doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT - Decoy primer needed

I'm hoping the knowledge of this forum can help me. I'm looking to purchase a couple of older duck decoys to compliment a display. I really know nothing about them, what to look for, who are the better makers, and prices. I was told Mason decoys aresought after and did a quick search on ebay. The Mason decoys were not marked, so how do you know theywere made by Mason?
Who can tell me a little about older decoys and the best place to purchase?
Thanks,
Chris

Collecting decoys requires the same research as collecting guns. Do a Google search and you'll find dealers like RJG on the internet - http://www.rjgantiques.com/ and auction houses like Guyette & Schmidt - http://www.guyetteandschmidt.com/
There are lots of books published on different makers and regional styles too. Take a look at Amazon and you'll find plenty of research material. Bottom line is you can spend as much or more for a nice decoy as any fine double gun you'll ever own no matter how deep (or shallow) your wallet.

LL Bean use to sell cork decoys that had a good look and classic feel to them. A little aging of them would make them a good decoration in any gun room. IF they still sell them a pair should be under $100.00 and a little work could make them into a very atractive looking decorative decoy.

I was lucky and came across a full spread of Ward Brother decoys, at the dump, that someone threw out when cleaning out a old garage. I picked them up for the weights and brought them home. My first wife was bitching at me for bringing home more junk than I took away as I washed them off with a garden hose. After a few minutes of listening to her b.... I asked her if she knew what they were worth, by then I knew what they were and how much they were worth. At the time, 30 years ago, they would have been worth about $20,000 more than our house. She shut up and went back into the house. God I miss that lady, like a toothache.

If you can find out who your local regional decoy makers were, you could get an idea of what to look for. More fun to have local stuff. As noted, old decoys can sell for less than $100.00 to over $10,000 per decoy.

Having been raised and living most of my life in one of the Mesopotamias of decoy making (Chesapeake Bay area) I can tell you that you are about to embark on a pricing minefield similar to that encountered in the gun buying, selling and trading world. There are thousands of perfectly authentic, aesthetically pleasing, well-made decoys out there whose makers are essentially unknown. Any of them can do much to accent a display, photo layout, or magazine article backdrop as a prop. When you start to chase the more well-known makers you had better know what you're looking at as well as looking for. If someone is offering you an authentic decoy from a known maker, they should have some type of provenance available to document their claim. Most working decoys were unsigned when they were made, but many were signed by their still-living makers as people began to collect them and wanted ironclad proof of the maker's identity. Good examples are the thousands of Madison Mitchell decoys carved from the 1940s through the 1970s and later signed during waterfowl expo days or museum commemorations. Also learn to diffentiate between a true working decoy and one that was made to mimic a true working decoy (e.g, never put in the water) and of course a decorative decoy, produced strictly for show. Trying to tell whether a decoy is an authentic Mason or Wards or Mitchell, Gibson, Urie, etc. is strictly a crapshoot if you have no experience looking at them. If they are marked, you still need to know what to look for to avoid a fake. Sort of like case colors and barrel blue on guns, the most arcane factors can determine whether you are being offered a real one or not. Especially in the higher-dollar categories, do as Steve Fyested says in the "Blue Book", "...Shop carefully, seek expert advice, and always get a receipt." You should be able to find authentic, provenanced working decoys in standard species by known makers for $150 up to $500 for individual birds depending on maker and condition of original paint, cracks, replaced eyes, missing keel weights, etc. etc. etc. Authentic old gunning decoys regardless of maker do much to accent an othewise ho-hum display or photograph. KBM

Chris:
What time period do you want for your display? Mason (Detroit, MI) were made from the late 1800's to 1924. Do you want NYS carvers? Many excellent carvers lived in NY up on the River down to Buffalo. Many excellent carvers were located in Canada on the west and north shores of Lake Ontario.
The best books for an overall view of decoys is:
"Top of the Line Hunting Collectibles" by Donna Tonelli
and
"Fish and Fowl Decoys of the Great Lakes" by Donna Tonelli
both books are published by Schiffer Books for Collectors.
There is a good decoy show comming up in Cleveland see this web site http://www.odcca.net/
It would be a good place to see many vintage decoys.

Two Books:
Wild Fowl Decoys by Joel Barber
Decoys: A North American Survey by Gene and Linda Kangas

As Ortolan says it is "strictly a crapshoot if you have no experience looking at them"

Good Shooting
T.C.

Guys,
Thanks for the responces. I really appreciate the input. I don't want to start collecting decoys, I only want a couple. I know that puts me at a disavantage because I don't want to do all the homework. I'm not looking for the best examples, just a very good representative, and I really don't care about the maker. Though I don't want to get screwed either.
Craig, I really don't care where they are from, I don't even know any NY makers. I would like something that would represent the late 1800's to the early 1900's. I don't know if this is a realistic request or not.
Kevin, I'll try to call you tonight.
KY Jon - I know you use your decoys and I think thats great. I get some serious questions about some of the Lefevers I use and why don't I take out a G grade instead.
I appreciate the web sites and I will check them out.
Chris

I've got a Mason on eBay now, (halk995) but it is one for a restorer as the head got "puppied" badly. Masons are easy to tell if you grew up with them and repainted them many times as I did. Originals are smooth, hand oil painted and the brush swirls and body shapes are characteristic. At least four grades as I remember from standard with painted eyes and solid body through Premier with glass eyes, sculptured heads, hollow body, etc. Mason also made shorebirds and others. I've got a nice cork/wood canvasback on eBay also. Maybe someone can i.d. the maker.

Chris, a suggestion is to look around or search the web for decoy collectors or clubs in your area. They sometimes sponsor shows and these are a great place to view decoys as well as visit with collectors who are really knowlegable in there hobby or business.
I recently was at one of these shows and I not only saw alot of decoys but other items like guns, books, fishing lures, reels, rods and items like seldom seen old powder cans.
Just a fun way to spend an afternoon!

You could always find a local carver that is still carving gunning decoys and may have apprenticed under a known carver from back in the day... and from your area. I have gunning decoys carved by Jimmy Pierce and one of his apprentices, Bryon Bodt, from the upper Chesapeake Bay that are styled after Madison Mitchel's patterns and techniques. Pierce may have actually worked for Mitchel... probably the most famous Cheasapeake Bay carver. Any how, this way you can buy a decoy you know is legit, gun over it if you like (will add charcater), and it will likely be worth a few bucks more than you paid for it in a short time. Just my $.02

-jmc