No this isn't a Bella Lagosa or even a Buffie kind of thing. It's about the unsolved mysteries of the chronology of the production of Vampire lures. Vampires were introduced in 1920 and were produced by Heddon until sometime in 1921 when the name was changed to Vamp. This article is only about the variations of the Vampire lures before they were changed to Vamps.
I'd sure give a lot to be able to talk with just one of the workers who were at the Heddon plant in 1919, 20 and 21. They could clear up some of the questions that bug some of us vamp and vampire collectors but I'm afraid that's no longer possible. Here are a couple of things that are a mystery to me:

- Exactly when were the Vampires made with the "bent bar" line tie and the long loop tail hook rigging?? and - When were the "short nose" Vampires made??

- Why are so many colors found on Vampires that weren't offered for Vamps until years after the Vampire style lure was changed to the Vamp style??

For those who are unfamiliar with Vampire hardware here are some pictures:

Here are my observations on the use of a blacklight to detect a touch-up or repaint. There is so much misinformation out there that I thought I’d try to clear it up for you. You hear a lot about being able to tell a repaint or touch-up with a UV (black) light. In some cases you can but in others you can't tell a thing. This is an attempt to explain why. A Blacklight produces Ultraviolet A (345-400nM) light. It is the same kind of electromagnetic energy as normal light it just wiggles a little faster and therefore has higher energy. It is just above visible violet light and the harmless type of UV light. ^1 There are basically two ways this difference in the light is manifest when looking at some repainted or touched-up lures. They both have to do with the type of pigment that is used to repaint or touch-up a lure. The first is related to how some pigments react when exposed to the higher energy (faster wiggles) of the UV light. Some pigments have fluorescence or phosphorescence under a black light. That is, they glow. A lure that is repainted or retouched with paint that contains these pigments is easy to spot glowing under a black (UV) light. This is because many of the pigments used to color modern day paints contain molecules that convert the energy of the UV light to emit light in the visible spectrum which makes them glow. Some molecules even store up some energy and still emit visible light when the UV light is no longer present. That’s how “glow in the dark” luminous lures work. The other way a touch-up is detected under a black light is a little more subtle. As you know we see color because our eyes/brains are able to discriminate the different wavelengths (wiggle rates) of visible light. When light hits an object some wavelengths are bounced off and some are absorbed. We see what bounces off and its wavelength determines what color we see. The pigments in a red object absorb all wavelengths but the red wavelength which bounces off and we see red. This is just seventh grade science stuff but it's surprising how many people have forgotten. Most pigments react to UV light in the same way. They absorb some wiggle rates and reject others. This does not cause the object to appear to be a different color rather it causes the object to appear lighter or darker under the black light depending on how much UV light is absorbed. If the paint used to repaint a lure contains pigments which are phosphorescent then they are easily detected under blacklight because they glow. If it doesn’t then you can’t tell for sure that it's been repainted using a blacklight. You can't even tell for sure if you have another lure that has the same paint job beside the lure being tested. This is because differences in the aging process will make identical color lures look slightly lighter or darker under UV light just as it does in normal light. If the paint used to touch up a lure has different pigments than the original paint the touched-up areas will appear lighter or darker or it will glow if the paint contains molecules that are phosphorescent. However, if the paint used contains pigments which have similar characteristics to the pigments in the original paint then you can wander around a lure show all night with a blacklight and not detect any difference in the touch-ups. I don’t know why people go to such much trouble to use a blacklight when all it takes to see a touchup is a good magnifying glass and it's not a 100% reliable method to tell a repaint. Addendum I just saw a post on Joes which makes me realize I left out an important point. Natural wear and tear on a lure, even minor scratches and flaws, will appear lighter or darker under a black light. Anything that can cause more or less of the rays to be absorbed or bounced off will cause a difference in appearance in UV light just as it can in visible light. So that black spot showing on a clean lure under blacklight may just be a tiny varnish flake and the real touch-up may not show up at all. ^1 (The UV that burns the skin wiggles faster than that produced by a blacklight and has higher energy. X-Rays are also the same type of electromagnetic energy but above UV in wiggle rates and they can really do some bad stuff to you if you are exposed to them very long. Gamma Rays are above X-Rays and they're death.)

"Vampires and Vamps - the 7500's" This is a copy of and article by Bob Brown of Concord, Ohio which appeared in the Sept '96 NFLCC Gazette. It is used here with permission, Thanks Bob.. In 1921, the "James Heddon's Sons Co." put on the market what was to become one of their most popular lures, the "Vampire" Minnow, number 7500 series. Their 1921 catalogs lists the Vampire as "Heddon's latest bait; a 5/8 ounce, 4 1/2 inch wonder, for pike and all game fish. Flat nosed to resemble a baby pike and beautifully enameled in natural fish colors, that looks more like a real live minnow than any bait manufactured." The "Vampire" first came out costing $1.00 each, and only in the colors listed in figure 1. (below) #7500S - white body/red and green spots; #7501   - rainbow; #7502   - white body/red eyes and tail; #7509D - green scale finish; #7509M - new pike scale These were the first listed Vampire colors. In 1922 Heddon changed the name from "Vampire" to "Vamp". The way to determine the difference between a Vampire and Vamp is that on the former, the front screw used to secure the forward "L" rig is also used to secure the lip. On the "Vamp" two separate screws, approximately 1/8 inch apart, are used to secure the "L-rig" and the lip. To add a little confusion, even though the name is changed to "Vamp" in 1922 it is believed the Heddon continued making the "Vamps" with the "Vampire" type fastened front "L-rig" for several more years. So, many of what we call "Vampires", Heddon called "Vamps after 1921. Thus, the reason we find many additional colors of the "Vampires" other than the five originally listed. In the 1922 catalog, the only color added was #7509P, Shiner Scale. In 1923 or 1924 , the company added #7509R which was Mullet Scale (later called "Natural Scale"). By 1926, the company added Red Scale, Frog Scale, Yellow Perch Scale, Blue Scale, and Orange with Black Spots. Many other colors were later added. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact years that Heddon used certain hardware, but figure 4 is pretty close. I believe there were some overlaps due to mid-year production, and due to left-over stock inventory. Then there are some things that cannot be explained. A good example of this is that quite a few River Runts, introduced in 1929, have been found with "cup" rig (discontinued in 1913). Now there is a real overlap. figure 4 #7500 Series hardware (earliest listed first) "Cup" rig - (I've never seen one I could positively ID) "L" rig Vampire - (1921 through mid 1920's) "L" rig Vamp - (early to mid '20's, through '20's) "Toilet Seat" - (Approximately 1930) "Improved Toilet Seat" - (Approximately 1931) "Two-piece" - (through the 1930's) "surface" - (thereafter) From the very beginning of production, Heddon's Vamp has been one of the most popular amongst fishermen; and today, it has carried on it's tradition by becoming one of the most popular collectable lures in the NFLCC. the only change being that the cost has gone up - just a little. Nice condition and tough color Vamps have recently actually cost more than a nice "Charmer". Now that's really saying something. Although I don't want to get into "Spooks" (introduced in the 1930's) or "surface" hardware Vamps there are a few examples I would like to mention, that I feel are quite collectable, and some are extremely desirable. One Vamp especially that falls into this latter category is the wood body, Zinc eye Vamp. This is most likely to be found with "toilet seat", "bar", or "two piece" hardware. Spooks with glass eyes, spooks with two piece or toilet seat hardware, and wood body, surface hardware Vamps with glass eyes are all worthy of mention. Come to think of it, I can't think of any fishing lure that isn't worthy of mention. But the Heddon Vamp, in all it's beauty and all it's glory, is one of my favorites. Can you tell? Me too Bob, Ed. Note: Bob's article was great even if I guess I have some slight disagreements with a couple of his points but's only a matter of opinion without any basis in hard facts. I sure appreciate being able to copy the text here for all the newcomer Vamp collectors (like me).