159. King Eider Duck Bait
Manufacturer: Guyette & Deeter (auction house)
original price: US$ 10 to US$ 30*
Worth today: US$ 650,000*
Duck lures are fake ducks used to attract real ducks while hunting. They were once made from mud and primitive rock, but later versions were made from high-quality wood and designed with impeccable detail. It wasn't until the mid-20th century that these lures were seen as collectibles.
Now antique duck lures by sculptors like Obediah Verity sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars to wealthy collectors, most of whom live in New England. Guyette & Deeter, a duck bait manufacturer that entered the market in the mid-1980s, is one of the leading auction houses for these collectibles. If you have a pre-WWII or earlier duck bait, you could be sitting on a gold mine.