This Shakespeare display was produced by Shakespeare in 1908 to show their product line that year.  Photos of the display were used in print ads put out by the company.  All the lures for 1908 are shown which include both the 'Shakespeare' and 'Rhodes' minnows as well as the Revolution, Evolution, and Worden Bucktail minnows.  All Shakespeare's have the 'B' type props and gem-clip hardware.  All Rhodes have the Rhodes props and gem-clip hardware.  

At the bottom of the page, there is a photo of the original display as it existed in the 1908 flyer from Shakespeare.  Only three of these displays are believed to have been made by the company and this may be the only one now in existence.  The lures are held in place on the board by a soft flat staple over each hook shank.  The gray background is the discolored velvet which was originally dark  blue.  The lures are not stuck to the velvet material.  At some point in its history, the center photo was tacked down with brass tacks.  The eye on the frog has been damaged and two of the lures have slight marks on their backs which may have been made when someone removed the glass in the past.  If anyone has a copy of the photo which could be used to replace the tacked one, please contact me.  I would also like to replace the Rhodes  frog with an excellent condition example.

How I acquired this famous piece of history is interesting.  At a lure show outside of Florida, an individual showed up with this rare Shakespeare display board and a small group of high-end collectors and dealers asked 'how much?'   When the quoted asking price was given for one quarter of a million dollars, all the group, including myself, folded their cards, backed off, and it was not sold.  Later...I managed to get the seller's phone number and chat with him about discussing the sale later.

A couple of weeks later, I met with the seller alone in Sarasota, Florida and got it bought for cash in a restaurant parking lot!  As a good friend of mine always said: "Money talks and B.S. walk". 

Two years later, I sold the board and lures $$$$.  I got all my money back.