves to artificially de-value each affected lure. This has been going on from day one of eBay's inception. For the most part, the vast majority of sellers, who count on an eBay auction to get top dollar for their Bagley lures, are taking a severe beating when the clock ticks down to zero. So what's a seller to do?

    The short answer is do your homework, and be patient. There is more information on the value of Bagley lures, or lures in general, right now, than ever before in the history of lure collecting! The most important source of information is still Johnny Garland's Bagley Collector's Guide. However, it's impractical to have the book with you at all times. Since I built The Colors of Bagley's website, you can now identify most Florida-made models, and about three quarters of the colors painted at the Winter Haven factory, anywhere, anytime, from your pocket, with your personal cell phone. Combine that with A Bagley Fanatic's Buying/Selling/Trading Group which is one of several Facebook pages solely dedicated to buying, selling, and trading Bagley lures, and you have all the tools you need to get the most cash/trade value for your prized Bagley's!

    Talk to as many knowledgeable Bagley collectors from any one, or several, of the Facebook groups to begin feeling confident you have determined a reasonable value for your bait. At that point you can either offer it for sale or trade in one of the Facebook groups, or you can take advantage of the 250 free Buy It Now listings eBay offers to it's members. If you are not completely confident you've figured out what your lure is worth, set the price high and see what happens. However, if you are looking to get what your tough Bagley is truly worth, get ready to wait until the right person comes along willing to pay your price. You cannot force feed your price on someone, even if it's worth what you are asking. You will only get the full value of your lure when someone is looking to add what you are offering and they can't find it somewhere else cheaper. In other words, having your lure available in the right place, at the right time!

    Remember...when you are looking to buy, or sell, a Bagley, you are dealing with "The World's Most Treasured Lures"! Don't sell these beauties short by listening to the "lowballers", or the "It just sold on eBay for....." individuals, because you are only hurting yourself and the overall value of Bagley's in the long run.