COOTEvans Duck Decoy Co. (1921-1932)
Ladysmith,WI, c. 1925
14 in. long
The decoy bears an Evans ink stamp and an "E. Fessenbecker" tag.
Original paint with moderate gunning wear and gunning repaint to white.
Provenance:...
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CANVASBACK PAIRWilliam Heverin (1860-1951)
Charlestown,MD, c. 1920
15 1/2 in. long
This pair represents two of the maker's best decoys known to exist. Though made as gunning decoys, they were never rigged, accounting for their...
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BLACK DUCKThe Ward Brothers
Lemuel T.(1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976)
Crisfield, MD, c. 1948
17 1/2 in. long
A classic 1940s Ward gunning decoy with excellent paint feathering. This turned-head balsa-bodied...
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THE CHEESEMAN GOLDENEYE DRAKEVerne Cheeseman(1897-1956)
Macomb, IL, c. 1930
11 1/2 in. long
"The carver Verne Cheeseman, from Macomb, Illinois, had many of his decoys painted by Edna, including Mallards, Canvasbacks,...
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THE PERDEW PREENING BLACK DUCKCharlesPerdew (1874-1963)
and Edna Perdew (1882-1974) Henry, IL, c. 1910
15 in. long
This early three-piece preening black duck is a singular decoy with no peers. Indeed, it is...
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MACKEY LONG-TAILED DRAKELong Island,NY, c. 1880
11 1/4 in. long
An early hunting decoy that saw use along the rugged waters of the Atlantic Coast. William Mackey owned this decoy and illustrated a pair of rigmates...
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EARLY PREENING SCOTERAlbert Davids Laing(1811-1886)
New York, NY, and Stratford, CT, c. 1850
14 in. long
A hollow, turned-head decoy by the father of the Stratford School. Laing, originally from New York City,...
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THE SURACE FEEDING PLOVERObediah Verity(1813-1901)
Seaford, Long Island, NY, c. 1870
9 3/4 in. long
“Verity’s most distinctive form is a feeding shorebird, with its bulbous head bent down and forward, its...
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THE MULLER VERITY PEEP PAIRObediah Verity(1813-1901)
Seaford, Long Island, NY, c. 1880
6 3/4 in. long
This exceptional peep pair showcases identical form in two distinct plumages. The first is in a rarely seen darker-backed...
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BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERJohn Dilley
Quogue,Long Island, NY, c. 1890
10 1/4 in. long
The underside of this plover is signed “Dilley.” by the maker. Very few Dilleys carry either the maker's known stamp or signature,...
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THE WARD FLYING MALLARD PAIRThe WardBrothers
Lemuel T. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976)
Crisfield, MD, 1936 and 1937
21 in. tall and 19 in. wingspan
The Wards’ ability to capture likeness of species is...
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THE SAFFORD SLEEPING GOOSECharles A.Safford (1877-1957)
Newburyport, MA, c. 1920
24 ½ in. long
“It leaps into the pantheon of the greatest American goose decoys ever made, sculpture and function in perfect...
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THE MACKEY-MULLER SHOURDS LONG-TAILHarryV. Shourds (1861-1920)
Tuckerton, NJ, c. 1890
13 1/2 in. long
This Shourds carving is considered one of the pinnacle gunning decoys out of New Jersey. In addition to its...
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THE MACKEY-MULLER SHOURDS MERGANSERHarryV. Shourds (1861-1920)
Tuckerton, NJ, c. 1890
15 3/4 in. long
“Shourds is one of the acknowledged master makers of New Jersey decoys. His birds were as fine as any made...
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"WHITE MALLARD CLUB" PINCH-BREAST PINTAILTheWard Brothers
Lemuel T. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976)
Crisfield, MD, c. 1932
18 3/4 in. long
“The Ward Brothers made pintails early on in their craft and they were...
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THE O'BRIEN CHAMBERS WOOD DUCKThomasChambers (1860-1948)
Wallaceburg, Ontario, Canada, c. 1900
15 in. long
“There are few, if any, areas in North America which provide such accessible hunting for such a large...
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BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERA. Elmer Crowell(1862-1952)
East Harwich, MA, c. 1915
9 1/4 in. long
An early split-tail gunning decoy of this popular species.
Original paint with even wear, a few rubs to bare wood along...
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EARLY WIGEON DRAKELloyd Johnson (1910-1965)
BayHead, NJ, c. 1955
14 1/2 in. long
A fine gunning decoy by this New Jersey collecting and carving legend. Retains its original rigging and the maker's branded signature on...
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RARE AND EARLY TUCKED-HEAD BLACK DUCKFerdinandBach (1888-1967)
Detroit, MI, c. 1926
19 in. long
This decoy and its rigmate, lot 457, represent half of the known black ducks by Bach. These rare and highly distinct birds...
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RARE AND EARLY SLEEPING BLACK DUCKFerdinandBach (1888-1967)
Detroit, MI, c. 1926
16 in. long
This decoy and its rigmate, lot 458, represent half of the known black ducks by Bach. These rare and highly distinct birds...
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SWIMMING BROADBILLAl Pitman and NedChase
Nantucket, MA, c. 1920
10 3/4 in. long
A large and stylish swimmer made for use at "The Cedars" gunning camp at Second Point on Coatue inside Nantucket Harbor. The...
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EARLY HOLLOW GOLDEN PLOVER WITH RAISEDWING TIPSFolger Family
Nantucket, MA, c. 1840
9 in. long
“To me,” wrote Donal C. O’Brien Jr. “...these are the greatest of all the Nantucket Golden Plovers; very...
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GOLDEN PLOVERMr. Webster
Nantucket,MA, c. 1850
10 in. long
This early plover with a sharp tail cut is among the best of its kind from the iconic Webster rig. It has resided on the island since it was made...
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EARLY HOLLOW FOLGER GOLDEN PLOVERFolgerFamily
Nantucket, MA, c. 1840
11 in. long
“Nantucket decoys are hard to come by and historically they are of great interest. Since they were used for relatively short periods...
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EXCEPTIONAL SWIMMING MERGANSERNorthShore, MA, c. 1890
17 1/2 in. long
This hollow swimming merganser is among the finest decoys discovered in decades. As this Massachusetts masterpiece makes its public debut,...
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GRAND CURLEWCharles Sumner Bunn (1865-1952)
Shinnecock,NY, c. 1900
17 1/2 in. long
In 1971 Milton Weiler’s “Classic Shorebird Decoys” portfolio was published with text by William J. Mackey Jr. Across from Weiler’s Plate...
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EARLY HUMPBACK BLACK DUCKThe Ward Brothers
LemuelT. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976)
Crisfield, MD, 1921
17 in. long
“Stephen W. Ward (1895-1976) and his brother Lemuel Travis Ward (1896-1984) of Crisfield, Maryland...
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THE HARMON RUNNING COBB CURLEWNathanF. Cobb Jr. (1825-1905)
Cobb Island, VA, c. 1880
15 1/2 in. long
“Every Nathan Cobb decoy had its own natural pose. Even his Hudsonian Curlews…seemed to run, feed, and...
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PINTAIL"Fresh Air Dick" Janson (1872-1951)
Sonoma,CA, c. 1915
18 in. long
A classic early Janson decoy with raised wing tips and a flat bottom. This decoy may have been used in Janson's early market-gunning rig prior to...
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THE CRANDALL SLEEPY-EYED MALLARDHorace"Hi" Crandall (1892-1969)
Westwood, CA, c. 1935
15 in. long
One of California's best decoy carvers, Crandall is also considered by some to be its best painter. Born in Rhode...
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CANADA GOOSEEd Vidmar (1922-1991)
Pittsburg,CA, c. 1951
25 in. long
Early collectible Canada geese by named makers from California are difficult to source. This classic Vidmar goose displays fine paint and a grand...
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FLYING BRANTGeorge William McLellan(1897-1987)
Eureka, CA, c. 1941
24 in. long, 41 in. wingspan
One of only nine flying decoys originally created for this legendary rig. Few would argue that Bill McLellan’s...
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RARE WHIMBRELMason Decoy Factory (1896-1924)
Detroit,MI, c. 1910
16 1/2 in. long
A rare Mason Factory shorebird decoy with excellent form. In reference to this special model, which they call a Hudsonian Curlew or whimbrel,...
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IMPORTANT BIDDLE-RIG GREEN-WINGED TEALDRAKEJess Heisler (1891-1943)
Burlington, NJ, c. 1920
12 1/4 in. long
This early Biddle rig decoy is exceedingly rare and possibly unique with no Heisler teal in original...
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IMPORTANT PINTAIL DRAKEAndrew A. Tull(1840-1915)
Philadelphia, PA, c. 1856
17 1/2 in. long
An exceptional Delaware River pintail drake, this example is a regional archetype quite distinct in form from other...
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ELEVEN OLD GUNNING DECOYS 20TH CENTURYLENGTHS FROM 9” TO 17”.ELEVEN OLD GUNNING DECOYS, 20th Century, A black duck, a mallard and a teal from Canada, two scoters and a black duck from Maine, and four goldeneyes...
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