North American Decoys at Auction | November 10 & 11, 2021

Guyette & Deeter, Inc.

North American Decoys At Auction November 10 & 11, 2021

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Guyette & Deeter, Inc.

North American Decoys At Auction Talbot County Community Center 10028 Ocean Gateway Easton, Maryland 21601

50 Table Indoor Dealer Show November 9-11, 2021 In conjunction with the Easton Waterfowl Festival

Tuesday, November 9, 2021 Preview 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Join us for complimentary cocktails

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 Preview 8:00 AM - 10:45 AM Auction 11:00 AM

Thursday, November 11, 2021 Preview 8:00 AM - 9:45 AM Auction 10:00 AM

For questions during the auction call 410-745-0485

Catalog $45. Out of Country $70 Absentee, Phone & Online Bidding accepted call 410-745-0485 for arrangements For free decoy appraisal contact: Gary Guyette | gary@guyetteanddeeter.com | 410-745-0485 Jon Deeter | jdeeter@guyetteanddeeter.com | 440-610-1768 Zac Cote | zcote@guyetteanddeeter.com | 207-321-8091

Important Notices: ■■ GUARANTEE - We have made a concerted effort to accurately catalog and describe the property to be sold. The decoys and paintings have guaranteed condition reports. Should the need arise, the auctioneer reserves the right to make verbal corrections and provide additional information from the block at the time of the sale. Absentee bids will not be executed on items that are found to be other than described in the catalog. Since opinions can differ, particularly in the matter of condition, the auctioneer will be sole judge in the matter of refunds. If we fail to identify a flaw that has an impact on the value, you can return the decoy.

■■ DURATION OF GUARANTEE - Requests for a refund on an item purchased through a Guyette and Deeter, Inc. auction must be made within 3 days of the time you take physical possession of your purchases. Whether your items are shipped, delivered, or picked up at the auction site, it is still 3 days from date of possession. This guarantee is null and void if payment is received or mail is postmarked more than 30 days from the sale end date. The guarantee is also null and void if you choose to not take possession of your purchases within the 30 days.

If you have paid

for your purchases within the 30 days but Guyette and Deeter, Inc is unable to ship your item within the guarantee period, the guarantee will be extended until 3 days from the shipping delivery date. This policy protects our consignors by enabling us to make consignor payments in a timely manner.

■■ Under no circumstances will we be responsible for damage to frames or glass, or damage caused by them. Paintings determined to be of high value or large size may be subject to special packaging at the buyers expense. Under no circumstances will we be responsible for damage to fragile decoratives. These items are marked in the catalog with an *.

■■ Stands are not included with the decoys or weathervanes unless specified in catalog.

■■ All duck calls have condition reports, but are sold “As Is”.

■■ Trade Up Program - A limited number of decoys purchased may be paid for by consigning decoys.

■■ Free appraisals are available with no obligation to consign and any correspondence is strictly confidential.

■■ Pick up hours are 1pm – 5pm beginning November 17, or by appointment. Please call ahead so we can have your items ready.

■■ Auctioneer James D. Julia, Fairfield, Maine.

Future Auctions April 2022

The Westin Chicago-Lombard Lombard, Illinois

July 2022

Sheraton Harborside Hotel Portsmouth, New Hampshire To discuss possible consignments, contact:

Gary Guyette | gary@guyetteanddeeter.com | 410-745-0485 Jon Deeter | jdeeter@guyetteanddeeter.com | 440-610-1768 Zac Cote | zcote@guyetteanddeeter.com | 207-321-8091 Cooper Rossner cooper@guyetteanddeeter.com | 609-560-8028

We are fortunate to have Robert J. Koenke on staff as our Sporting & Wildlife Art expert. Feel free to contact him for an appraisal or consignment to one of our auctions: 410-745-0485.

Guyette & Deeter, Inc.

Dale & Gary Guyette PO Box 1170 St. Michaels, MD 21663 Tel: 410-745-0485 gary@guyetteanddeeter.com

Zac Cote

Jon & Leigh Ann Deeter 507 W. Harbor Rd St. Michaels, Md 21663 Cell: 440-610-1768 jdeeter@guyetteanddeeter.com

Decoy Specialist Freeport, Maine Tel: 207-321-8091 zcote@guyetteanddeeter.com

Denise Jarrell

Mike Stevenson

Cooper Rossner

Ed Kenney

Bill Lapointe

Graphic Designer & Photography St. Michaels, Maryland Tel: 410-745-0485 michael@guyetteanddeeter.com

Merchandise Manager & Shipping St. Michaels, Maryland Tel: 410-745-0485 shipping@guyetteanddeeter.com

Bookkeeper St. Michaels, Maryland Tel: 410-745-0485 billing@guyetteanddeeter.com

Weekly Auction Manager St. Michaels, Maryland Tel: 609-560-8028 cooper@guyetteanddeeter.com

New England Decoy Specialist Swansea, Massachusetts Tel: 774-644-9426

New location, same great town

PO Box 1170 St. Michaels, MD 21663 410-745-0485 www.guyetteanddeeter.com

1210 S Talbot St, Unit A | St. Michaels, MD 21663

Featuring decoys from the collections of Virginia & Jonathan Chua

Don Kirson

Dr. John Dinan

Dr. Preston Lowe

John & Vickie Forbes

General Warren Magruder

Norma & John Gass

Robert & Sylvia Mangold

Dick & Lynn Gove

Steven Michaan

Dale & Gary Guyette

D.C North

Lynnwood Herrington

Kirby Roberts

Charlie Hunter, III

Henry Stansbury

Gene & Linda Kangas

Bruce Williams Somers Headley, Walt Oler, Will Cranmer and Dick Gove.

My father and Doctor Gove, Dick’s father, were great friends and hunting partners during those magnificent Barnegat Bay shooting days post WWII. Their rig of decoys were split between Dick and I when they stopped gunning in the late 1950’s.

Gove learned that those handed down decoys were worth saving when I took him to a Guyette & Julia auction in the mid-1970’s – I think it was Virginia Beach. Dick returned to Port Republic, put those old Jersey working birds in his shop, cleaned up a few and we shared a table at Charlie Birdsall’s show at the firehouse in Point Pleasant.

He was off to the races. Those of us that grew up with “Govie” (read scouts,sailing, rugby, gunning and beer) knew he was passionate, focused and highly competitive.

In the decoy game Dick had several advantages. Id Est, his father was the family doctor for Hurley Conklin, Chris Sprague and Bill Cranmer and a slew of guides and baymen. As a history major at Villanova, Dick learned to listen to old tales and old people then do his “research” in barns, basements and boat sheds. Finally, just to show John Cavileer and me that he could snake them out of that next old decoy, he would be “mums-the-word” until the deal was done.

Gove corners Cranmer. I have an original letter dated 1951 to Somers Headley in the “Joel Barber” file wherein Joel thanks Somers for arranging their mutual visit with Bill Cranmer and lists in that letter the decoys Cranmer gave Barber. In other subsequent correspondence Mr. Barber praises Bill Cranmer and his decoys as “some of

the finest”; placing Bill alongside the Ward Brothers as desirable. Dick Gove , of course, knew Bill Cranmer and when he learned of and agreed with that old letter he began gathering Bill Cranmer birds with a passion and ended up with some of the finest examples of “New Jersey Ward” decoys.

Richard Gove left an impact on New Jersey decoy collecting that will be hard to surpass. Not everyone knew him, but everyone knew of him. Guyette and Deeter will be selling the wonderful collection of he and his wife, Lynn’s, over the course of the next year spread throughout catalogued auctions and on their weekly auction website, decoysforsale.com.

-Grove Conrad

The Debernia Clinton “D.C.” North, Jr. Collection The collection of legendary Southern decoy collector Debernia Clinton “D.C.” North, Jr., will be sold in two sessions starting with the upcoming Guyette & Deeter auction on August 6 and 7, held remotely from St. Michaels, Maryland. D.C. had a fondness for Southern black ducks and acquired many of the very bestknown examples from Virginia and North Carolina.

During his lifetime, D.C. had many pursuits and interests, but excelled at collecting decoys and was usually researching and learning about his latest finds.

He also worked as a professional auctioneer and was known as an entertaining master of ceremonies. D.C. is credited as co-founder of what is today’s Carolina Decoy Collectors Association back in 1978.

Gary Guyette recalls, “D.C. called our Farmington, Maine office to set up to phone bid for our April 1986 auction in Illinois. He wound up buying the pair of North Hampton County Green Wing Teal that we are selling in this sale. During the process he was friendly, funny and very accepting of me, someone just having his third auction.”

Gary added, “The next year he attended our Maine auction when we sold Jim Lewis’ collection of mostly southern decoys. D.C. bid actively and for two days good naturedly teased the people in the audience he bid against. After the sale he invited me to visit him at his home in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina to look at his decoy collection. I remember that his office had dark decoys mounted on light walls. He knew a lot about Virginia and North Carolina decoys and openly shared his knowledge with me for an afternoon. For many years he attended our Easton, Maryland auction and for many years I enjoyed visiting D.C. and Hester at Goose Haven Farm in Currie after they moved there from the beach.” The last time I visited D.C. was late fall, and his furnace was out. He had a space heater set up in his little den, so we sat in there. The walls were covered with dark shorebirds mounted on metal stands that came out from the light colored walls and turned toward the ceiling to hold the shorebirds. We sat there and he told me the story of every one of those shorebirds.

D.C. had a lot of Virginia and North Carolina decoys, both common and some very uncommon ones. He had a great deal of knowledge about the decoys

that he owned. In the 1980s and 1990s when people were writing decoy books, he was the man to go to. Consequently, most of his decoys are pictured in decoy books, including; “Southern Decoys,” Fleckenstein, “Great Book of Decoys,” Engers, editor, Decoys: A North American Survey,” Kangas, and the extended version of “Chesapeake Bay Decoys,” Richardson.

D.C. died at 89 years of age on Christmas Day 2020 at his home on Goose Haven Farm in Currie, North Carolina. D.C. was married to the late Hester Irene Freeman North and leaves behind four children, 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

D.C.’s matchless collection of Southern black ducks and shorebirds will be proudly auctioned at this summer and fall auction.

D.C.’s “N” brand, which he used from 1981 through 1988.

Pictured from lot 142a of this sale.

Charles S. Hunter, III A passion for Southern decoys We learned of the passing of legendary collector, Charles S. “Charlie” Hunter, III, earlier this year. With the loss comes the inevitable memories of a life well lived. Charlie lived and died in Staunton, Virginia, and will be remembered for his involvement with Ducks Unlimited, staunch support of the NRA, his love of duck hunting, and serving the SPCA, among other local charities. For the decoy collecting community, Charlie will be remembered for his love of the hunt for fine southern decoys.

Tommy O’Connor fondly remembers his close collecting friend, who he met in 1989. The men both shared a passion for collecting fine southern decoys of Virginia and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Tommy reminds us that Charlie also was a collector of American flags, guitars, fine guns and Porsches’. Tommy was impressed with Charlie’s passion for waterfowl. The two hunted together at Liberty Hall in Virginia and even took a trip to Randy Roots’ Mallard Farms near Peoria Illinois in 1997. Tommy made it clear that Charlie was one of the best wing shots he ever hunted with and their friendship lasted for years.

Being an outdoorsman and avid duck hunter, Charlie enjoyed spending many hours with his “hunting buddies,” including his four-legged friends, at his farms in West Augusta and King William, Virginia. In fact, he and his wife Barbara of 45 years, raised donkeys and mules at their West Augusta farm.

When not on the hunt or volunteering for various charities, Charlie was scouring auctions for his beloved Virginia decoys, Frank Schmidt remembers. Frank recalls that Charlie began collecting in the 1980s and was “always butting heads” with Tommy O’Connor at auctions. This was prior to their meeting and friendship in 1989.

Guyette & Deeter Online Auctions

Mini owl by Frank Finney SOLD! $2,990

We e k ly O nline Au c t ions End ing E ve r y T hu r sd ay N ig ht G u a r a nt eed co n d i t i o n re p o r t s , m ul t i p l e p hot os , q u i ck s h i p p i n g , g reat d eal s o n q ual i t y i t e m s

Duck calls by Earl Dennison SOLD! $2,645

Rare redhead in original paint by Captain Ben Dye - SOLD! $4,082

For questions, contact: 609-560-8028

Excellent decorative hooded merganser by Jim Schmiedlin SOLD! $8,740

cooper@guyetteanddeeter.com

PO Box 1170 St. Michaels, MD 21663 www.decoysforsale.com

Recent Sales

Online Bidding Available for All Guyette & Deeter, Inc. Auctions Online bidding features real time competitive bidding straight from the auction.

To bid live the day of the sale: • Go to the Guyette & Deeter website and click on the link for our online sale • Visit Invaluable, Bidsquare, or LiveAuctioneers and find our sale.

5%

3% Additional online bidding fees charged by each site

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Session One Wednesday, November 10 11:00 am Lots 1 - 358

Session Two Thursday, November 11 10:00 am Lots 359 - 645

Chincoteague, Virginia 1 - 13 14 - 23 Contemporary Maryland 24 - 31 32 - 43 Miniatures by Elmer Crowell 44 - 48 Jim Schmiedlin 49 - 57 Midwest 58 - 79 Factory Oscar Peterson 80 - 100 Items of Interest 101 - 110C Canada 111 - 126 Fish Decoys 127 - 139 Contemporary 140 - 157 Virginia Shorebirds 158 - 165 Fish Decoys 166 - 170 Fish Plaques 171 - 177 New York 178 - 190 Jim Schmiedlin 191 - 199 Virginia 200 - 208 Connecticut 209 - 216 Shorebirds 216a - 227 Decoratives by Elmer Crowell 228 - 238a Contemporary miniatures 239 - 248 Guns 249 - 268 Items of interest 269 - 272 Sink box decoys 273 - 276b Calls 277 - 286 Contemporary 287 - 299 Massachusetts 300 - 318 Jess Blackstone 319 - 337 Items of interest 338 - 358

Decoratives 359 Illinois River 379 North Carolina 391 Miniatures 410 Ward Brothers 416 Pete Peterson 428 Sporting art 437 Virginia 449 Shorebirds 461 Midwest 474 William Cranmer 487 Shorebirds 494 New Jersey 511 Sporting art 519 Virginia 531 Bronze sculptures 549 Delaware River 556 Maine 568 New Jersey shorebirds 578 Decoratives 584 Lloyd Tyler 593 Maryland 608 Fish decoys 618 Etchings 634 Joe Wooster 638

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378a 390 409 415 427 436 448 460 473 486 493 510 518 529 548 555 567 577 583 592 604 617 633 637 645

Please read conditions of sale in the back of catalog

SESSION ONE Wednesday, November 10, 2021 | 11:00

Chincoteague, Virginia.

Miles Hancock 1887 - 1974 | Chincoteague, Virginia Miles Hancock was an enterprising individual, adaptable, and above all else, a survivor.

Born about 1888 in Williamsville, Delaware, the family soon moved to Chincoteague, Virginia to take advantage of the growing economic opportunities there. For the remainder of his life, Hancock remained on the Bay island. He was a well-liked man who became an avid decoy carver. Sadly, his mother died when Hancock was very young and his father was forced to place him and his siblings in foster homes on Chincoteague. By age 12, he was a “boarder” in the home of oysterman John Williams and his wife, Laura. At this early age, he was already contributing to the family and “earning his keep” by catching and raising terrapins – a brackish water-dwelling turtle prized for its meat in soups and stews. He remained with this family through at least 1910 working as a “boatman” in the “oyster, clam and fish” industries. In 1912, he married Bertha Clark and the couple remained together for the next 62 years, raising a son and a daughter. He continued catching and selling terrapins and expanded his money-making efforts to include market hunting and waterfowl trapping. This was a lucrative endeavor and he apparently excelled at it, with kills recorded as high as 50 redheads with five shots and 100 birds in just two hours. This was all to come to an end (at least legally) by 1918. With the demise of market shooting, Hancock utilized the skills he had gained to serve as a guide to the ever-increasing number of visiting sportsmen who were attracted to Chincoteague.

He purchased a shanty style houseboat that he named the “Tarry Awhile” and moored it at Buzzard Tump in Chincoteague Bay. This served as his base of

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operations, shooting out of a variety of shore blinds.

In the early 1940s the government reduced the daily bag to “only” 15 birds per day and, disgusted, Hancock gave up his guide service. He then moved the “Tarry Awhile” to Queen Sound, close to the “new” bridge where he operated a boat rental, bait shop and snack bar catering to visitors from the mainland.

Throughout all of this he continued to capture, pen, raise, and sell terrapins. Since the recipe for terrapin stew required quantities of sherry or port wine, the demand for the turtles plummeted through Prohibition and the Great Depression. Since Hancock was one of the very few watermen that continued to supply the reptiles and their meat, he was able to hang on.

A 1963 article in the “Eastern Shore News” states that his annual output of turtles was between 4,000 and 4,500 per year. He became a well-liked individual on the island and played a small role in the 1961 movie version of “Misty of Chincoteague”, based on the island’s feral ponies. Miles died of an apparent heart attack at his home on Chincoteague in 1974 and is buried in the Daisey Cemetery on the island.

Throughout his life, Hancock knew the value of decoys and he possessed the skills to produce them. During his market gunning days, he carved for his own use and then, beginning with his time as a guide, expanded the operation to supply decoys for numerous other sportsmen and clubs. When the demand for wooden shooting stool began to decline, he continued to find a market, serving the ever-growing number of

tourists that were drawn to his island home. He carved until the very end, expanding to include numerous miniatures. His lifelong output is said to be a remarkable 20,000 decoys. His early work was strongly influenced by his mentor, Ira Hudson, but he soon developed a style of his own that featured a wider, flatter bottomed body that rode the water better.

Like his neighbor on Deep Hole Road, Doug Jester, he produced sturdy, functional decoys for the “average” hunter. Details were kept to a minimum but this in no way reduced the resounding effectiveness of his hand chopped and simply painted birds to do exactly what they were intended to do – attract ducks! In 2015, the Eastern Shore of Virginia Foundation awarded the Museum of Chincoteague Island $30,000 to move his shop to the grounds of the museum where it stands today. His work is widely distributed in museums and collections across the country.

Hancock at his shop in “Misty of Chincoteague”

Miles Hancock (L) aboard the “Tarry Awhile”

Hancock at his turtle pen

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Rare and important back preening Canada goose, Miles Hancock, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2nd quarter 20th century. Made from cotton wood with tack

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eyes. Head that is stretched backwards and toward center of back. Retains Charlie Hunter collection tag. This decoy was never rigged, and when sold set the world record for a Miles Hancock decoy. 22” long. Excellent original paint; a knot hole runs through the underside of the decoy; slight discoloration to white areas under tail.

Provenance: Sold at Julia & Guyette sale April 1991.

Charlie Hunter, III collection.

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(4,000 - 6,000)

Rare and important pair of wood ducks, Miles Hancock, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2nd quarter 20th century. Carved wooden crests. 14.5” long. Very good and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(5,000 - 8,000)

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Pair of pintails, Miles Hancock, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2nd quarter 20th century. 17.5” long. Very good and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,500 - 3,500)

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Rare bufflehead drake, Miles Hancock, Chincoteague, Virginia, circa 1930s. 11.75” long. Original paint; spot of touchup on each lower side; almost no wear.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

Purchased from Henry Fleckenstein, Jr. in March 1983.

Literature: ‘Southern Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, Jr., p. 47, exact decoy pictured. “Chesapeake Bay Decoys,” extended edition, Bobby Richardson, p.

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193, exact decoy pictured. (1,500 - 2,500)

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Rare preening black duck, Miles Hancock, Chincoteague, Virginia. Large “J” carved in the underside. Just under 16” long. Appealing old paint; moderate wear; small cracks.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(1,000 - 1,400)

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Brant, Miles Hancock, Chincoteague, Virginia. Signed and dated 1944. 19” long. Very good and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(800 - 1,200)

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Swan, full size. Doug Jester made for his wife, Bertha. Wings inserted.

Dodge Decoy Factory, private collection.

Jester and Hancock swans may have been inspired by the early production of this Dodge swan or perhaps the illustration in their factory catalog.

Illustration from the Dodge Factory catalog.

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Very rare swan decoy, Miles Hancock, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2nd quarter 20th century. Two holes in underside indicate it had feet or was used in a field. Applied and sculpted wings with a crooked neck. 25” long. Multiple coats of old white paint that shows good age; flaking area where one wing is attached; small chip at one side of tail.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(8,000 - 12,000)

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Doug Jester 1876 - 1961 | Chincoteague, Virginia Doug Jester was born on Chincoteague, Virginia to Douglas and Mary Jester.

Like his father before him, he would spend the rest of his long life tied to the shore, living on Chincoteague, listing his occupation, as did almost everyone else on the island, either as “oysterman” or “waterman”. Initially carving decoys for his own use, Doug’s decoys are as important today, filling devoted space on collector’s shelves, as they were back in the day supplying a vital niche on the hunt. While his carvings are described as functional, practical and effective, in no way does it diminish their collectability today.

In 1897 Jester wed Emma D. Bowden and the couple raised a large family of four sons and two daughters. In 1910, the family is listed as living “down the marsh”. Over the years, they resided on Ridge Road as well as Deep Hole Road. Jim Trimble states that at one point, Jester and his family lived on the south side of Chincoteague in an area known as ‘snotty-ridge’ with a two-story barn on the opposite side of the road that contained his workshop. In “Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway”, on one of his early trips to the island, Dr. George Starr found Jester at his shop (presumably near his home at the time): “You came across the bridge of the causeway and turned right on the main street of Chincoteague town and looked for a small shop about a quarter-mile down the road. The proprietor was Mr. Samuel D M. Jester, who was more than willing to greet a visitor and talk about decoys and gunning”.

Raising a large family on a fairly remote barrier island required that Jester remain flexible and be able and willing to earn a living in any way possible. As a young man around the turn of the century, Jester is said to have hunted for the market using larger gauge shotguns as well as a multi-barreled gun and spotlight. Jester’s children recall that Doug did indeed spend a great deal of time fishing, clamming, and oystering, often leaving the island for extended stays on the water. For most of his adult life, he kept a houseboat

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in the Queenstown Marsh on the west side of the island where he stayed all week commuting from home on weekends via bicycle. He also supplemented his income by building both houses and boats. The boats were mainly small skiffs or scows, but he did construct some larger sailing craft. Roland Jester recounts that his father “could build a boat entirely by hand in three or four days”. The family kept a vegetable garden for their own use and raised a few chickens. One needed to be adaptable to succeed in life on early Chincoteague! His wife died in 1946 and he passed away 15 years later after a lengthy stay at the Eastern State Hospital near Richmond. He is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery on Chincoteague.

The fact that nothing about his oystering, decoys, boats, or houses is mentioned in his obituary would indicate that he led a simple, unassuming life on his island home.

Initially, Jester carved decoys for his own use, then slowly began to carve extras to sell to local watermen. It was after his market gunning career that he began to carve on a large scale for sale to other hunters and clubs.

The exact date of his switch to commercial production is listed variously as somewhere between 1912 and the early 1920s. His carvings can best be described as functional, practical and effective and were designed to be produced quickly from whatever materials were readily available. Details were kept to a minimum so that the stool would be rugged and affordable for the average sportsman. Bodies were hand chopped and surfaces were left with a spoke shave or drawknife finish which would actually prove to be helpful in terms of reducing glare and roughly mimicking feathering. His decoys normally feature carved nostrils and mandibles, uncharacteristic details not expected from Jester’s

otherwise straightforward approach. His paint patterns, likewise, were simple yet effective. He would use whatever paint was available and least expensive from the local hardware store or boat yard. Eyes were simple painted rings applied with a piece of tubing dipped in paint. He is said to have never washed a paint brush and would simply throw them away when they became too worn or stiff. He carved a variety of species, but his best work is generally considered to be both his hooded and red-breasted mergansers, both sporting their nicely carved and/or serrated crest. Some species were carved in very limited numbers. We are fortunate in that Dr. Starr left us with a verbal picture of Jester’s shop, possibly from the 1950s: “I saw him sitting astride a sawbuck bench, the stub of a cigar clamped in his teeth. … The building itself is a one room affair about fifteen by twenty-five feet, with shelves along one long side and a bench the full length of the other. …the shop was literally loaded with hundreds of brand new decoys (that) were about to be shipped out to eager gunners. … All the shelves were filled, most of the floor was piled with cartons and the loft above was equally stuffed”.

Today, the artistry of “Doug” Jester is recognized for its integral place in the hunting and carving heritage of Chincoteague and is appreciated for its simple, perhaps somewhat “folky” style.

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Doug Jester painting one of his goose decoys, circa 1940s.

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Impressive unrigged Canada goose, Doug Jester, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2nd quarter 20th century. Retains Charlie Hunter collection tag on underside. Bold, wide neck seat with bill that is doweled through to back of head. Some of Jester’s best Canada goose paint with excellent wet on wet blending on sides and top where tail and back meet. Crack in one side of head; some separation near bill; a few nicks and scratches on body.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(5,000 - 10,000)

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Pair of pintails, Doug Jester, Chincoteague, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Drake has Roy Bull collection brand. Drake is 18.5” long. Original paint with minor discoloration and wear; small amount of paint shrinkage on hen’s breast.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

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Unusual small size black duck, Doug Jester, Chincoteague, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. One of three of this size known. Good scratch paint detail. Only 13.5” long. Original paint with minor wear; a few tiny dents.

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Purchased from Larry Lambert at the 1984 Virginia Beach Decoy Show.

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(3,000 - 4,000)

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Rare pair of widgeon, Doug Jester, Chincoteague, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Drake is 15.5” long. Original paint with minor shrinkage and wear; structurally good.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

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Bluebill drake, Doug Jester, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2nd quarter 20th century. 13.5” long. Very good and original.

Brant, Doug Jester, Chincoteague, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Short body with raised neck seat. Measures 15.5” long. Original paint; moderate

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection. (800 - 1,200)

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Bufflehead hen, Doug Jester, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2nd quarter 20th century. 9.5” long. Original paint with minor wear; structurally good.

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flaking and wear; tight drying cracks in body; minor roughness on edge of tail; loss at small knot on front of head, appears to be from when the decoy was made.

Provenance: Julia & Guyette, April 1991 sale, lot 634.

Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,500 - 3,500)

Provenance: Ex William J. Mackey, Jr. collection, stamp on underside. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,250 - 1,750)

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Contemporary carvings William Gibian b. 1946 | Onancock, Virginia

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Outstanding decorative whimbrel, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. Carved and mounted in landing pose with outstretched wings and legs, and featuring an open bill. Very detailed wing feather carving.

“Gibian” carved on underside of belly. Maker’s business card on underside reads, “Landing whimbrel curlew, a special bird that I rate as one of my best efforts! 12/13.”

Wingspan measures 12.5”, full piece measures 19” tall. Excellent and original.

(5,000 - 8,000)

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Exceptional preening wood duck, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. In preening pose with raised and

Old squaw hen, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. Hollow carved with slightly turned, up looking

crossed wingtips. Extended crest is swooped to one side.

head. Relief wing and tail feather carving and inserted

Fine comb feather paint detail on sides. “Gibian” carved

double tail sprig. “Gibian” carved on underside, as well

into the underside. Flat pad weight shaped to offset the

as maker’s business card mounted under plexiglass. 22”

turned head. Measures 14.5” long. One tiny paint flake

long. Very minor sap bleed on back and a tiny paint

missing on one lower edge, otherwise excellent and

rub at tip of tail sprig, otherwise excellent and original.

original.

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(3,500 - 4,500)

(3,000 - 4,000)

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Excellent decorative marbled godwit, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. Carved and mounted as a bird about to take flight with outstretched wings and legs. Slightly turned and outstretched head.

Highly detailed wing feather carving.

“Gibian” carved in underside of belly.

Wingtips measure 15” apart. Bird measures 16” long. Excellent and original.

(4,000 - 6,000)

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Pair of red breasted mergansers, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. Hollow carved with reared back, slightly turned heads. Relief wing and tail feather carving. Carved extended crests. “Gibian” carved in to the underside. Also with the maker’s business card mounted under plexiglass. Measures 15.5” and 16.25” long. Excellent and

18

original.

19

(2,000 - 3,000)

Preening lesser yellowlegs, Eddie Wozny, Cambridge, Maryland. Signed and dated 2021. Decoy has lifted wings and is mounted on carved clam shell base. 11” from table to tip of wing. Exceptional feather carving detail, with fanned feathers and open bill. Excellent and original.

(1,500 - 2,000)

19 20

Preening black duck, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. Carved in the style of Elmer Crowell. Hollow carved, in preening pose with raised crossed wingtips. Relief wing and tail feather carving. Scratch feather paint detail on head. Gibian carved in underside. Measures 15.25” long. Excellent and original.

(2,000 - 3,000)

20 21

Well carved pair of wood ducks, Bob White, Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Signature and date is faded but date appears to be 1998. Both have original Bob White weights. Both have alert head poses, carved crossed wingtips, carved secondaries, and fluted tails. Drake is 15.5” long. Excellent and original.

(2,000 - 3,000)

2621

22

Excellent decorative lap wing plover, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. Walking pose with one outstretched, dropped wing. Detailed wing and tail feather carving. Extended head feather. “Gibian” carved on underside of belly. Measures 11.75” long x 9.5” tall. Excellent and original.

(2,000 - 4,000)

22

23

23

Exceptional decorative preening yellowlegs, Keith Mueller, Killingsworth, Connecticut. Stands just under 13” tall.

On simulated rocks that are carved from wood. In preening pose with lifted feathers and bill underneath feathers. Extra fine paint

23

detail. Very good and original.

(3,000 - 4,000)

27

Maryland

24

Rare bufflehead drake, Jim Brinks Nelson, Crisfield, Maryland, last quarter 19th century. Only 10” long. Worn original paint; small crack in back; numerous small dents.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

Literature: “Chesapeake Bay Decoys,” Bobby Richardson, p. 150, exact decoy pictured.

28

(5,000 - 8,000)

25

Very rare black duck, Leonard Pryor, Elkton, Maryland, 1st quarter 20th century. 15.5” long. Raised V carved wingtips. Fine paint detail. Stamped “LE Pryor Chesapeake City, MD” in underside. Mint.

Provenance: Purchased directly form the Pryor family.

(7,000 - 9,000)

29

Extremely rare black duck, John Graham, Charlestown, Maryland, 3rd quarter 19th century. Believed to be one

26

of only a few hollow black ducks known by the maker. Three piece hollow carved with raised neck seat and tack eyes. Biddle collection ink stamp on the underside. ‘F’ branded in the underside for the collection of Henry Fleckenstein, Jr. Measures 16 1/2” long. Very early working repaint has flaked off to much of the original surface; hairline crack in tail; hit by shot; filler flaked from top of nail on top of head.

Provenance: Exact decoy pictured on page 99 of Richard Oliver’s November 1990 sale,

26

lot 203 and front cover. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

Canvasback hen, John Daddy Holly, Havre de Grace, Maryland. 14” long.

27

Excellent original paint; crack in one side of body; a few dents and scratches; a few small tight cracks in breast; approximately half of bill is a professional replacement.

(2,500 - 3,500)

27

28

Very rare old squaw drake, Ben Dye, Perryville, Maryland, 3rd quarter 19th century. One of only about five by Dye known to exist. Slightly raised neck seat. 16” long. Very thin original paint; moderate gunning wear; several shot scars.

Literature: “Waterfowling on the Chesapeake,” C. John SUllivan.

(4,000 - 6,000)

28

30

30

Rare straight neck swan, Madison Mitchell, Havre de Grace, Maryland. Signed and dated 1976 on underside. Flat bottom. Well carved bill. Painted eyes and straight neck. 36” long. Excellent original paint that has mellowed to form a nice patina; small knot in wood at top of body that has pushed and

cracked the paint a small amount.

Provenance: General Warren Magruder collection.

(4,000 - 6,000)

31

Rare root head Canada goose, Captain Frank Newnam, Neavitt, Maryland, 1st quarter 20th century. Captain Newnam was the first professional hunting guide in Talbot County. He utilized the natural bends and curves in tree roots to fashion the neck and heads on his geese decoys, a skill learned by his father who also made decoys. ‘WN’ branded into the underside with a small chisel. Measures 21 1/2” long. Original paint with moderate flaking and wear; drying cracks in body; small chips and roughness on tail; split along the underside.

Provenance: Julia & Guyette April 1991 sale, lot 657. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: Exact decoy pictured on page 82 of ‘Chesapeake Bay Decoys - The Men Who Used Them’, R.H. Richardson, editor.

(4,000 - 6,000)

31

Miniatures by Elmer Crowell

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34

36

33

35

37

32

Miniature semipalmated plover, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp on

35

the underside. Measures 3 1/4” long. Tiny paint flake miss-

stamp on the underside. Measures 3 1/4” long. Paint

ing on tip of bill, otherwise excellent and original.

flake on one side of bill and one lower edge of base; otherwise very good and original.

(1,500 - 2,500) 33

Miniature sandpiper, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp on the under-

36

Miniature grouse, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp on the underside. Measures 4 1/2” long. Tiny spot of touch up on

of raised wing tip, otherwise excellent and original.

back, otherwise very good and original.

37

Miniature black bellied plover, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s ink stamp and the 1/2” long. Excellent and original.

(1,500 - 2,500)

(1,500 - 2,500)

Miniature catbird, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s blue paper label is on the underside. Fine paint detail and dropped wings. Bird is 2 7/8” long. Very good and original.

number 6 on the underside. Split tail carving. Measures 3

32

(1,500 - 2,500)

side. Measures 3 3/8” long. Very minor roughness on tip (1,500 - 2,500) 34

Miniature red backed sandpiper, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle

Provenance: Don Kirson collection.

(1,500 - 2,500)

39

38 38

Pair of miniature pintails, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp on

39

Pair of miniature red breasted mergansers, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rect-

the underside. Measure 3 1/2” and 5 1/4” long. Original

angle stamp on the underside. Carved crests. Measure

paint with very minor flaking, mostly on hen’s base; chip in

5” and 5 3/4” long. Original paint with minor flaking and

tip of drake’s tail.

wear, much of which is on the bases and hen; very good

(3,000 - 4,000)

structurally.

(3,000 - 4,000)

40

Miniature Canada goose, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp and the number 25 on the underside. Chip carved base. Measures 6” long. Very good and original.

(1,200 - 1,800)

41

Miniature wood duck, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Just under 4” long. Traces of Crowell’s circular ink stamp on underside of base. Very good

40

42

and original.

42

(2,000 - 3,000)

Miniature goldeneye, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp on the underside. Measures 4” long. Tiny paint flake on tip of bill, otherwise excellent and original.(1,200 - 1,800)

43

Miniature bluebill, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp on the underside. Measures 3 1/8” long. Very good and original.

(1,200 - 1,800)

41

43

33

Jim Schmiedlin 1945 - 2015 | Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania

44

Very rare Canada goose, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. One of four made by Jim, and the one referred to as the “Missing Goose”. Hollow carved with alert, slightly turned head.

Relief wing and tail feather carving. Raised, crossed wingtips and incised feather carving. “JAS” brand in underside. Jim’s reward for return label on underside. Keel has been removed. Signed and dated 1996. Measures 24” long x 13.75” tall. Original paint with a few paint rubs; excellent structurally.

Provenance: Ex Betty Williford collection.

34

(40,000 - 60,000)

35

45

46

45

Red breasted merganser hen, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Hollow carved

46

Red breasted merganser, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Hollow carved

with tucked and turned head. Relief wing and tail

with slightly turned head. Relief wing and tail feather

feather carving and extended crest. “JAS” branded

carving. Carved extended crests and scissor bill carv-

in underside. Jim’s reward for return label on under-

ing. “JAS” branded in underside. Jim’s reward for

side. Measures 15.5” long. Original paint; minor gun-

return label on underside. Original paint with minor

ning wear; small dent in one side, otherwise excellent

to moderate wear; lightly hit by shot; hairline crack in

structurally.

one side of breast; slight separation at neck seat.

(4,000 - 5,000)

(4,000 - 5,000)

36

47

48

47

Greenwing teal, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Hollow carved

48

Greenwing teal hen, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Hollow carved

with slightly turned head. Relief wing and tail feather

with tucked and turned head. Relief wing and tail

carving with raised wingtips. “JAS” branded in

feather carving. Identified, signed, and dated 1983

underside. Inscription on underside identifies it as

on underside. Measures 12” long. Excellent and

among the first working greenwing teal ever made

original.

(3,000 - 4,000)

by Jim. Signed on underside. Measures 13.25” long. Excellent and original.

(4,000 - 5,000)

37

Mandt Homme 1905 - 1964 | Stoughton, Wisconsin Mandt H. Homme, like so many others in their day, made his own decoys. Fortunately for the decoy collecting community, he rose above the crowd to produce some of the very finest from the State of Wisconsin. His was a labor of love and he would lavish a great deal of time on each creation. Because of the degree of work involved in each carving, it is estimated that his total lifetime production is probably less than 100 decoys. As his wife, Julia, once recalled: “By the time Mandt completed one of his decoys, I would loathe to part with it”.

Born in Stoughton, Wisconsin, he remained in Stoughton until 1929 when he married Julia K. Card and the young couple moved into her parent’s home in Madison.

Homme was the youngest of eight children born to his Norwegian parents, Tolef and Della. Homme followed in his father’s footsteps and became a painter for the State of Wisconsin, working out of the State’s Bureau of Engineers office in the State Capital. He remained in this field of employment for his entire working life.

Until approximately 1946, the couple and their son and daughter lived a typical middle-class life at 1306 Gilson Street in Madison. He briefly listed his home as Stoughton in 1947 but from 1950 until the time of his death, the family resided in the Village of McFarland, on the shores of Lake Waubesa.

Homme enjoyed hunting, including crow shooting and fox hunting. Living in an area of the state that attracted large concentrations of migrating ducks and geese, he developed a particular passion for waterfowling. He would have shot on the local lakes and is known to have a particular fondness for the Yahara River and its “Big Marsh” area. This was located close to Lake Koshkonong so he undoubtedly was aware of that waterbody’s sporting opportunities and the rich history of private gun clubs in the area.

He was friendly with a hunter with similar design ideas and talents, Enoch Reindahl of Stoughton (1904 – 2000). The two men would often gather at Homme’s home to draw patterns on the dining room table and carve the decoys in Homme’s basement workshop. Homme’s older brother Ferdinand (“Ferd”) (1900 – 1963), was also a carver of very considerable talent and the three would share ideas and techniques, a habit obviously mutually beneficial to all three.

Homme’s decoys are famous for their detailed feather carving and life-like content poses. Floated as a rig, they would have been difficult to discern from a raft of live birds. He carved as a hobby and produced decoys primarily for his own use. He would occasionally allow himself to be talked into carving birds for local hunters.

Such was the case with his sometimes-hunting partner,

38

Mandt watching a live snow goose enter the blind

sporting goods dealer Tom Alberti (1905 – 1980) of Madison and Dr. A.T. Shearer of nearby Edgerton who were both the fortunate owners of a fine flock of Homme’s decoys.

Homme’s work has been celebrated in numerous references and is included in some of the most prestigious collections in the country. Examples of his carving have been included in multiple exhibitions such as the: Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend, Wisconsin Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, TX – Featuring the Dr. James McCleery collection Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria, IL – “American Decoy – The Invention” Just before 1938, Homme carved a spectacular pair of Canada geese. Even he thought so highly of them that he entered the birds in the 1938 Milwaukee decoy carving contest where they walked away with first place ribbons.

Despite his wife’s misgivings, he offered to trade these award-winning birds to Dr. Shearer in exchange for a fox hound of the doctor’s that Homme, obviously, greatly admired. When discussing this pair of geese in a 1998 article in “Decoy” magazine, noted Midwest authority and historian Donna Tonelli proclaimed that: “Arguably they’re the finest working decoys made in the Midwest. They’re exceptional”. We would have to concur.

Born in Fennimore, WI, Ansley Thomas Shearer (1882 - 1956) graduated from the University of Illinois Medical

School in 1907. In 1910, he married Maybelle L. Wilson and the couple had a daughter Marjorie. After an internship and advanced training at the Augustana Hospital in Chicago, Shearer opened his own practice in Edgerton in 1911. He briefly served as a surgeon for the Milwaulkee Railroad and, during WWI, was assistant chief of surgery in the Army stationed at Fort Dodge in Iowa. He was a founder of the Shearer – Sumner – Falk Clinic in Edgerton.

After a lengthy illness he passed away and is buried in Edgerton.

The doctor loved music, fine horses and hunting.

Edgerton is situated on the shores of the well known Lake Koshkonong. The lake is the second largest natural water body in the State of Wisconsin and due to its vast beds of wild celery and wild rice, it attracted hoards of migrating waterfowl. During the late 1800s it hosted such large concentrations of canvasback and redheads that it became known as “the Chesapeake of the west”. Due to the outstanding hunting that it afforded, numerous elite private clubs and a number of hotels that hosted visiting sportsmen sprang up on the lake. Dr. Shearer hunted canvasback and Canada geese from the historic Carcajou Club’s “point blind” on the western shore of Lake Koshkonong and, in 1920, he was a charter member of the Thibeau Hunting Club on the east shore of that famous waterbody. Both of his brothers, Harry and Floyd, were also doctors and, in 1926, Floyd purchased a farm

on the south side of the lake, which would become Shearer’s Hunt Club. We can reasonably assume that Ansley hunted on this property as well. Obviously, he was very familiar with the lake and must have known other hunters and carvers with similar interest.

Because he could afford the finest in equipment, the doctor sought out and purchased his decoys from Mandt Homme of nearby Madison, WI. It is not known how the two gentlemen met but it seems that they became quite friendly and possibly may have even hunted together occasionally. At some point shortly before 1938, despite the urging of his wife not to, Homme traded Shearer the two exceptional goose decoys being offered in exchange for a fox hound of the doctor’s that Homme coveted.

A young Dr Shearer (compliments of the Shearer family)

39

49

Outstanding hollow carved Canada goose, Mandt Homme, Stoughton, Wisconsin, 2nd quarter 20th century.

a softness to the body. The addition of the

Center cut hollow with “A.T. Shearer” hot

long.Original paint with near perfect patina,

branded in underside. In pencil “Carved

which has mellowed to show age; some

Mandt Homme”. This pair of geese are some

crazing mostly to the brown areas of body;

of the finest our company has ever handled.

light wear has contributed to edge rough-

These are the only two known geese by

ness along back of tail where one chip was

Mandt. This magnificent goose has a slightly

reglued; has a tight neck crack.

tucked and turned head. Deep carving along side pocket, back feathers, crossed

whittle marks in the feathers on back is unique and is not found on the rigmate example. 24”

Provenance: From the hunting rig of Dr. Ansley

wingtips, and carved extended tail feathers.

The superb scratch painting on side creates

40

Thomas Shearer. By decent in the Shearer family.

(100,000 - 150,000)

41

42

50

Outstanding hollow carved Canada goose, Mandt Homme, Stoughton, Wisconsin, 2nd quarter 20th century. Center cut hollow with “A.T.

paint with near perfect patina, which has mellowed to

Shearer” hot branded in underside. In pencil “Carved

ably to make the neck seam smoother; light wear.

Mandt Homme”. This pair of geese are some of the fin est our company has ever handled. These are the only

Provenance: From the hunting rig of Dr. Ansley Thomas

two known geese by Mandt. This magnificent goose

Shearer. By decent in the Shearer family.

has a slightly tucked and turned head. Deep carving

show age; some crazing mostly to the brown areas of body; there is a small repair to the top of neck, prob-

(100,000 - 150,000)

along side pocket, back feathers, crossed wingtips, and carved extended tail feathers. The superb scratch painting on side creates a softness to the body. Original

43

51

Mallard drake, Mandt Homme, Stoughton, Wisconsin, 2nd quarter 20th century. Hollow carved with relief wing carving and raised crossed wingtips. Head is tucked and turned, approximately 45 degrees. Branded “AT Shearer” in underside.

Measures 15” long. Original paint with moderate discoloration and wear; small dents and shot marks; body halves have been separated and reglued slightly off, with small nails added; tight cracks in breast; chip in tail and one raised wingtip.

Provenance: From the hunting rig of Dr. Ansley Thomas Shearer. By decent in the Shearer family.

(6,000 - 8,000)

44

45

46

52

Fine mallard hen, Mandt Homme, Stoughton, Wisconsin, 2nd quarter 20th century. Hollow carved with relief wing carving and raised, crossed wingtips. Head is turned and canted in a wonderfully animated pose. Measures 15.5” long. Original paint with minor flaking and wear; minor roughness at raised wingtips; tight crack through neck.

Provenance: From the hunting rig of Dr. Ansley Thomas Shearer. By decent in the Shearer family.

(18,000 - 22,000)

47

53

Hollow carved canvasback drake, Mandt Homme, Stoughton, Wisconsin, 2nd quarter 20th century. Plump body with relief wing and tail carving. Raised crossed wingtips and comb feather paint detail. Head is turned slightly to one side. Measures 16.25” long. Thick original paint; minor flaking and wear; hairline crack in one side of neck; small dent in one edge of tail.

Provenance: From the hunting rig of Dr. Ansley Thomas Shearer. By decent in the Shearer family.

48

(8,000 - 12,000)

49

54

55

54

Hollow carved canvasback drake, similar to the work of Joseph Sieger, 2nd quarter 20th century. 15.5” long. Alert pose, head is 9.5” high.

phered bottom board. Moak’s early style. 16.75” long. Crack in neck with paint touchup in that area;

Winneconne WIS”. Original paint with minor discolor-

smudge of white paint near neck; head is slightly loose.

ation and wear; lightly hit by shot; slight roughness to

(3,500 - 4,500)

Literature: “Decoys of the Great Lakes,” Donna Tonelli.

(4,500 - 6,500)

50

Hollow carved canvasback drake, Augustus Moak, Tustin, Wisconsin. Hollow carved with cham-

Written on underside a long time ago “carved in 1880s,

edge of tail.

55

56

57

56

Canada goose, Enoch Reindahl, Stoughton, Wisconsin, 2nd quarter 20th century. Articulated head that folds down for packing. Body is made from

Early hollow carved Canada goose from Southern Michigan, last quarter 19th century. Usually attributed to Nate Quillen. Tack eyes with

canvas over metal and wire construction. Classic

bottom board construction. Multiple coats of paint

detailed Reindahl paint has been applied to body.

on body; head appears to retain some original paint;

Carved eyes and bill detail. Head is slightly turned.

discoloration, paint flaking, and heavy crazing over

This is one of four canvas geese in this form. 26”

most of body; wood imperfection at top of head; pro-

long. Light wear with one hole to canvas near tail;

fessional restoration to approximately 1/2 of bill.

some discoloration; a few very tiny holes or possibly shot marks in body.

57

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(4,000 - 6,000)

51

Factory

58

Bluewing teal drake, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Hollow premier grade model. 13” long. Original paint with very slight wear; several tiny dents; very tip of bill has been touched up or darkened.

(5,000 - 7,000)

58

59

Exceptional greenwing teal drake, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Glass eye model. 12” long. In near mint paint; a very, very thin line of neck filler was replaced around a tight seam in the neck; inpainting at one white area below neck.

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

(4,000 - 6,000) 59

58

52

59

60

61

60

Extremely rare wood duck drake, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1900. Challenge

61

Black duck, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Two piece

grade with extended crest. One of about 6 known.

hollow body, premier grade. Nearly a perfect exam-

12” long. Retains much of the original paint on both

ple, made around 1910. Retains the premier stamp on

body and head; heavy wear, dents, and scratches to

underside. 18” long. Strong original paint; very minor

body; restoration to tip of bill; areas where paint was

amount of neck filler missing at seam; a few very tiny

missing have been darkened; wood filler has been

nicks with paint missing; two tiny holes at center of

used around neck base to replace missing piece at

back.

(5,000 - 8,000)

one side, approximately .5” tall x 1.5” wide; some inpainting around eyes.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(5,000 - 8,000)

53

Mason Swans Of the many thousands of decoys produced by the Mason Decoy Factory, examples of certain species are notable for their scarcity today.

The demand for decoys was largely dependent upon the number of hunters that pursued that species. Decoys for mallards, for example, were in high demand in the Midwest, pintails were popular in the West and black ducks in the East. Certain species had either limited range or, due to their marginal reputation as a table bird, not considered prime targets and, thus, demand for these decoys was limited - the seaducks would be a good example. Other species of ducks were gregarious and could be easily attracted to decoys of another, more common, species. Finally, some ducks required no decoys at all, or were so rare, like the wood duck, that few decoys would have been produced. For these and a variety of additional reasons, swan decoys by Mason were not a common production item and were most likely only manufactured upon specific order. Swan decoys did appear in some of the Mason catalogs from the very first (c1902-03) to at least as late as the 1915-16 edition.

Interestingly, a careful reading of the 1902/03 catalog would indicate that they produced swan decoys in “every known grade, from the very cheapest up, and in the following varieties (swans listed)” Swans were commonly used as confidence decoys when attempting to lure other species to the rig and there is no doubt that swans were occasionally targeted and shot for their meat or feathers. Unlike spreads for other types of waterfowl, however, decoys for these birds were not needed in great numbers. Many times, a single example would suffice. They would be big, bulky and, in most cases, very heavy objects to transport and rig out. Since their use was somewhat limited and only a small number would be required, most period examples were produced by local carvers for use on local waters.

When hunting of the large, white birds was outlawed in most of the country, the few remaining examples of decoys for them were either repainted as “loomer” geese

54

or, as so famously described by Adele Ernest in “The Art of the Decoy”, simply discarded “…in a flaming pyre of Swan decoys”. Finally, a rare few survived as either porch or garden ornaments or relegated to the role of “signage” nailed to gate posts at the entrance to gun clubs.

The very few surviving Mason Factory swan decoys should rightfully be considered great rarities and one of the cornerstones of any collection.

62

Very rare full size swan, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Premier grade with removeable head and doweled in, relief carved bill.

Tack eyes. Measures 29” long. Multiple coats of white paint with significant crazing; large chip in tail that was reglued with two small pieces missing; chips at base of neck and neck seat; vertical split in neck secured with old nails; small chip in tip of bill and where bill meets the face; split in underside.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: “Mason Decoys,” Russ Goldberger and Alan Haid.

(10,000 - 15,000)

55

63a

63

65

64

65

63

63a

Dove, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1900. Glass eye model with some feather detail-

64

Curlew, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1900. Glass eyes with iron bill and two piece body.

ing on back. 12” long. Small area of flaking where grain

16” long. Original paint; seems as if it has been cleaned

is raised at one wing; very tight crack; two areas of wood

or possibly a coat of varnish has been removed; profes-

putty filling imperfections; one side is slightly flatter than

sional restoration to crack in back and underside; restora-

the other.

tion at base of neck.

(1,500 - 2,000)

Yellowlegs, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1900. Glass eye model with iron bill. 12.5” long.

Excellent dry original paint.

(1,500 - 2,000)

65

(5,000 - 7,000)

Yellowlegs, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan 1st quarter 20th century. Tack eye model with “Q.A. Shaw” branded in underside for Quentin A. Shaw of Eastham, Massachusetts. 13” long. Excellent dry paint shows light wear.

56

(1,000 - 1,500)

66

Premier grade greenwing teal hen, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan. Branded “Manning”.

Retains original Mason weight. 12.5” long. Original paint; minor discoloration and wear; body seam has opened up very slightly on one side; paint loss where line tie wrapped around back of body.

(3,000 - 5,000)

67

Bluewing teal hen, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Early challenge grade with snakey head. Original paint with very minor wear; a few small dents and shot marks; hairline crack on the back was filled in the making.

(3,000 - 5,000)

57

68

Rare special order hollow challenge grade pair of mallards, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan. Both retain Charlie Hunter collection tag. Hen has “T.L.” painted on side and “F.D.W.” on underside. 16” long. Both have strong original paint with very light gunning wear; neck filler is missing on drake; hen has tight cracks in body with paint loss in those areas.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

68

69

Canvasback hen, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Hollow premier grade with “J.B.F.” and “W.R.L.” branded in underside. 16” long. Original paint; moderate wear; flaking to areas of back, head, and around bill and tail.

(2,000 - 3,000)

69

70

Rare low head model bluebill hen, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan. Premier grade. 14.5” long. Original paint with minor wear; two small cracks in lower side; old touchup at neck seam.

Literature: “Mason Factory Decoys,” Russ Goldberger and Alan Haid. (2,000 - 3,000)

70

71

Early black duck, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1900. Premier grade. Hollow carved slope breasted model. Measures 17” long. Original paint; minor flaking and wear, mostly on breast; professional repair to tip of bill and tail; dent in back.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

71

58

72

Canada goose, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Premier grade. 24.5” long. Original paint; minor wear; professional repair to a chip at one side of the tail; filled age split on lower side has opened slightly; crack in end of bill with a small amount of touchup in that area.

Provenance: Chua collection. Formerly in collection of William J. Mackey, Jr. Mackey collection stamp on underside twice.

(6,000 - 9,000)

59

73

76

74

77

75

78

73

Superb bluewing teal, Dodge Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, last quarter 19th century. Glass

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Oct. 27, 1874. 6.5” long. Near mint in all respects; retains

eye model with slightly turned head that is lifted. Retains

original stick holder.

excellent original paint, including almost all neck filler; sur-

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face has darkened evenly; structurally good.(2,000 - 3,000)

Provenance: Ex James McCleery collection.

Important mallard hen, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Very

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rare Back Bay model. Solid body, premier grade. This is a

has been applied to bottom and has dripped over the

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edge in areas, including the breast; rough area around one side of bill.

(1,500 - 2,500)

Robin snipe in fall plumage, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1900. Tack eyes and iron bill.

10” long. Original paint; a few shot scars near back; very minor wear at top of head and around tail.

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(800 - 1,200)

Bluewing teal drake, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1900. Rare slightly turned head. Good fessional restoration to neck filler.

examples. Original paint; crack in one side of body; several rubs, nicks, and tiny tail chip; a second coat of paint

(600 - 900)

feather painting. 12” long. Strong original paint; with pro-

very rare decoy in original paint, one of only a few known

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Rare semipalmated plover tinnie, Strator and Sohier, last quarter 19th century. Patent stamp on inside dated

(800 - 1,200)

Golden plover, Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan. Tack eye model. Original paint; minor wear; rust at eyes and bill.

Provenance: Dinan collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

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Rare hollow Canada goose, Dodge Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, last quarter 19th century. Hollow with bottom board, which is branded “Meredith” twice for Howard Meredith (1894-1935), and “H.N.T.” once for Harry N. Torrey (1935-1946).

Retains loop feather painting on back. 20” long. Original paint with some loss to both filler and paint around neck seat; crack in one side of body; separation where head is attached to top of neck; rough area at one side of top of tail.

Provenance: Sold at the April 1988 Julia & Guyette sale.

Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(4,000 - 6,000)

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Oscar Peterson 1894 - 1951 | Cadillac, Michigan

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Important, and certainly one of the finest Oscar Peterson fish plaques to ever be offered at auction, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Peterson’s “flip tail” brook trout with large glass eye. Carved detail from the suspended tongue and open mouth. Leaping towards the butterfly pattern lure. Fish is relief carved and rises approximately 1” above the board, which depicts a background of wavey water and sky. An impressive 16” x 30” , the board exhibits Peterson’s meticulous metal strapping on both sides and back to prevent warping. Fish measures 2” in depth, with background at approximately 1”. Excellent original paint that has crazed and created a very appealing surface; three nail holes, across top, which secured the board to the wall were filled; professional restoration to a natural crack in board at right hand side that runs along area between water and sky; two other small scratches were professionally in painted.

Literature: “Oscar Peterson,” Ron Fritz, p. 14. “Oscar Peterson,” Decoy Magazine, September 2006, p.

24-27, exact carvig pictured.

(50,000 - 70,000)

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Important lake trout trade sign, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Carved in the round with glass eyes, metal side fins, and carved mouth and gills.

Metal strapping along entire tail fin, with copper tag that reads “O. Peterson, Cadillac, Mich.”

A layered paint pattern with mix of yellows and greens over side and body. An impressive 45” long. Original paint, protected by Peterson’s standard coat of varnish, which has mellowed with time; a few small rubs along underside, one eye and edge of mouth; small paint loss at fins; otherwise very good and original.

Provenance: This sign hung in a fish mongers store in downtown Cadillac, Michigan. After the store closed, the son took it to his home in Montague, Michigan and hung it in his basement until it was purchased by Ron Fritz in the early 1980’s.

Literature: “Oscar Peterson,” Decoy Magazine, September 2006, p. 24-27, exact carvig pictured.

(40,000 - 60,000)

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“The perch plaque was one of five Oscar Peterson plaques owned by the late Gloria McPherson. Mrs. McPherson had inherited the plaques from her grandmother, Flora Mae Norlock of Cadillac, Michigan. Flora and her husband Simon Norlock were one time owners of downtown Cadillac’s Busy Bee Bar. The Norlocks had a cottage on nearby Lake Mitchell which is where the plaques had resided for many years until they were inherited by Gloria McPherson. The Busy Bee was back in the day one of Oscar’s favorite hangouts. It was a place that was decorated with hunting & fishing memorabilia including plaques and other works by Oscar Peterson that, in addition to being decor, were also offered for sale. Oscar often traded his carvings for food & drink. It’s reported that he once traded a 5 foot in-the-round Trout for a month of free meals at another local eating establishment. It’s not known if the Norlock plaques were Busy Bee Bar decor that found their way into the Norlock’s cottage after they sold the bar or if they had been specifically ordered from Peterson by the Norlocks for the cottage. It’s also possible that they were gifts from Oscar as he was known to repay social debts with gifts of art.”

- Gary L. Miller.

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Rare and important carved plaque, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Depicts an oversize perch. To date this is the only Peterson perch plaque that is known. Measures 22” x 7 1/2” x 2” thick. Perch measures 18” long. Carved eye with delightful multicolored background. Original paint that has crazed on the black bars of the fish; all protected by an old coat of varnish.

(25,000 - 35,000)

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Large pumpkin seed wall plaque, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Carved eye model with additional detailed gill, mouth, and tongue carving. Excellent detailed scale painting. On an unpainted backboard. Board measures approximately 1” thick and fish is relief carved in one piece. Entire board measures 9” x 22”. Metal strapping on back to prevent warping. Strong original paint has crazed evenly to create an appealing surface; a hole at top and bottom of board have been filled, probably where board was screwed to wall at one time.

Provenance: This plaque hung for many years in a Cadillac restaurant called “Just Ducky” owned by Larry Ducky at M-115 & M-55.

Literature: “Fish and Fowl of the Great Lakes,” Donna Tonelli, p. 81 exact plaque pictured.

(20,000 - 30,000)

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American folk art at its best, a content chipmunk nibbling on acorn, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Carved eyes, ears, and muscle structure throughout. Tail is elevated and flipped. 8” long. Excellent original paint that shows wear from handling; a break and reglue to one foot; some small areas of flaking; wear to tops of both ears.

Literature: “Oscar Peterson,” Decoy Magazine, September 2006, p. 24-27, exact carvig pictured.

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(5,000 - 8,000)

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Full size turtle, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Detailed carved top shell with feet and arms tightly positioned against the body. Armor scaled tail and wonderfully decorated underside. The entire turtle exhibits fanciful paint decoration. 12” long. Strong original paint; wear at some of the high points at tail, edges of feet, and face.

Literature: “Oscar Peterson,” Decoy Magazine, September 2006, p. 24-27, exact carvig pictured.

(10,000 - 15,000)

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Oscar Peterson 1894 - 1951 | Cadillac, Michigan

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Important brook trout, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan. Carved eye model with extra fancy, almost presentation quality paint. Measuring an impressive 12 1/4” x 2” x 1 1/8”. Deep gill cut extending under the jaws with mandibular pores. In addition to the carved eye, it is also painted red near the bottom for the “blood in the eye” look. A very deep gill cut carving. Deep red color also extends from behind the gills signifying a wounded fish. Excellent original paint protected by a coat of varnish; four small spots where paint has flaked away on body; small area of paint loss on underside of weight.

Provenance: Item #90 in the 1982 Exhibit at Michigan State University featuring the works of Oscar Peterson. Collections of Gary Miller and Ron Fritz.

Literature: “Fish Decoys,” Kimble, volume 3, p. 58, similar example. “American Fish Decoys,” Steven Michaan, p. 99, exact deocy pictured. “Michigan Master Carver,” Ronald Fritz, p. 62, exact fish pictured.

(25,000 - 35,000)

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Rare and large musky fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Tack eyes with so called blood at gills applied, simulating a wounded fish. White spot decoration at top of back. Measures 11” x 1 3/4” tall x 1 1/8” wide. Excellent dry original paint shows nice age; small areas of loss at fins; a break in the tail has been reset and reglued.

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(8,000 - 12,000)

Rainbow trout fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Early and important piece, with doll glass eyes. Shaded orange to yellow on sides with black, white, and red dots running along top of back. 10.5” x 1.75” x .75”. Excellent original paint; some loss on underside; very tiny chip at top of tail; varnish flaking evenly distributed.

Literature: “Michigan Master Carver,” Ronald Fritz, p. 25,42,43, exact fish pictured.

(8,000 - 12,000)

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Pike fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Dome tack eyes with white bear paw decoration on sides. 9” x 1.5” tall x 7/8” wide. Strong original paint protected by a coat of varnish; paint loss at eyes and underside.

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(2,000 - 2,500)

Probably a brown trout fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Tack eyes with mix of gold and brown on body with black sponge painting. 7.5” x 1 1/2” tall x 7/8” wide. Strong original paint with wear on top of head, underside of tail, and near belly weights; some tiny spots of in painting along sides of body and back.

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(1,500 - 2,000)

Bass fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan. Tack eyes. 7 3/8” long x 1 1/2” x 3/4”. Original paint with very minor wear; minor flaking on metal fins.

Provenance: Don Kirson collection.

(2,500 - 3,500)

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Pike fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Atypical bear paw paint pattern with gold spot decoration on sides vs the usual white pattern. Tack eyes. 8” long. X 1” tall x .5” wide. Original paint with minor paint loss, mostly on underside; very small crack near mouth that runs through underside; paint loss at fins.

(1,500 - 2,000)

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Walleye fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Carved eye model. 7” x 1” tall x 5/8” wide. Strong original paint with some loss at fins.

(2,000 - 2,500)

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Natural side fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Domed tack eyes with copper fins. Natural side with black stripe along top of back with white spots.

Double gill carving. 8.5” x 1.25” tall x 5/8” wide. Strong original paint protected by a coat of varnish; wear at white spots on back. (2,000 - 2,500)

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Shiner fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Small tacks with painted eyes. 9” x 1.25” tall x .75” wide. A light silver body below the midline progressing to a darker green above the midline. Original paint protected by a coat of varnish; spear damage behind top fin; paint loss on fins and belly weight and small areas of body.

Literature: “Michigan Master

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Carver,” Ronald Fritz, p. 65, exact

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fish pictured.

(1,500 - 2,000)

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Brown trout, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Flat tack eyes, with large brown spot decoration. 9” x 1.5” tall x .75” wide. Original paint protected by a coat of varnish; paint missing from belly weights; professional restoration to top 1/8” of tail.

(3,000 - 4,000) 97

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Perch fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Tack eyes. Measures 9” x 1.25” tall x .75” wide. Strong original paint protected by a light coat of varnish; paint missing from belly weights and small areas on fins.

(1,500 - 2,500)

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Sucker fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Tack eyes. 8.5” x 1.25” tall x 7/8” wide. Strong original paint with some loss at fins; light wear. (1,500 - 2,000)

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Sucker fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. 7” long x 1 1/8” x 3/5”. Painted tack eyes.

Near mint original paint; protected by a light coat of varnish; flaking at fins on underside.

(2,000 - 3,000)

100

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Private collection Tobacconist Figures

By Bob Shaw The extraordinary “Indian Princess” from Louisville, Kentucky, is a signal achievement, one of the real standouts among surviving tobacconist figures. Such figures, carved between about 1850 and the early years of the twentieth century, have long been recognized as significant works of American art and outstanding examples are included in the collections of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum at Colonial Williamsburg, the American Folk Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown. New York, the New-York Historical Society, the Shelburne Museum, and the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, as well as in the most refined private folk art collections in the country.

The men who carved these figures were artists, highly skilled professional craftsmen, many whom cut their teeth carving and painting ornate figureheads, stern boards, billets, scrolls, and other sculptural elements to decorate the wooden hulls of tall-masted sailing vessels in the years before and after the Revolution. Indeed, William Rush (1756–1833) of Philadelphia, who is widely considered America’s first significant sculptor, was trained by his ship carpenter father and carved many figureheads and a few tobacconist figures before turning to the Europeaninfluenced neoclassical busts and figures he is best known for today.

The introduction of iron hulls and steam engines in the 1840s ultimately doomed the wooden ship building industry, which had flourished in port cities from Maine to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, leaving hundreds of master carvers looking for new opportunities to apply their skills. Among the most prominent and influential of these former ship carvers were New Yorkers John Cromwell (1805–1873), Thomas Brooks (1828–1895), and William Demuth (1835–1911). Samuel Anderson Robb (1851–1928), the most prolific and successful of all American figural carvers, apprenticed under Brooks when he was thirteen and worked for Demuth for several years before starting his own business in 1880.

Tobacco shops first appeared in England and proliferated in the United States in the decades before the Civil War. By the 1860s, every major city in the country had shops that specialized in dried tobacco leaves, pipes, cigars, and other tobacco-related products. Like all commercial establishments, they needed signs that would attract customers and under-employed ship carvers were happy to oblige. Since Native Americans had introduced their medicinal and ceremonial use of tobacco to early European explorers and settlers of North America, images

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of American Indians were a natural and obvious choice to advertise these businesses.

Trade signs had been common in Europe and America since colonial days. A boldly carved sign told shoppers what the goods or services a shop offered in a glance; a cobbler could be identified by an oversized shoe or boot, a dentist by a massive tooth, and a locksmith by a gigantic key. While many trade signs were intended to be hung outside the shop, tobacconist figures were made to be shown on city sidewalks outside the shop and were usually mounted on a base with metal wheels so they could be brought inside at closing time to protect them from effects of weather as well as vandalism and theft.

Like the majority of customers walking the streets, most carvers had probably never seen a living American Indian, only engraved images in newspapers and magazines or, perhaps, paintings in museums. These were often fanciful or romanticized, and they became part of the nation’s popular imagination. The carvers did not have access to Native American models, so they did not try to be accurate, but instead used white models and dressed their statues in colorfully imagined Native American costumes.

The first successful commercial American tobacco crop was grown at Jamestown, Virginia in 1612. Over the course of the next two hundred years, it became one of America’s most important crops, and copious amounts of smoking and chewing tobacco were grown from southern New England into the mid-Atlantic and Southern states.

Kentucky proved to be an ideal growing area and by 1839 was producing fifty-three million pounds of tobacco.

Louisville, the state’s most important river port, burgeoned from 4000 residents in 1820 to more than 100,000 in 1860, by which time the city had become the center of the America tobacco industry. The state of Kentucky led the nation in tobacco production from 1865 to 1929.

The city had many tobacco production businesses and retail and wholesale stores, but the “Indian Princess” was its best known figure and became an icon of the city. Oral tradition relates that she was already in service outside a Louisville tobacco shop in 1874, around which time she was purchased by newcomer John Richard Rose and moved to the cigar and tobacco store he opened at 527 West Broadway. She remained there until 1974, when Rose’s grandchildren closed what had evolved into a tobacco and candy business and sold the Princess to a local attorney.

The “Indian Princess” is remarkable in every way. Standing a lofty 83 inches, she is literally “larger than life,” taller than any other female and most male figures. Her pose, holding a batch of tobacco leaves in her uplifted right hand and a bundle of cigars in the palm of her outstretched left hand is unique. Her delicate facial features are beautifully rendered, and her voluptuous thinwaisted, hourglass-shaped body sets her apart. Her headdress of big broad upright feathers echoes the tobacco leaves carved below her belted waist, and the entire stature is painted in a vivid array of colors. Finally, the figure is in amazingly fine condition. While most figures of her age or younger show obvious signs of damage and repairs, she is largely unscathed, showing only a few minor age cracks, and where most have been partially or completely repainted over time, all her paint is, miraculously, original and shows only an expected mellow patina of age.

Her carver is, unfortunately. unrecorded and unknown. The quality of her carving is comparable to that of the greatest New York carvers, and it is certainly possible that she was originally commissioned from one of that city’s leading shops. We may never know the answer to that part of her story, but whoever carved and painted her was the equal of any figure carver who ever worked in America, and his masterwork is a national treasure.

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Paint Analysis An elemental and molecular paint analysis, conducted

by Jennifer L. Mass, Ph.D., of the red, yellow, and green paints identified only period-appropriate pigments and binders. These materials include a drying oil binder and cadmium yellow, Prussian blue, iron oxide red, and yellow ochre pigments.

All of these materials were readily available in the end of the 19th century into the turn of the 20th century.

These paints were applied on top of a red lead and white lead primer in oil, and no evidence of earlier or additional finish layers was observed.

Jennifer Mass, Ph.D. in chemistry, has fifteen years of museum experience doing scientific analysis of works of art, with over ten years of specialization in studying painted surfaces.

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Provenance While we don’t know who carved the Indian Princess, we do have a detailed history of her most recent owners, thanks in part to Sis Rose. Her grandfather, John Richard Rose (son of Carl Joseph Rose and Josephine Felman), was the owner of a “lottery” store located at 527 W. Broadway in Louisville, KY, according to the City Directory for Louisville, 1886. John R. Rose was born June 29, 1849 in St. Louis, Missouri, and died May 6, 1909 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.

According to Sis Rose, her grandfather “came to Louisville from Chicago in 1874 and opened the store. He bought the Indian princess from where it stood outside a store near Fourth and Walnut streets in Louisville.” In 1895, records indicate the store name was changed to “John R. Rose & Son” to reflect that his son, Charles M. Rose, became a partner in the business. He clerked in the family’s adjacent store at 529 W. Broadway.

In 1974, after 100 years in business, the John R. Rose Tobacco and Candy Company of Louisville, Kentucky closed its doors. That same year, Sis Rose sold the Cigar Store Indian Princess that had decorated the store for almost 100 years to a local attorney. Savvy enough to document the day that the Indian Princess changed hands, the new owner had several images photographed to capture the event.

While a bill of sale was created, for whatever reason, the price was omitted. In February 1978, the Louisville Courier-Journal ran a story entitled, “What ever happened to…?” The article discussed the store closing and the female wooden Indian that had been sold for $5,000.

Indian princess pictured between 1874 and 1895

Picture taken the year the store closed in 1974

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Indian Princess

101

Cigar store figure attributed to the shop of Samuel Rob or Thomas Brooks, New York city, circa 1880. Feathered headdress, holding a bundle of cigars in the left hand and a gathering of tobacco leaves in the right.

Right foot is elevated at the heal, the dress is decorated with carved tobacco leaves painted in the same color palette as the headdress. Legs are paint decorated from the dress to the leather shoes. Cast iron wheels attached at the underside of wooden plinth. 83” tall, 23” wide, 14” deep. Red lead primer with bold colors of mostly red, yellow, green and blue covered by a coat of varnish that has crazed over the years. The blue dress appears a dark green as the yellowing of the varnish has changed the appearance over time.

Age cracks are present, some were filled prior to painting and a few have opened up after the paint was applied; some very light wear, mostly around base; some tiny rubs or marks on body, otherwise near excellent.

(300,000 - 600,000)

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103

103

Copper goose weathervane. Full size, full body. With welded and applied wings, tail, neck, and head and feet. Mounted to brass rod. 47” wing span. Verdigris surface; appears to be more than 60 years old

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

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Metal and carved wood Whirligig with hat and applied facial features. It is believed that these were made by a company in the Midwest in the last quarter 19th century. Figure is mounted on metal plate with supported metal strappings running midway up legs. Hands are made from sheet metal, one of which has a bullet hole through. Measures 27” tall. Old dry paint has weathered greatly, flaked, and is missing some spots, mostly on arms and around upper neck.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

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84

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6’ tall carnival game figure. With hinged collapsible head that tilts when hit with a cloth ball. Metal strapping around top half. Worn original paint; tattered clothing remains; all vintage hardware is rusted, but intact.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

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(2,500 - 3,500)

Tall clock, circa mid 1800s. Made in Bridgeton, Maine. Wooden works made by R Whiting, Winchester. Levi Russell bought Mountain Farm in 1844.

“This clock was bought by him about 1830 for 13.50 in the town of Whitefield, Maine when he lived there” is written in cursive inside the door. 84.5” tall. 17.5” at widest point. Weights and pendulum are included. Buttermilk red and black decoration to simulate wood grain. Crack in glass at top of face; small dents in case.

Provenance: Dale and Gary Guyette collection. Purchased from Tom Vielleux Antiques around 1978.

(3,500 - 4,500)

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106

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107

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Early and impressive Eastern Woodland Native American burl bowl with handles, circa 1900 or earlier. Flat bottom with handles. Approximately 9” of depth and measuring 19.5” wide. A brown natural looking filler has been used to fill in cracks in some areas and on underside, otherwise structurally good.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

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(5,000 - 10,000)

Matching set of four nesting baskets, 1st quarter 20th century. Each is split ash woven, with four woven feet on each and a swing handle. Largest measures 14” wide x 10” tall. Early dry paint.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III col108

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lection.

(1,500 - 2,500)

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Three antique game boards. Pine construction. A mustard and black checker board from Quebec, circa 1900, 29” x 20”. A red, mustard, and black backgammon board from Kents Hill Academy, Kents Hill Maine, last quarter 19th century, 14” x 20.75”. And a red and black parchesi board with checker board on back, from Prince Edward Island, Canada, last quarter 19th century, 24.75” square. Backgammon board has student’s names and addresses on back. Several splits missing from frame on parcheesi board, otherwise original and good.

Provenance: Dale and Gary Guyette collection. Backgammon board purchased from Tim Gould around 1983, checker board from Charles Jaeness around 1980. Parcheesi board from Rick Field around 1980.

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(1,200 - 1,600)

32” tall corner shelf, last quarter 19th century. Original reddish brown buttermilk paint.

Beveled shelves that round out. Simulated raised panels carved into back boards. Pine with square nail construction. Original paint; very minor wear; specs of off white paint in several places; several hammer marks and small holes in backboard where it was attached to a wall at one time.

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Provenance: Dale and Gary Guyette collection.

Purchased from Chris Huntington in the late 1970s.

(650 - 950)

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110a

Early American full body copper weathervane, circa 1900. Fighting cock with spurs attached at back of feet. Fan tail mounted to copper ball. 30” tall. Two repaired shot holes in tail, one in body; verdigris surface with one dent at top of tail and one at top of head.

(6,000 - 8,000)

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110b

Heart in hand, Odd Fellows Lodge staff, 1st quarter 20th century. A well carved hand, painted gold with bright red carved heart in palm. Stands 63” tall. Original paint; black, red and yellow staff; light wear to fingers, knuckles, and around edges. (4,000 - 6,000)

110c

Four pieces of woodenware, Maine, last half 19th century. Oval chopping bowl, 13.5” long. Round mixing bowl 18.5”.

Handmade heart motif butter stamp without handle. Small old red turned bowl. Crack in underside of oval chopping bowl and top lip of larger bowl otherwise good.

Provenance: Guyette collection.

(350 - 450)

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Ontario John R. Wells 1861 - 1953 | Toronto, Ontario

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Hollow carved Canada goose, John Ralph Wells, Toronto, Ontario, last quarter 19th century. Thinly hollowed with 1/4” bottom board branded “MC” for Manson Campbell, manufacturer of the Chatham Fanning Mills. Measures 24” long. Original paint with moderate wear on most of the body; minor wear on head; small chip and roughness on one side of tail; several short hairline cracks in underside at nails.

Provenance: Dr. Preston Lowe collection. Sold by Guyette & Deeter in 2014 and cataloged as an unknown. We now strongly believe this to be the circa 1900 works of master carver John Ralph Wells.

(17,500 - 22,500)

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112

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Hollow carved pintail hen, very similar to the work of John R. Wells, Toronto, Ontario. Subtle feather paint

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Hollow carved canvasback, Tom Chambers, Toronto, Ontario, 1st quarter 20th century. His ‘short

detail. Raised neck seat showing front of neck in resting

body” style. 15.5” long. Branded “HMJ” and “WLM” in

pose. 16” long. Original paint with good patina and very

underside for club members, Harry M. Jewett and William L.

minor wear; moderately hit by shot on one side; rough

McMillan. Original paint with minor wear; a few tiny dents.

area at tip of bill.

(3,000 - 5,000)

Provenance: Dr. Preston Lowe collection.

Literature: “Ontario Decoys,” Bernie Gates. (4,000 - 6,000)

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114

Canada goose, Ken Anger, Dunnville, Ontario, 2nd quarter 20th century. Two piece hollow. 22.5” long. High hump back with reared back head. Rasping over both body and head. Classic hour glass carving near tail. Strong original paint with light gunning wear; piece of tail has been chipped and reglued; area of tail is missing varnish that does not appear to be restoration.

(6,000 - 8,000)

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Low head style black duck, Ontario, possibly John R. Wells. Hollow carved. Original paint; minor wear; bottom board seam was repainted a long time ago to seal it; a few tiny dents; minor repair to a very small chip in tail.

Literature: “Guyette and Schmidt,” April 2009 auction catalog for rigmate.

(3,500 - 4,500)

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John Reeves 1860 - 1896 | Toronto, Ontario John Cooper Reeves was the eldest son of Phineas Reeves, the patriarch of three generations of decoy carvers, boat builders, duck guides and club managers.

John Reeves took a job as bookkeeper of the Long Point Company, established in 1866 as a prestigious hunting club on the North Shore of Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada. Working at Long Point with his father Phineas, the father/son team guided and made decoys for club members.

They used the same patterns, and their decoys were very similar. John made teal, black, mallard, pintail and goose decoys.

In the late 1880’s, John moved to the St. Clair Flats Shooting Company (established as a hunting club in 1874) as the club manager. John Reeves death in 1896 at the age of 36 obviously contributed to the rarity of his Flats decoys.

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Canada goose, John Reeves, Toronto, Ontario, last quarter 19th century. Long, hollow carved body with 1/2” bottom board and tack eyes. Branded ‘Mills’ for Francis Mills (1879-1893) and ‘FH Wal’ in the underside, both members at the St. Clair Flats Shooting Company.

Measures 24 3/4” long. Original paint with moderate flaking and wear; small dents; shallow chip in back near neck seat; professional tail and bill chip repairs.

Provenance: Dr. Preston Lowe collection.

(12,000 - 18,000)

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116a

Canada goose field decoy, George Skerry, Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Mounted on iron base. Stands 25” tall. Base is included.

Goose is in preening pose with lifted wing.

Original paint with very minor wear; several small shot scars; thin crack in wing; fairly large crack in one side.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Purchased at July & Guyette April 1989 sale.

Literature: “Decoys of Maritime Canada,” Dale and Gary Guyette.

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(4,000 - 6,000)

116b

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116b

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Rigmate pair of goldeneye, Orel LeBeouf, St. Anicet, Quebec. Highly detailed feather carving.

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Stick up brant, John Brooks, Freeland, Prince Edward Island. 17.5” long. Root head construction.

Some feather paint detail. Original paint with minor

Original paint with very minor discoloration and wear;

wear, mostly on extremities; drake has been lightly hit

structurally good.

(800 - 1,200)

by shot and has a short, thin crack in each side; hen has minor wear to the wood at the edges of the tail and a knot in one side.

(3,000 - 5,000)

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Eider hen, Oscar Crowell, Cape Negro, Nova Scotia, circa 1950s. Relief wing carving and fluted tail. Carved bill. “O.L. Crowell” is carved in the underside. 18” long. Original paint; minor wear; chip missing from underside.

Provenance: Gene and Linda Kangas collection.

Literature: “Decoys of Maritime Canada,” Dale and Gary Guyette.

(1,000 - 1,500)

97

119

121

120

122

122a 119

Canada goose, Harry “Spud” Norman, Kingston, Ontario, 2nd quarter 20th century. With relief wing

121

carving and extended wingtips. Fluted tail. Just under

neck and raised neck seat. Good scratch feather paint

21” long. Original paint with very minor wear; thin crack

detail. 17.75” long. Original paint with very minor wear,

in back; seam between head and top of neck has been

mostly on bottom edge; small amount of wear to wood at

reset with a small amount of touchup in that area.

one edge of bill; head has been off and reset. (500 - 800)

(950 - 1,250) 122 120

Black duck, Charles Buchanan, Gananaque, Ontario, 2nd quarter 20th century. With extra long

Eider drake, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, 1st quarter 20th century. Extended, upswept paddle tail

Mallard hen, Ken Anger, Dunnville, Ontario, 2nd quarter 20th century. 16.5” long. Original paint with minor wear; a few tiny dents.

with carved bill. Chip carving on body has created a

(500 - 800)

have crazed; crack at base of neck seat; old repair to

Hollow carved canvasback drake, John R. Wells, Toronto, Ontario, circa 1900. Branded “A.S. Ward” and

reset original bill.

“JAS.B”. 14” long. Old overpaint has been taken off; show-

pleasing surface. 15” long. Multiple coats of old paint (800 - 1,200)

122a

ing original paint with moderate wear; traces of old overpaint; lightly hit by shot; old overpaint remains on underside.

98

(950 - 1,250)

123

Bluewing teal hen, William Cooper, Verdun, Quebec, 2nd quarter 20th century. In alert pose with slightly turned head. Feather carving detail at wings, back, and tail. 11” long. Several tiny dents; original paint; very

minor wear; structurally good.

Provenance: Dr. Preston Lowe collection.

Literature: “Great Book of Decoys,” Joe Engers, editor.

(2,000 - 3,000)

123 124

Pair of mergansers Orren Hiltz, Indian Point, Nova Scotia, circa 1960s. Carved wooden crests. 17.75” long. Original paint with very slight wear; hairline crack through drake’s neck.

Literature: “Decoys of Maritime Canada,” Dale and Gary Guyette.

(1,200 - 1,800)

124 125

Old squaw drake, Lindsey Levy, Little Tancook Island, Nova Scotia, 2nd quarter 20th century. 13.5” long. Original paint with very minor wear; small knot near neck has risen slightly with a short hairline crack behind it.

Literature: “Decoys of Maritime Canada,” Dale and Gary Guyette.

(1,200 - 1,800)

125 126

Bluebill hen, Orel LeBeouf, St. Anicet, Quebec, 2nd quarter 20th century. Feather carving detail on back, sides, and tail. 15” long. Original paint with minor to moderate wear; a few tiny dents.

(1,000 - 1,400)

126

99

Michigan fish decoys Including a selection of rare decoys by Jess Ramey

William Jesse Ramey (1891-1963)

By Gary L. Miller Early 20th Century Cadillac, Michigan was a hotbed of fish spearing decoy manufacturing. For a relatively small lumbering town in northwest lower Michigan, Cadillac had more than it’s fair share of talented fish decoy carvers. Oscar Peterson is the best known of the group but less well known but not insignificant is William Jesse Ramey.

Ramey was born in Greenup County, Kentucky in 1891. He came north to Michigan with his family in 1898 where he came of age cutting wood in the logging camps of the upper Jordan River Valley in Antrim County (a world-class brook trout stream). After a brief stint in Flint, Michigan as a repairman in an auto plant he arrived in Pleasant Lake just north of Cadillac around 1920 where he worked as a common laborer. He was a versatile workman, employed variously as lumberman, boat builder, auto mechanic in the Ford & Chevrolet garages in Cadillac and even taught woodworking in a CCC Camp in Wellston. Reportedly he began carving at age 8 or 9, having picked it up from his father, Flem Ramey, and others in the northern Michigan lumber camps. Whittling was a popular pastime among the “jacks” that inhabited these camps.

By the time Ramey arrived in the Cadillac area around 1920 the so called “Cadillac style” was already well established by Oscar Peterson and was no doubt the predominant local pattern of fish decoy. The earliest identified spearing decoys by Jesse Ramey appear to follow the Peterson form of the 1930s having heavier thicker bodies, more elaborate detailed paint, etc.

Ramey seems to have come into his heyday in the 1950s after Peterson’s death left an opening in the local market.

Like the Peterson decoys of the 1940s Ramey’s 1950s production were thinner and of a more standardized style.

Given the rather limited number of Ramey decoys that show up it appears that he probably didn’t have the extensive distribution network of his predecessor. It’s estimated that between 1925 and 1960 he made fewer than 1,000 fish decoys. They are range in size from 5” to 9” and are seen in all the usual Cadillac species; Brook, Brown and Rainbow Trout with a few Goldens thrown in, pike, perch, suckers and a few scaled examples. In addition to spearing decoys, Ramey, in the mid 1950s, also made a few fish plaques and at least two 17 ½” countertop display trout (a Brook and a Golden) are known. He also carved some miscellaneous decorative items that were either gifted to friends and family or sold to the tourist trade. Sadly, passed away in 1963 from a mis-diagnosed gangrenous appendix.

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Rare decorative trout, Jess Ramey, Cadillac, Michigan, 3rd quarter 20th century. Wooden tail fin, others are painted metal.

Carved gills and mouth. 17.5” long. Original paint that has slightly mellowed; protected by an old coat of varnish; small rub and tiny area of paint loss on two fins.

Provenance: Steven Michaan collection.

127

100

(800 - 1,200)

128

Rare and possibly unique tadpole, Jess Ramey, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Tear drop shape with carved eye, mouth, and gills. Metal fins and double eye hook. 5.25” long. Strong original paint; a few small areas of loss around lower edge and underside.

(2,000 - 3,000)

128

129

Brook trout, fish decoy, Jess Ramey, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Decorative black pattern over colorful sides.

With dot decoration below mid line.

7.25” long. Original paint with light wear.

(2,000 - 3,000)

129

130

Trout fish decoy, Jess Ramey, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Detailed scaling against a natural side body with black and white dots. Tack eyes, carved mouth and gills. 9” long. Strong original paint; very light wear.

(2,000 - 3,000)

130

131

Trout fish decoy, Jess Ramey, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Green and goldish body with red, black, and yellow decoration on sides. 7” long. Original paint; very light wear.

(2,000 - 3,000)

131

101

132

Trout fish decoy, Jess Ramey, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. With intricate scale pattern over brown and green side paint with decorative red dots. 8” long. Good original paint; one rear side fin is missing; a couple small splits in wood where finish nails were used

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to secure belly weight; a few small scratches; chip at tail appears to have been done in the making.

(2,000 - 2,500) 133

Rainbow trout fish decoy, Jess Ramey, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Tack eyes with painted metal fins. 6” long. Original paint; some discoloration along lower edge of body; wear at face.

(2,000 - 2,500)

133

134

Rare musky fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Tack eyes.

With green to yellow body sides with black paint decoration. 8” x 1.25” x .75”. Original paint; moderate to heavy wear; tail is rounded somewhat; paint missing from most of the high spots and

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along belly weights; other small areas of flaking and rubs.

135

(1,500 - 2,000)

Perch fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. 7” x 1” tall x .5” wide. Unused; original paint protected by a light coat of varnish. (1,500 - 2,000)

135 136

Brook trout, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Painted eyes. 6” x .75” x 3/8”. Red painted eyebrows and red paint trailing behind gills. Both are somewhat rare to find. Strong original paint; small amount of in use wear; paint missing at tip of mouth and spots along underside.

135

102

(1,500 - 2,000)

137

Perch fish decoy, Oscar Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. Flat tack painted eyes.

5” x 1” x .5”. Strong original paint with light flaking around fins and lower part of body; one side of face has a painted tack eye the other has painted with a tack below it; paint loss and crack at underside.

138

(1,000 - 1,500)

137

Musky fish decoy, Arnold “Hook” Peterson, Cadillac, Michigan. A Cadillac school fish, with blended sides and yellow scale decoration. Carved eye with tacks in the middle. Fish’s lower jaw protrudes in front of the face.

6.5” long. Original paint with very light wear; some loss at fins.

(600 - 800) 138

139

Frog spearing decoy, Michigan, unknown maker, 2nd quarter 20th century. Copper metal attractors have been applied to ends of feet and arms. Measures 8.5” long. Original green paint with decorative yellow and red dots.

Provenance: Ex Roberta Holmbac collection.

139a

139

(600 - 800)

A match set of three vintage frog decoys from Michigan. Each has relief carved eyes, a line tie in middle of back, and belly weights. Orange frog is decorated with black and white spots, yellow frog has decorative circles, green frog has gold and black spots.

Longest measures just over 7”. All three are structurally good.

(2,500 - 3,500)

139a

139b

Fishing spear, possibly Michigan, 1st quarter 20th century. Spear head is one piece. Hand wrought metal.

Stamped “M. Morhardt” on both sides. Spear is weighted with a lead sleeve and affixed to a wooden handle. Spear tines are 5”, total length is 58”.

(500 - 800)

139b

103

Contemporary 140

Hollow carved black duck, Cameron McIntyre, New Church, Virginia. Hollow carved with raised neck seat and carved eyes. ‘CTM’ carved into the underside. Measures 17 3/4” long. Made to look older; excellent and original.

(1,000 - 1,400)

140

141

Pair of oversize mallards, George Strunk, Glendora, New Jersey. Hollow carved.

Drake in breast preening pose, hen with slightly turned head and open bill. Relief carved wing and tail feathers. Raised, crossed wingtips on both. Both signed on underside. Measure 16.5” and 19.25” long. Minor discoloration on underside of drake’s tail, otherwise excellent and original.

(1,200 - 1,800)

141

142 142

143

Large Canada goose, Mark McNair, Craddockville, Virginia. Signed and dated

143

Pair of mergansers, Reggie Birch, Chincoteague, Virginia. Both have relief wing

“1983”, “McNair” is carved in underside. Weight and

carving, fluted tails, and carved wooden crests.

line tie attached. Two piece hollow body with bot-

Drake’s head is turned to one side. Both have “R.

tom board. 29” long. Excellent and original.

Birch ‘92” carved in the underside. 19” long. Original

(1,500 - 2,500)

paint with minor wear; structurally good.

Provenance: Dr. Preston Lowe collection.

(1,200 - 1,600)

104

144

Pair of gadwall, Marty Hanson, Hayward, Wisconsin. Both have raised wingtip carving. Drake has slightly turned head. Marty’s “Prior Lake” stamp is on the underside of each. Fine comb and feather paint detail. 15” long. Excellent and original.

145

(3,000 - 4,000)

Well carved redhead drake, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. Two piece hollow body with turned head, combing on back and sides. Detailed feather and tail carving.

“Gibian” is carved in underside. A mounted business card indicates, “This is my third redhead drake, I made it in Dec 1994, special Christmas.” 15” long. Excellent and original.

(2,000 - 3,000)

105

146

149

147

150

148

151

146

Hissing Canada goose, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Hollow carved with deep relief carved wings

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and raised wing tips. “FF” carved into the lead weight.

vertical neck seat and split tail carving. ‘F’ carved into the

Measures 37” long. Original paint with minor sap bleed;

underside. Measures 21 3/4” long. Made to appear older

minor separation at body seem with some flaking to filler;

with flaking and wear; excellent and original. (800 - 1,200)

hairline seam in bill where it was reset.

(1,200 - 1,800)

Two decoys mounted on a piece of wood. Large

Wood duck drake, Mark McNair, Craddockville, Virginia. Carved crest and very slightly turned head.

curlew made by Cigar Daisey and signed by maker. It is

Hollow with raised V wingtip carving. “McNair” carved in

just over 15” long. Head is turned 45 degrees. The small

underside. 11.5” long. Strong paint that been artificially

shorebird is by an unknown maker. Very good and origi-

aged; very slight roughness to edge of tail.

150 147

nal.

(1,500 - 2,000) 151

148

Large hollow carved swan, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Sleeping pose with head resting on body. Maker’s initials carved into the underside. Measures 35” long. Made to appear older; excellent and original.

(2,250 - 2,750)

106

Swimming brant, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Carved in the style of Nathan Cobb, Jr. with

(950 - 1,250)

Ruddy duck, Mark McNair, Craddockville, Virginia. Unsigned. Raised wingtip carving. 9.5” long. Original paint that has been aged; small crack in back and underside.

(950 - 1,250)

152

155

153

156

154

157

152

Whimbrel, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. “Gibian” carved in underside. One wing is lifted to the side, the other wing is raised with carved wingtips.

15” long. Excellent and original.

153

(800 - 1,200)

An early and well carved 1/3 size trumpeter swan, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. “Gibian” carved

underside. Measures 8 1/4” long. Made to appear older; excellent and original.

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

156

Semipalmated plover, Mark McNair, Craddockville, Virginia. Relief wing and split tail carving. Tack eyes and bone bill. Scratch feather paint detail. “McNair” carved

in underside. Also written, “Merry Christmas 1983.” Carved

into the underside. Measures 7 3/4” long. Made to

wing outlines. Tail and wingtips carving. Glass eyes. 11”

appear older; small dent in one side, otherwise excellent

long. Strong original paint; crack in underside. (800 - 1,200) 154

Very early curlew, William Gibian, Onancock, Virginia. Fancy “G” carved in underside. 17” long. Excellent and original.

155

(500 - 800)

(1,200 - 1,800)

and original.

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

157

Preening curlew, Mark McNair, Craddockville, Virginia. Side preening pose. Relief wing and split tail

(1,000 - 1,400)

Early preening dowitcher, Mark McNair, Craddockville, Virginia. Back preening with relief wing

carving. ‘McNair’ carved into the underside. Stand includ-

carving and one lifted wing tip. ‘MSM’ carved into the

lent and original.

ed. Measures 12 1/2” long. Made to appear older; excel-

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

(1,000 - 1,400)

Virginia shorebirds

159

158

158

Robin snipe from Cobb Island, Virginia, 3rd quarter 19th century. Deep “S” wing carving, carved eyes, and raised “V” wingtip carving. 9.75” long. Appealing old in use repaint; moderately hit by shot.

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Ex Davison Hawthorne collection.

(9,000 - 12,000)

159 Very plump curlew from Cobb Island, Virginia,

last quarter 19th century. Approximately 12.75” long. Original surface that has darkened with age; small dents and shot marks; three small cracks in underside.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

108

(5,000 - 8,000)

Luther Lee Nottingham 1852 - 1942 | Cape Charles, Virginia

161

160

160

Very rare dowitcher, Luther Lee Nottingham, Cape Charles, Virginia, circa 1900. With relief wing carving and initials

161

Black bellied plover, Luther Lee Nottingham, Cape Charles, Virginia, circa 1900. Relief wing carving. “LLN” carved under

“LLN” carved under the tail. 9.25” long. Worn

the tail. 9.5” long. Worn old paint; structurally

original paint; small area of touchup at one

good.

wingtip; lightly hit by shot; bill is a professional replacement.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Purchased at The Green Valley Auction Company, Staunton, Virginia, November 2008.

Literature: “Chesapeake Bay Decoys,” Bobby Richardson.

(4,000 - 6,000)

109

163

162

163

162

162

163

Black bellied plover, Leon Pearson, Massawadox, Virginia, circa 1910. Bill spined

long with carved eyes. “AF” is carved under the

through to back of head. Partial stick hole drilling

crack in underside; bill is a professional replace-

at underside of tail. 9.5” long. Simple, yet pleas-

ment; lightly hit by shot.

ing original paint which is partially worn at front of breast and to one side; a few small shot scars.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(6,000 - 8,000)

tail. Worn old paint, most of which is original; thin

Provenance: D.C. North collection. D.C.’s note indicates this shorebird descending in the Fitchett family and was purchased at The Green Valley Auction Company, November 2008.

163

110

Rare robin snipe, Alma Fitchett, Smith Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. 10.5”

Literature: “The Brid Decoy,” Paul Johnsgard.

(5,000 - 7,000)

165

164

164

164

Split tail yellowlegs, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia, circa 1915. Bill is

165

165

Greater yellowlegs, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia. Thin neck and

splined through back of head. Wings are carved,

large head. Scratch feather paint detail. 12.5”

tail is dropped. 9” long. Worn original paint; a few

long. Original paint; decoy was made from a used

minor shot scars and a small portion missing at the

piece of wood that has a dowel going through it;

tip of bill.

some of the filler at one end of dowel has fallen out.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

Literature: ‘Southern Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, Jr. “Ira Hudson,” Henry Stansbury.

(8,000 - 12,000)

Provenance: Ex William J. Mackey Jr. collection.

Collection stamp on underside.

(8,000 - 12,000)

111

Lake Chautauqua fish decoys

166

Fish decoy, Harry Seymour, Lake Chautauqua, New York. Tack eyes with carved gills and mouth. Body paint transitions from dark at top through phases of brown to a light belly. Decorative yellow and red dots painted along side. Line tie hole is drilled through back. Metal fins with leather tail. 7” long. Original paint; small areas of loss mostly around underside.

167

(5,000 - 7,000)

Fish decoy, Lake Chautauqua, New York, circa 1900. Classic leather tail with tack eyes, carved gills and carved mouth. Two belly weights. 12” long. Excellent original paint; some loss on underside of fins.

112

(3,000 - 5,000)

168

Fish decoy, Lake Chautauqua, New York, circa 1900. Tack eyes with carved gills and mouth. Metal fins and leather tail. Fading green from dark to light on belly with red and black spot decoration along sides. 7” long. Eye hook appears to have been broken off in body.

(2,500 - 3,500)

168

169

Fish decoy, Lake Chautauqua, New York, circa 1900. Tack eyes with carved mouth. Metal piece inserted to hold tail in an extended position. Line tie drilled through back.

7.5” long. Original paint with evenly distributed light wear.

(2,500 - 3,500)

169

170

Fish decoy, Lake Chautauqua, New York, circa 1900. Brass tack eyes with brass fins and tail. 6.75” long. Original gray paint with red and green decoration on both head and body sides; very light wear with small areas of paint loss on underside.

(1,500 - 2,500)

170

113

Fish plaques

The Gene and Linda Kangas collection Collecting trophy fish has been an incredible 40 year journey. It began when a carved salmon pictured in Maine Antiques Digest caught our attention. The fish was so intriguing we decided to drive to south central New York around 1980 to see it in person in the auction preview. It proved to be far better than anticipated.

Needless to say, the fish returned home to Ohio. In an upper corner of the backboard was the painted name “P. D. Malloch.” Who was that? We would soon find out.

The Malloch was shown to a friend and he was equally smitten. Together, we formed a rewarding two year pact to search North America and Europe to find and acquire other great examples. That teamwork was invaluable. It enabled us to not only be productive in our use of time and resources but also to freely share both of our rapidly growing expertise.

Shortly after our Pennsylvania adventure, we flew to England to attend two auctions. One featured sporting art and the other amusement park artifacts.

This picture shows us holding the fish purchased at the first English auction. The second sale had a wonderful assortment of carved figures, carousel animals, and folk art. About a half dozen American antiques dealers were in attendance. All of us met right after the sale and agreed to jointly ship everything in one container.

That reduced costs and ensured safe travel across the ocean.

During those 40 years, we’ve been blessed with the opportunity to meet fascinating people, travel

114

internationally, learn, and acquire exclusive works of art.

All of the unique fish encountered were interpretations of reality with an underlying story. Each is a one-of-akind sculptural portrait, which preserved in wood and paint a memorable human experience. Names, dates, sizes, and places were notated and documented.

Research can reveal more.

For example, back in 1933, a ten year old boy named A. McE. Fisken landed a magnificent 48 ½ pound Chinook/Tyee salmon on the Campbell River in British Columbia. One can only imagine the wild excitement that filled the air that day. Lifelong memories were instantly created. Smiles and pride certainly stayed with the boy for years as he matured into a man.

Luckily, Fisken’s parents had the foresight to commission their river guide Tommy Brayshaw to memorialize that fantastical moment in time. Brayshaw, an English transplant, was and remains North America’s premier fish carver. In addition to capturing the child’s noteworthy achievement, it was also Major Brayshaw’s very 1st trophy commission.

Simply put, fish trophies exist in considerably fewer numbers than duck decoys. The tradition of trophy fish carving began in Europe in the mid-19th century associated with a celebrated fine artist named John Russell. Afluent landowners contracted Russell and other artisans to create impressive portraits for prominent display in their private “smoking rooms.” Every fish has a tale.

115

172 172

Salmon carved by A. J. Gear 1923. Original plaque reads, “Caught 4th June 1923 at Skogms, Bjora River by E. W. Fradgley.”

Distinctive board and frame. 46 lbs, 48” long. Dry original paint with light crazing.

Provenance: Neil Freeman Angling Auctions, Chiswick, England, Kangas Collection.

(6,000 - 9,000)

173 173

Very rare brown trout plaque, Hardy Brothers. Plaque is 26” long, fish is 21” long.

Marked “Windermere 16th May 1907, 3 lb. 5 oz.

HHN.” Bone plaque is inset lower left against beveled edge. Very good and original.

(6,000 - 9,000)

174 174

Salmon by the Farlow Company, London, England. “Killed by A.C. Cooper March 19th 1910 in Murriak Pool, Hermitage Fishery, Castle Connell. Length 44 inches

Girth 28 inches.

37lbs.” Excellent original paint; tight crack in fin nearest gill.

Provenance: Kangas collection. (6,000 - 9,000)

116

172

173

174

117

175

176

118

175

175

Chum/Keta Salmon by Thomas “Tommy” Brayshaw (b.1886)(English-Canadian), arrived 1911 in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. Originally made for the

176

Sockeye/Red Salmon by Thomas “Tommy” Brayshaw (b1886)(English-Canadian), arrived 1911 in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. Originally made for the

Canadian Fishing Company, Original brass tag. Hollow,

Canadian Fishing Company, Original brass tag. Hollow,

left facing, open mouth. 30” long. Excellent paint

right facing, open mouth. 26” long. Excellent paint

detail. Excellent and original.

detail. Excellent original paint; tips of the tail fin and dorsal

Provenance: Harry MacDonald, British Columbia Collection, Kangas Collection. “New World Folk Art and Cross-Cultural

fin have a very small amount of paint restoration.

Provenance: Harry MacDonald, British Columbia Collection,

Inspirations, 1492-1992” Curated by John Hunter & Gene

Kangas Collection. New World Folk Art and Cross-Cultural

Kangas, Cleveland State University, Ohio, p60.

Inspirations, 1492-1992. Curated by John Hunter & Gene

Literature: Tommy Brayshaw, The Ardent Angler-Artist by Stanley E. Read, The University of British Columbia, 1977.

“Thomas ‘Tommy’ Brayshaw” by Gene Kangas, Decoy

Kangas, Cleveland State University, Ohio, p60. The Ward Museum Wildfowl Art Exhibition. 1/1997 to 5/1997.

Literature: Tommy Brayshaw, The Ardent Angler-Artist by

Magazine, May/June, 2006. The Western Angler, Brayshaw

Stanley E. Read, The University of British Columbia, 1977.

Illustrated 2nd Edition of R.L. Haig-Brown book. Decoys by

“Thomas ‘Tommy’ Brayshaw” by Gene Kangas, Decoy

Gene & Linda Kangas, Collector Books, Paducah, KY., 1991,

Magazine, May/June, 2006. The Western Angler, Brayshaw

p 96 text, p103 & 173Tyee (R Facing).

Illustrated 2nd Edition of R.L. Haig-Brown book.

(10,000 - 15,000)

(10,000 - 15,000) 176

119

120

177

Chinook/Tyee Salmon by Thomas “Tommy” Brayshaw (b1886)(EnglishCanadian), arrived 1911 in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. Originally made for the Canadian Fishing Company. Left facing with closed mouth.

Excellent paint detail. Caught on the Campbell River by a 10-year-old boy, A. McE Fisken, August 30th 1933. 48 ½ lbs, 44” long. Fisken was guided that day by famed writer Roderick Haig-Brown and friend of Brayshaw. Of special note, this was Brayshaw’s very first commission. Excellent original paint; a break at lower fin, the entire piece has been retained and can be restored.

Provenance: A.McE Fisken Collection, Harry MacDonald, British Columbia Collection, Kangas Collection. “New World Folk Art and Cross-Cultural Inspirations, 1492-1992.”Curated by John Hunter & Gene Kangas, Cleveland State University, Ohio, p60.

Sept to October 1992. Catalog.“Angler’s

All Exhibit,” Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Ct.

Haven,

December 1992 to April 1993. Catalog

Literature: : Tommy Brayshaw, The Ardent Angler-Artist by Stanley E. Read, The University of British Columbia, 1977.

The Western Angler, Brayshaw Illustrated

2nd Edition of R.L. Haig-Brown book.“Thomas ‘Tommy’ Brayshaw” by Gene Kangas, Decoy Magazine, May/June, 2006.

Decoys by Gene & Linda Kangas,

Collector Books, Paducah, KY., 1991, p 96 text, p103 & 173Tyee (R facing).

(20,000 - 30,000)

Thomas Brayshaw

121

Stevens Brothers Weedsport, New York

178

Bluebill drake, Stevens Brothers, Weedsport, New York, last quarter 19th century. Glass eyes with extended paddle tail. Strong combing over back. 14” long. Original paint with restoration to one side of wing area where an imperfection in the wood was tightened with inpainting in that area; very light gunning wear.

(4,000 - 6,000)

122

179

180

179

Bluebill hen, Stevens Brothers, Weedsport, New York, last quarter 19th century. Fine sub-

180

Black duck, George Stevens, Weedsport, New York, last quarter 19th century. Retains tag

tle feather paint on back and sides. Original paint

indicating ex collection of Bill Towner. Head swivels

with a few small rubs with two on one side of breast

as it should. 18” long. Excellent original paint with

that are down into the wood; otherwise very good

feather looping, glass eyes; some areas of paint

and original.

loss at breast, underside, around tail, and two small spots on back.

Provenance: Bill Towner collection.

(4,000 - 6,000)

Literature: ‘Stevens Brothers Decoys,” Peter and Peggy Mueller.

(6,000 - 9,000)

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181

181a

181

Redhead drake, Harvey Stevens, Weedsport, New York, last quarter 19th century. An “E” is

Mallard drake, George Stevens, Weedsport, New York, last quarter 19th century. Retains

stamped near the line tie. Comb painting on back

Stevens stencil twice on underside. Head swivels as it

and sides of wings. Head swivels as it should. 15”

should. 17” long. Original paint has crazed heavily,

long. Strong original paint; some flaking in small areas,

mostly in middle of body; appears to have some sort

evenly distributed; small imperfection in underside.

of heat damage on underside; tight crack in one side

Literature: ‘Stevens Decoys,” Shane Newell.

(4,000 - 6,000)

124

181a

of tail.

(3,000 - 5,000)

181b

Bluebill drake, Joel Barber, Wilton, Connecticut, 2nd quarter 20th century. Note on underside reads “Given to E.L.. Vorhees by Joel barber 1942”. “Barber Decoys” stamped in underside. Turned head with glass eyes. 16” long. Excellent original paint with very light gunning wear.

181c

(1,500 - 2,000)

Very early Canada goose, probably Long Island, New York, unknown maker, last quarter 19th century. Hollow body with bottom board.

Branded “J.A. Hewlett” twice in back and once in underside. Hewlett, a member at the Long Point Company from 1868-1891, and is believed to have these decoys made on Long Island and then used them at Long Point.

Neck seat is slightly raised. Slightly extended paddled tail. Tack eyes. 23” long. Original paint with a few dents in the body; worn area around tail and bill; a few shot marks and scratches; crack through neck.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

125

According to the verbal history passed down over the years by the late “Bud” Ward and the Combs family, the heron decoy being offered in this sale was “carved by Henry Ellison, a bayman from Freeport who lived around 1840”. The Ellison family name is a common one in Freeport with ties by marriage to the wellknown Verity and Southard families. Generations of family members had a close relationship to the Bay and its natural resources, and a search reveals one member of the Ellison clan that closely matches the Ward and Combs recollections.

waterfront. From the 1890s onward, Henry begins to disappear in recorded documents. In 1900, it appears he may have still been living in Freeport with “Pylus” (Phebe?) working as a fisherman. In 1910, there was a Henry (born in 1839) living in Freeport and working as a “Captain on Bay” but his wife is listed as Marie B. Since there seems to be no record of any of his marriages, we cannot be sure that this is the same Henry.

His family tree and his death record list his burial as being in the Gordon Ellison family plot in Freeport.

A Henry Ellison (1839 – 1922) was born in Freeport to bayman/ oysterman Daniel Ellison (1807 – 1907) and his wife, Eliza. The family was a large one with seven children. By 1860, Henry and his brothers Hewlett, Willett, and Charles were following in their father’s footsteps, all working the Bay as “fishermen”. Henry and two of his brothers registered for the Civil War on the same day. Henry enlisted in the 179th infantry as a private on Sept.

9, 1864. His short military life was interrupted multiple times, his being recorded as “Sick in Hospital”, and he left the service on July 1, 1865. He married Phebe Ann Patterson and they, too, would have a large family of six children including a son, Willet C., named after Henry’s brother. Through the 1880s, Henry’s occupation was listed variously as a “Farmer” or “Fisherman” while Phebe “kept house” and worked as a “tailoress”. Their son, Willett C. (1863 – 1939), continued in the family tradition, working as a “fisherman” and “boat operator”. He would go on to become a successful business owner on the Freeport

Was this the Henry Ellison that Bud Ward and the Combs’ described? The dates and shreds of information in the written record that can be verified would seem to make him at least a plausible candidate. He and his family seem to have led full lives on the Bay and he can be proud that this exceptionally rare and wonderful heron has been credited to him. This exact decoy was included in the 2010 exhibit of Long Island Decoys at the Ward Museum in Salisbury, Maryland and is pictured twice in “The Decoys of Long Island,” which documents that display.

182

Rare root head heron, Harry Ellison, Long Island, New York, last quarter 19th century. 40” long, body is just under 3” thick.

Original paint with minor wear on body; moderate wear on head; crack in each side of body; large crack on one side.

(12,500 - 17,500)

126

183

Rigmate pair of mergansers, attributed to Steven Baldwin, Seaford, New York, last quarter 19th century. Branded “JMT” three times in underside of each.

Very plump bodies with carved eyes and carved wooden crests.

15.5” long. Original paint with significant wear; small cracks and dents.

(5,000 - 7,000)

127

185

Graceful sleeping black duck, probably Long Island, New York. Head is turned back and extend over one side of body. Branded “JHZ” and 1867 stamped in underside. Sticker from Bourne sale, June 1988 remains, as well as Charlie Hunter tag. 14” long. Thin old paint which is probably a second coat on body; wood imperfection at one side; wear to head; crack at base of neck.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection. Pictured on the cover of June 1988 Richard Bourne catalog and lot 602 in the sale.

(1,000 - 1,500)

185

186

Goldeneye drake from Long Island, New York, 1st quarter 20th century. Hollow carved with relief wing feather carving. Measures 13.5” long. Original paint with moderate flaking and wear; hairline drying cracks in body; small nails added around neck seat; small amount of glue visible at body seam.

Provenance: Dick and Lynn Gove collection.

(800 - 1,200)

186

187

Brant, Lemuel Ackerly, Patchogue, New York. A wonderful sculpture with slightly reared back head, humped back, and bold ridgeline running through length of body. Head was probably made from a twisted branch. 16” long. Strong original paint with light gunning wear; flaking to bare wood; tight crack on one side of bill.

187

128

(800 - 1,200)

189

190 189

Hollow carved field goose, Hart Carr Sr., Union Springs, New York, 1st quarter 20th century. Large

Root head Canada goose from Long Island, 1st quarter 20th century. Root head goose with unpainted

body, hollow carved stick up decoy with removable head.

underside. Old label on underside of tail says that the

‘III’ painted on neck seat and underside of neck to match

decoy is from the rig of hunting guide Everette Talmage of

the correct head and body. Carved eyes. Carrying hole

South Hampton, Long Island. Measures 24 3/4” long. Thin

drilled in tail. Ink stamp on the underside for the collection

original paint with very minor wear; some chipping at base

of George Thompson. Measures 27” long and stands 20”

of neck; small chip where bill meets face was reglued with

tall. Original paint with minor to moderate wear; drying

small amount of glue visible; some loss to heart wood on

cracks in body; split in the underside; chip in underside of

underside near tail.

tail; piece of wood added to each side of neck seat to make it wider, done in the making; some repaint on neck and head.

190

Provenance: Muleskinner 1982 auction. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

Provenance: Ex George Thompson collection. Guyette & Schmidt February 1992 sale, lot 282. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

129

Jim Schmiedlin 1945 - 2015 | Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania

191

192

191

130

Very rare black bellied tree duck, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Signed and dated 1984. An alert

192

Hooded merganser drake, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Signed, dated 1984, and branded “JAS” on underside.

high head that is slightly turned. Two piece hol-

Hollow carved with turned head. Extended,

low body with raised wingtips. 13” long. Excellent

slightly carved wingtips and carved tail. 14”

original paint with some storage mold spotting

long. Original paint with small spots of storage

that can likely be removed.

mold that can likely be removed.

(5,000 - 8,000)

(4,000 - 6,000)

193

194

193

Goldeneye drake, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Dated 10/92 on

194

Bluewing teal, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Hollow carved with slightly turned

underside. Also branded “JAS” and has “Reward

head. Relief tail and feather carving. “JAS” branded

for Return”. Two piece hollow body, turned head.

in underside. Jim’s reward for return label on under-

Wingtip and tail carving. 14” long. Original paint

side. Decoy was “best teal, best of marsh, best

with a couple small rubs; very tight crack near bot-

of show, 1986, Ohio Decoy Show.” Measures 14”

tom board seam; four shot marks in one side.

long. Original paint; minor flaking and wear, mostly

(3,000 - 5,000)

on tip of bill and one lower side.

(3,000 - 5,000)

195

Half size canoe paddle with painted scene, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Signed and dated 2011. Titled “Widgeon”. Signed and personalized on back of paddle. Measures 36” long. Excellent and original.

(1,000 - 1,500)

195

196

Bluebill, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Hollow carved with slightly turned head. Relief wing and tail feather carving. “JAS” branded in underside. Jim’s reward for return label on underside. Measures 15” long. Original paint; minor flaking and wear; hairline crack in breast, otherwise excellent structurally.

(3,000 - 4,000)

196

197

Decorative greenwing teal, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Tucked and turned head.

Excellent bill carving and sleepy eyes.

Highly detailed wing and feather carvings with raised and crossed wingtips. Identified signed, and dated 1981 on underside.

10.75” long. Tiny blunt to the tip of one tail feather and tiny paint rub in one lower side, otherwise excellent and original.

(3,000 - 4,000)

197

132

198

199

198

Bluewing teal drake, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Hollow carved

199

Bufflehead drake, Jim Schmiedlin, Bradfordwoods, Pennsylvania. Hollow carved

with slightly turned head. Relief wing and tail feather

with head turned almost 90 degrees. Relief wing

carving. Raised wingtips. “JAS” branded in under-

and tail feather carving. “JAS” branded in under-

side. Inscription on underside says “my first working

side. Signed and dated 1984. Measures 11”

bluewing teal.” Signed on underside. Measures 12”

long. Original paint with very minor wear; excellent

long. Excellent and original.

structurally.

(3,000 - 5,000)

(3,000 - 5,000)

133

Virginia Eli Doughty 1844 - 1923 | Hog Island, Virginia In 1844 Martin and Mary Doughty (Douty) welcomed a son they named Eli into the population of approximately 300 residents that inhabited the tiny settlement of Broadwater, on Hog Island.

Settled in 1692, this island lies across the bay from Willis Wharf, Virginia, and is one of the larger barrier islands running along the Atlantic coast of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Little is known of Eli’s early years but it would be a logical assumption that, like most other ‘islanders’, his life would be tied to the water.

In 1866 he married Margaret Elizabeth, and the couple would ultimately raise a large family of four sons and two daughters. The 1870 Census records indicate that he and his young family were living in Eastville, where he earned a living as a fisherman, oyster planter or oysterman. By 1880 the growing family had moved to Franktown, which remained Eli’s home until his death in 1923. He was buried in the Downing Cemetery in Willis Wharf, VA. For many years, the Doughtys maintained a large and prominent presence on Hog Island. Men of the family were known to be watermen or lighthouse keepers, and hunting guides. Some of them probably served visiting sportsmen at the Broadwater Hunt Club on the Island during the years of 1895 until it ceased operation around 1915.

Eli’s oldest son Henry lived to be 94, and had the distinction of serving as waterfowl guide to President Grover Cleveland when he came to Hog Island to hunt. As noted by an early writer:

134

“Hog Island is, at certain seasons of the year, ideal ground for the sportsman. Machipongo Inlet and its channels is a famous feeding ground for wild geese and that king of wildfowl, the brant, and the marshes abound with black duck. In the spring and summer, the curlew, willet and greybacks flock to the oyster shoals and ponds in the meadows. Fine bags can be made of these delicious birds that have all the flavor of the salt crustaceans on which they feed. The hotel, erected

by Mrs. Stockton of Atlantic City is open all year for the accommodation of tourist, sportsmen and other visitors.

Most of the prominent sportsmen of the north pay a visit to the island to shoot bay birds and waterfowl”.

We also know many Doughty men were avid waterfowl hunters, as this abundant harvest provided food and income for many local families.

Their pursuit of waterfowl on the open waters surrounding the islands would have required the use of decoys with unique characteristics. For the most part, little is known about decoy carvers on Hog Island. However, those carved by the Doughty family are often described as being among the very finest representatives of what has become known as the “Hog Island Style”.

200

Hollow carved Canada goose attributed to Eli Doughty, Hog Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Hollow carved two piece body with relief carved wing tips and forward angled neck seat. Outstanding form, with down looking, slightly turned head and doweled hardwood bill. Measures 21.75” long. Very old working repaint; moderate to significant flaking and wear; tight drying cracks in body; minor chipping around base of neck; tight cracks at nails in neck seat; original doweled bill is slightly loose.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection. Purportedly purchased from Eli Doughty by early collector Lloyd Johnson. Ex Lloyd Johnson collection. Ex J. Creighton Riepe, Jr. collection. Julia & Guyette April 1992 sale, lot 522.

Literature: Exact decoy pictured in ‘American Primitive Discoveries in Folk Sculpture’, by Roger Ricco and Frank Maresca.

(35,000 - 45,000) Eli Doughty (left) c1875

135

201

Bluebill hen, Eli Doughty, Hog Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. A plump, short bodied decoy with typical grooves carved on the sides of the head and a ridge down the back. Partially inlet neck seat. Measures 10 5/8” long. Old in use repaint with minor gunning wear; hit by shot; drying crack along one side of the body; chip in one side of bill and top of head.

Provenance: November 1994, Guyette & Deeter auction sale, lot

196. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: Exact decoy pictured on page 204 of ‘Southern Decoys’ by Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr.

136

(5,000 - 8,000)

Bluebill drake by a member of the Doughty family, Hog Island, Virginia, circa 1900. Inlet neck seat and split

202

tail carving. Measures 12 1/2” long. Old working paint with significant wear; drying cracks in body; tight vertical crack in back of neck; small chips in tip of bill; shallow chip in top of head.

Provenance: Julia & Guyette October 1990 sale, lot 206.

Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

202

202a

Black duck, from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, circa 1900.

18” long. Attribtued to S.K. Taylor.

Original paint with minor wear; scratch loop feather paint on most of the decoy.

Provenance: D.C. North collection, Literature: “Chesapeake Bay Decoys,” extended edition, Bobby Richardson, p. 210, exact decoy pictured, as Sebastion Taylor.

(2,500 - 3,500) 202a

202b

Black duck, Captain Ike Phillips, Hog Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Long neck seat typical of Phillips work. Measures 15 3/4” long. Paint appears original on most of the decoy showing moderate gunning wear; paint on bill and some of head is likely an early second coat; small dents; minor roughness on tail; a few mouse chews on bill tip and were bill meets head; tight crack in tip of bill.

Provenance: Julia & Guyette October 1990 sale, lot 203. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

202b

(2,000 - 3,000)

137

203

204

203

Rare black duck, George Doughty, Hog Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Old in use repaint; numerous cracks; two age splits filled a long time ago.

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Ex Roy Bull collection; Bull collection stamp on underside. Bull purchased from the George Wealton rig.

Literature: “The Bird Decoy,” Paul Johnsgard, p. 40, exact decoy pictured.

(3,000 - 4,000) 204

Hollow carved black duck, Joe Crumb, Oyster, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. The initials “JHC” are carved in the underside. Worn old paint appears to be original; two round wooden plugs in the back, one oval plug; lightly hit by shot.

203

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Ex Art Patterson collection, Patterson purchased from Joe Crumb’s son, Ralph. D.C.’s notes states, “I sold a Crumb decoy on 4/20/88 for $5,200 and this decoy is a much stronger example.”

138

Literature: ‘Southern Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, Jr.

(3,000 - 4,000)

205

206

205

Hollow carved black duck, Sebastian Taylor. Body halves are joined by small wooden dowels. Original paint with

minor to moderate wear; structurally good.

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Formerly in collection of Grayson Chesser.

206

(3,000 - 5,000)

Unusual small size black duck, Doughty Family, Hog Island, Virginia. Inlet head and carved eyes. Only 12” long. Worn old paint appears to be original; thin crack through neck.

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Purchased from Gary Campbell at the East Coast Decoy Collectors show in 2005.

D.C.’s notes state, “In my 35 years of collecting I”ve never

205

seen such a small example of a black duck from North Hampton County, Virginia.”

(2,000 - 3,000)

139

207

Sculptural brant, Eli Doughty, Hog Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Flat bottom, solid body style with relief wingtip carving. Doweled hardwood bill. Harold Haertel collection ink stamp on underside.

Measures 16” long. Very early in use repaint; moderate gunning wear; hairline crack in back and at one nail in neck seat; minor blunt at tip of tail.

Provenance: Julia & Guyette April 1990 sale, lot 85. Ex Harold Haertel collection, collection stamp on underside. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

140

(12,000 - 18,000)

141

Exact decoy pictured on page 120 of “Southern Decoys,” by Henry Fleckenstein, Jr.

142

208 Door hinge weight

208

Very rare merganser drake from Wachapreague, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. With carved wooden crest. 17” long. Original paint; minor wear; thin cracks through neck; small chip missing from neck seat; a small door hinge has been used as its weight.

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Ex Henry Fleckenstein, Jr. collection, who purchased it at the auction in Gargatha, Virginia in 1983.

Literature: ‘Southern Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, p. 120, exact decoy pictured. The auction in Gargatha is written about on p. 11-15 of this book.

(10,000 - 14,000)

143

Connecticut Charles “Shang” Wheeler 1872 - 1949 | Stratford, Connecticut

209

Sleeping cork body black duck, Charles E. ‘Shang’ Wheeler, Stratford, Connecticut. Cork body with head turned and resting on back. Scratch feather paint detail on head. Measures 15 3/4” long. Original paint with minor gunning wear; tiny dent in top of head, otherwise excellent structurally.

Provenance: Ex Harold Corbin collection. Bourne July 1986, lot 321 and on front cover. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: “Shang,” Dixon Merkt, p. 54, exact decoy.

(5,000 - 8,000)

144

210

210

Rare cork body Canada goose, Charles E. ‘Shang” Wheeler, Stratford, Connecticut. Cork body with wood bottom board, head and inserted tail. Only a handful of these working cork geese are known. Original paint; moderate gunning wear; separations at cork; tight crack in bill.

Provenance: Julia & Guyette October 1991 sale, lot 555. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: “Shang,” Dixon Merkt, p. 54, exact decoy.

(5,000 - 8,000)

145

211

211

Hollow carved black duck, Benjamin Holmes, Stratford, Connecticut, last quarter 19th century. Hollow carved with 3/4” bottom board. Tucked head with relief bill carving.

Good feather paint detail. Measures 16 1/4” long. Original paint with very minor discoloration and wear; hairline drying crack in back, otherwise excellent structurally.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 4,000) 212 212

Black duck, Albert Laing, Stratford, Connecticut, 3rd quarter 19th century. Hollow carved, shallow body style. ‘Laing’ branded into underside. Measures 15 3/4” long. In use repaint with minor to moderate flaking and wear; some roughness on tip of tail and tip of bill; crack through neck.

Provenance: Bourne February 1985 sale, lot ?.

Charlie Hunter, III collection.

214

(2,000 - 3,000)

Early goldeneye drake, Ben Holmes, Stratford, Connecticut, 3rd quarter 19th century. Two piece hollow body with bottom board. “B. Holmes” is stamped in underside.

Head is nestled over a slightly protruding breast.

14” long. White paint is an old second coat; black is mostly original and has worn away exposing wood grain over much of the area; several shot scars in head.

214

146

(1,200 - 1,800)

215

Cork body bluebill, Charles E. ‘Shang’ Wheeler, Stratford, Connecticut. Cork body with inset wooden tail and nicely carved head. Never rigged or weighted. Measures 14 1/4”

long. A few minor paint rubs, otherwise excellent and original.

Provenance: Bourne April 1986 sale. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(5,000 - 7,000)

216

Very rare Canada goose, Cassius Smith, Milford, Connecticut, last quarter 19th century. Hollow carved and in swimming pose. Measures 27” long. Paint is a mix of original and very early working repaint showing moderate flaking and wear; cracks and losses to wood at nails holding body halves together; tight crack in tail; crack in top of head was secured with two brass screws on one side of head.

Provenance: Richard Oliver November 1986 sale, lot 237. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

215 216

147

Shorebirds William Bowman Lawrence, New York

Exact decoy pictured on page 65 of “American Bird Decoys,” by William J. Mackey, Jr.

148

216a

Very rare ruddy turnstone, William Bowman, Lawrence, Long Island, New York, last quarter 19th century. Shoe button eyes, relief wing carving, raised

Provenance: Ex Mackey collection, Mackey collection

carved wingtips that touch. 10.5” long. Near mint original

Paul Arts Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

stamp on underside. Exhibited at the 1966 IBM Gallery of Arts and Sciences in New York City. Exhibited at the 1967 St.

paint; chip missing at back of stick hole; half of the bill is a Literature: “American Bird Decoys,” William J. Mackey, Jr., professional replacement by Russ Allen; small amount of p. 65, exact decoy pictured. “American Decoys,” Quintina touchup to worn area at tip of tail.

Colio, p. 69, exact decoy pictured.

(50,000 - 60,000)

149

Daniel DeMott 1847 - 1930 | Long Island, New York Daniel DeMott grew up on a farm in Hempstead. The proximity of his home to the Bay gave the young man ample opportunity to explore the shore and become familiar with its many resources. It is believed that he carved his first decoys as early as 1865 when he would have been only eighteen years old. This would be very reasonable for in the mid 1800s, market hunting was an accepted practice that provided both a valuable source of food and a welcome income for many rural families.

Daniel DeMott | Courtesy the DeMott family

At the age of 23, he married his wife, Anna, and together they raised their three children while Daniel worked as a miller. The young couple lived at an extraordinary time. From the late 1800s through the early 1900s, the whims of fashion dictated that any well-dressed woman be adorned with a hat festooned with any number of feathers of a wide variety of birds. Terns, with their showy white plumes, were a particular favorite. Ornithologist Ralph Chapman’s often quoted survey of the types of birds that he saw on hats in New York City over a two-day period indicated that he witnessed bonnets containing the parts of twenty-one common terns. Daniel was well situated to take advantage of the profits to be realized from this market.

He had ready access to the bay, which at least initially, supported large flocks of the birds; he could easily ship his bag to the ready markets in the nearby millinery supply district in the city; and he was an experienced waterfowler. This market flourished until, eventually, public outcry brought an end to the practice and the economic gain to be realized from shooting the birds.

In Daniel’s later years, he worked in various carpentry capacities and his woodworking skills are readily apparent in his finely fashioned shorebird decoys. His wife died in 1926 and he lived out his remaining years living with his daughter and her husband. His grave can be found in the Lynbrook village cemetery in Hempstead.

150

217

Rare and early working running tern decoy, Daniel DeMott, Long Island, New York. 13” long. Wonderful dry old surface, much of which appears to be original; a few small dents; some mild darkening and stains and very light flaking.

(15,000 - 25,000)

151

219a

219

219a 218

218

219

carving and carved eyes. “X” carved under the tail.

Black bellied plover in spring breeding plumage, John Dilley, Quogue, New York, last quarter 19th century. Just under 10” long. With carved wings. Fine

Measures 10.25” long. Worn old paint appears all origi-

paint detail. Original paint with minor discoloration

nal; moderate discoloration from a thin coat of var-

and wear; bill is a professional replacement; several

nish; moderate flaking and wear; heavily hit by shot;

small areas of touchup on head and body; decoy was

minor roughness around stick hole; bill appears to be a

at one time was mounted on two wire legs, the holes

very early replacement.

have been professionally filled and touched up.

Dowitcher, Obediah Verity, Seaford, Long Island, New York, last quarter 19th century. Relief wing

(4,000 - 6,000)

Very rare dowitcher, Thomas Gelston, Quogue, New York. A plump body with hat pin eyes, carved and split wingtips. 13” long. Original paint that has crazed, mostly around breast area from some kind of heat exposure; a rare species for this maker.

(3,500 - 4,500)

152

219a

Provenance: Purchased by the consignor out of a general store in Cheriton, Virginia 40 years ago.

(5,000 - 8,000)

220

221

220

Black bellied plover, Obediah Verity, Seaford, Long Island, New York, last quarter 19th century. Deep relief wing carving and carved eyes. Wide beetle style head. Measures 10.5” long. Dry original paint; with moderate flaking and wear; heavily hit by

221

Yellowlegs, Smith Clinton Verity, Seaford, Long Island, New York, last quarter 19th century. Relief wing carving and carved eyes. 12.5” long. Original paint with minor to moderate wear; structurally good.

(5,000 - 8,000)

shot; small chip in top of bill where it meets the face.

(5,000 - 8,000)

153

222

Very rare ruddy turnstone, Obediah Verity, Seaford, Long Island, New York, last quarter 19th century. Wing, eye, and shoulder carving, with bill that is splined through back of head. 8.5” long. Old repaint with traces the original outlines; bill is a professional replacement; several shot scars.

(2,000 - 3,000)

222

223

Peep, William Southard, Seaford, Long Island, New York, last quarter 19th century. Extended body with carved eyes, shoulders and wingtips.

8.5” long. Very old repaint, which retains the original paint lines; approximately half of bill is a crude replacement; numerous shot scars; flaking and paint loss.

(1,800 - 2,200)

223

224

Lesser yellowlegs, William Southard, Seaford, Long Island, New York. Carved eyes, shoulders, and wingtips. 10.5” long. Old in use repaint retains original lines; old replaced bill.

224

154

(1,500 - 2,000)

225

Black bellied plover, Andrew Verity, Seaford, Long Island, New York, 1st quarter 20th century. Relief wing carving, and carved eyes. Old in use repaint has flaked, exposing some of the original surface; moderate flaking and wear; moderately hit by shot; bill is a professional replacement.

(3,000 - 4,000)

225

226

Yellowlegs, Smith Clinton Verity, Seaford, Long Island, New York, 3rd quarter 19th century. Raised shoulder and wingtip carving with carved eyes. 11” long. Strong original paint that has mellowed with age; a few shot scars; rough area at tip of bill.

(2,500 - 3,500)

226

227

Folky yellowlegs, possibly Long Island, New York. Head is extended and slightly looking down. A staple on the underside, probably for string carrying. 11” long. Original paint on dark areas; white appears to be a later second coat.

(2,000 - 3,000)

227

155

Decoratives by Elmer Crowell 1862 - 1952 | East Harwich, Massachusetts

228

Full size walking greater yellowlegs, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Mounted on carved wooden base. Body is 13.5” long. Crowell’s oval brand is burned in underside of base. Near mint original paint; touchup to about .25” of underside of dropped tail; small amount of touchup to jesso on feet; structurally excellent.

Literature: “The Songless Aviary,” Brian Cullity.

(20,000 - 30,000)

156

229

Standing greater yellowlegs, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Fine paint detail.

Glass eyes. Crowell’s rectangular stamp is in the underside of the base.

Bird is just under 12” long. Near mint original paint with a small spot of touchup where bill meets face; paint restoration to jesso area of thighs and one leg.

(15,000 - 20,000)

157

230

Chickadee, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts, probably 1st quarter 20th century. Full size carving with dropped tail. Mounted to pine branch with cones. Tack and painted eyes. 4” long. Excellent original paint; very small amount of crazing.

(3,000 - 4,000)

231

231

232

Miniature wood duck drake, Joseph Lincoln, Accord, Massachusetts. Underside is filled

Miniature hooded merganser, Joseph Lincoln, Accord, Massachusetts. Reared back head with

with lead weight and retains Lincoln’s stamp. 4”

carved crest. Maker’s ink stamp on the underside.

long. Original paint with light wear; crack in bill;

Measures 3 1/2” long. Original paint that has mel-

small paint flake missing from tip of tail and top of

lowed to a nice patina; minor rubs on top of crest

head.

and tip of bill.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,000 - 1,500)

158

232

(2,000 - 3,000)

233

236

234

237

235

238

233

Pair of miniature pheasants on driftwood base, A.J. King, North Scituate, Rhode Island. Fine paint and

236

carving detail. Carving is 5.5” long. Very good and origi-

side. Measures 4 1/4” long. Very fine flaking on top of

nal.

head, otherwise excellent and original.

Provenance: Don Kirson collection.

234

Miniature running merganser, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. In running pose with extended

(2,000 - 3,000)

237

(1,500 - 2,500)

Miniature running widgeon, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp and ‘Widgeon’ on the underside. Measures 4 1/2” long. A few

(1,200 - 1,800)

Miniature redhead hen, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp and the number 6 on the underside. Measures 4” long. Excellent and original.

crest. Unstamped under base. Measures 6” long.

235

Miniature wood duck, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp on the under-

238

(1,200 - 1,800)

Miniature mallard drake, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Maker’s rectangle stamp on the underside. Measures 5” long. Professional neck crack repair, otherwise very good and original.

(1,000 - 1,400)

small spots of paint flaking and a tiny spot of touch up at one wing patch, otherwise very good and original.

(1,000 - 1,400)

159

238a

Extremely rare carving of a pickerel, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Fish is 17.5” long, plaque is just under 21” long. Fine paint and carving detail. Crowell’s rectangular stamp is in the back of the plaque, also signed “A.E. Crowell. E. Harwich, Mass Cape Cod, July 1936.”

Caudel fin has been professionally replaced, otherwise excellent and original.

160

Provenance: “The Songless Aviary,” Brian Cullity.

(17,500 - 22,500)

161

Contemporary miniatures 239

Pair of miniature egrets, Steve Weaver, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Signed and titled “Under watchful eyes.” Mounted on wooden base with a carved feather lying in sand. Just under 7” tall. Fine paint detail and feather carving detail. Excellent and original.

(2,000 - 2,500)

240

“Catch as catch can,” miniature red breasted mergansers with a sand eel, Steve Weaver, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Signed and dated 2015. Carving is 6” long. Both birds have fine paint and feather caving detail. Excellent and original.

(1,500 - 2,000)

239

240

241

241

Miniature black necked stilt, Steve Weaver, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Signed. Carving stands 5” long. Slightly turned head. Fine carving detailed. Excellent and original.

(1,000 - 1,400)

242 242

Miniature snowy owl, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Owl and base carved out of one piece of wood. Relief carved wings and dropped wingtips. Fancy “F” in underside. Stands 3.5” tall. Excellent and original.

162

(800 - 1,200)

243

246

244

247

245

248

243

244

Miniature blue jay, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. In calling pose. Relief wing and tail feather

246

Miniature chukar partridge, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Slightly turned head, in calling pose.

carving. Raised wingtips. Maker’s ink stamp on underside.

Relief wing feather carving. Measures 5” long. Maker’s ink

Maker’s fancy “F” carved in to the underside. Measures

stamp on underside. Maker’s fancy “F” carved in to the

5.25” long.

underside. Excellent.

(800 - 1,200)

Miniature Clarks nutcracker, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Raised wingtips. Maker’s ink stamp on

247

(800 - 1,200)

Miniature standing widgeon, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Head is turned 90 degrees. Relief

underside. Maker’s fancy “F” carved in to the underside.

carved wing, tail feathers, and raised wingtips. Maker’s ink

Measures 5” long. Excellent.

stamp on underside. Maker’s fancy “F” carved in to the

(800 - 1,200)

underside. Measures 5” long. Stands 4.5” tall. (800 - 1,200) 245

Miniature tree swallow, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Deep relief wing carving. Maker’s fancy “F” on underside. Measures 4.25” long. Excellent and original.

(800 - 1,200)

248

Miniature scrub jay, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Raised wingtips. Maker’s ink stamp on underside. Maker’s fancy “F” carved in to the underside.

Measures 5” long. Excellent and original.

(800 - 1,200)

163

Market guns Market gunning was a legal, respected way for baymen to augment their income from other sources.

The demand for wild game, especially waterfowl, was immense and prices for ducks, geese and shorebirds in markets up and down the east coast reflected the public’s appetite for the birds. Enterprising gunners were quick to realize the large profits to be gleaned from harvesting what they saw as a never-ending resource, free for their taking, on their home waters.

Obviously, the more game they could bring down, the larger the financial return. Their options to increase the kills were limited. They could go afield more often and/ or kill more birds each time they had the opportunity.

Until the advent of pump or automatic shotguns, the number of shells that they could fire into a flock was limited by the number of barrels on the gun (usually no more than two) or by the size of each barrel. Ten- and 12-gauge doubles were somewhat the norm by the mid 1800s, however, larger weapons were available, ranging down to the huge, cumbersome, zero gauge, shoulder held, shotguns. The pain in shouldering and pulling the trigger on these monsters was offset by increased birds on the water and thus, increased paychecks. Another obvious solution to additional firepower was to carry multiple guns. This would only marginally increase the initial tally but would be effective in quickly dispatching wounded birds that might otherwise escape. In 1860, market hunter Percy Cushing had what, even he, considered a big day.

Firing a shoulder held 8-gauge, he harvested 365 birds.

In excerpts from his diary, when discussing that day, he commented: “If I could have shot faster, I’d had half as many again.

They kept coming right in all the time I was sitting up loading. Loaded first one gun then the other, so they would keep cool. …The big gun (8-gauge) was so hot the snow fizzed on it. It burned my hand through my mitten. …We lost a good many cripples; maybe 30. I am tired out and sore all over. Head aches and my shoulder pains a great deal.

Jess (his wife) is making a tobacco poultice. Going to rest tomorrow”.

164

With time, extreme measures were utilized by some hunters, notably on the Chesapeake Bay. Huge firearms were mounted on small, double ended boats and the craft would be silently propelled to approach an unsuspecting feeding or resting raft of birds on the water. Depending on how the barrels were constructed, these weapons were referred to as punt guns, pipe guns, or simply “big guns”. These cannons, some weighing over 100 pounds and measuring over ten feet in length, had barrels with a diameter of up to about two inches. They were normally loaded with equal parts of powder and shot (one pound of powder and one pound of shot would be typical).

The contraption would be lashed to the boat and “aimed” by sighting down the barrel and adjusting the shooters weight forward or backward to raise or lower the muzzle. The discharge could be heard for miles and the recoil would shove the boat and its occupant backward on the water. When successful, however, large kills and profits would be the hunter’s reward. A single gunner could routinely kill 50 – 70 birds in a single night with just one or two shots, but larger kills were occasionally made. In his landmark book, “The Outlaw Gunner,” Dr. Harry Walsh recounts an interview with four aging market hunters who gunned the Holland Island area. One night, working as a team, with each having a punt gun, they executed four simultaneous shots.

Walsh quoted Ray Todd of Cambridge, Maryland, as stating: “By morning, we had killed over a thousand ducks; they brought $3.50 a pair in Baltimore and it was the best night’s work we’d ever done.”

Another innovation of the market hunter was the multi-barreled battery gun. This was a series of 3-5 or 7 shotgun barrels on a single large “stock”. They would be designed such that when one barrel was fired, the adjacent tubes to the right and left would go off in rapid succession spreading a fan of shot up to ten feet wide over the startled birds trying to lift off the water. This barrage was, like the punt gun, occasionally capable of astounding kills. In “The Outlaw Gunner,” Isaac Langford reported to the author that, on one market gunning trip, two kills of exactly 67 duck each were made with two consecutive shots of one such battery.

249

Very rare seven barrel percussion battery gun. Inside barrels measure 3/4”.

Barrel length measures 42”, full length 59”. Some heavy pitting and rust dispersed throughout the barrels; stock shows excellent age.

Provenance: Richard Oliver sale November 1995. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(8,000 - 12,000)

Since stealth was of the utmost importance to successfully approach to within range of the birds, the battery was often accompanied by a gunning light mounted on the bow of the sneak boat. This, similar to “jack-lighting” deer, would temporarily mesmerize the ducks and shield the hunter crouched in the boat. When within range, the gunner would tap the barrels or make some similar sound – the birds would raise their heads and the weapon would be fired.

Initially, the use of the guns was common and widespread. Walsh states that there were 15 big guns “registered” in 1914 on the Susquehanna Flats but he felt that there were more likely up to one hundred actually in use throughout the Chesapeake alone. The effectiveness of all these types of weapons and their use in experienced hands exerted a toll on the waterfowl. Attempts to

165

govern their use differed by time and State. Maryland, for example, began to restrict the use of “big guns” as early as 1832 but what actually constituted such a weapon was poorly defined and their use continued. Restrictive laws were successfully implemented in some states by the 1860s.

In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act effectively outlawed market hunting. Punt guns and batteries became illegal and, by the 1930s, shotguns larger than ten-gauge were not allowed for waterfowl hunting. After the ban, some of the guns remained in use in remote areas of the Bay through the Great Depression and, possibly, up to as late as the 1950s.

John Elliot of Fishing Bay once recalled: “It was 1926 that everything went to pieces in my life. The only money available was in ducks and I became a pirate duck hunter. I collected four of the largest muzzle loading guns and made a nice battery. Things worked out fine for nearly two years.

Ducks were plentiful and the market was good. Soon I was out of debt and making a nice living.”

Many of the punt guns, and all of the batteries, were homemade. Some were better engineered than others, loads were inconsistent and hunting conditions could be treacherous. As one would expect, accidents were numerous, often serious, and sometimes deadly. Today, a few of the remaining original examples of these guns reside in select, private collections and their role in our waterfowling heritage has been the subject of exhibits at the Ward Museum, the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, the Shelburne Museum, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the Upper Bay Museum and other prestigious institutions.

249

166

249

251

252

251

Rare and important flintlock market gun. Flint lock market

251

guns are extremely rare. Number 17 is stamped near forestock.

Decorative curled trigger with trigger guard broken and partially missing. Metal butt plate. No visible marks or engravings. This is a very rare opportunity to own a very rare style of market gun.

Inside barrel measures 1”. Barrel length 61”. Full length 82”. Cracks in stock near grip area; a wonderfully worn patina to the wood; barrel is lightly rusted but not pitted.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

252

(6,000 - 9,000)

252

Large early percussion market or punt gun. Inside barrel measures 1 1/8”. Barrel length is 57”, full length 73.5”. Gun shows considerable age; heavy pitting and rust on barrel; well worn wood; one strap over barrel appears to be a later replacement.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

167

253

253

J. W. Tolley Brothers, Single barrel break action percussion gun. Checkered stock and forearm. “JW Tolley” engraved at side of stock. Serial number “5836” engraved at back of trigger guard. Inside barrel measurement is 7/8”.

Barrell length 38.5”. Gun measures 55.5” in length. Mild rusting to all metal parts; seems to operate as it should.

254

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

254

(2,000 - 3,000)

Tolley, large punt gun single barrel percussion. Side plate has crown engraved and “1862, TOWER”. At octagon portion of barrel at tip is engraved “Tolley Catskill, New York”. inside barrel measures 1”. Barrel length measures 55.5”, full length 71.5”. Gun has nice overall wear and patina; very light discoloration and rust but no major pitting on barrel.

255

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

255

(2,000 - 3,000)

“Hap. Good” market gun ramrod percussion with large octagon barrel. “Hap. Good” engraved on side plate with other floral engravings. Inside barrel measures 1 1/8”. Barrel length is 40.5”, full length 55”. Leather cushion butt plate is a later addition; looks like a repair to the top of stock.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

168

(1,500 - 2,000)

256

256

Large bore market or punt gun, percussion with ramrod. Engraved side plates and percussion hammers, and trigger guard. Metal engraving at top of grip. Inside barrel measures 1 1/8”. Barrel measures 36.75” long, full length is 52”. Barrell is tarnished but not pitted; stock is cracked with very old period repairs along forestock; broken trigger plate; repairs to holes near butt plate.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

257

(1,000 - 1,500)

W.W. Kaye, Philadelphia, double barrel percussion ramrod shotgun. Checkered grip with engraved side plates,

257

engraving on percussion hammers. Worn but decorative trigger guard. ‘W.W. Kaye Philada’ is engraved at top between barrels. Inside barrel measures 7/8”. Barrel length is 32”, total length 47.5”. Stock has numerous scratches and light dents; barrel is smooth with basically no pitting.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,500 - 2,500)

258

258

Double barrel percussion ramrod market gun. Checkered grip with engraving on side plates, with a dog on each side.

Triggers are engraved. Trigger guard is engraved and decorated with a deer. Inside barrel measures 7/8”. Barrel length 36”, full length 51”. Very light rust; heavily worn stock.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,500 - 2,500)

169

263 263

Market or fowling gun. Marked London on top of barrel. 8 bore percussion, 53” barrel, full length 70”. With checkering on stock. Decorative trigger guard with pineapple motif. With additional decoration on brass butt plate. Discoloration and light rust on metal areas; stock shows nice even wear with good age; crack at one side of side plate.

Provenance: Once owned by Newman Valliant of Bellevue, Maryland. Pictured p. 92 of “Gunning the Chesapeake” by Roy Walsh. Sold at a March 2002 O”Neill’s Auction Company sale.

(800 - 1,200)

264

264

Early percussion market or punt gun. Unknown maker. Barrell measures 52”, full length is 88”. Inside barrel measures .75”. Shows excellent age; one piece of wood cracked near action above trigger guard; barrel is rusted; shows heavy wear.

(800 - 1,200)

170

265

266

267

265

Large punt or market gun probably assembled from parts. Single barrel percussion. Inside measurers

of original butt plate missing with even wear, but no rust

2.5”. Barrel length is 70.25 entire gun 92”. Wood does

gauge, Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, patent 10/1914.

not appear to be the same age as parts, which leads to

Checkered grip, barrels measures 30”, full length 46”. Small

believe it is a marriage, but does show some age.

crack near front of stock; barrels are evenly tarnished.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

266

Two side by side double barrel shotguns. A Cooper

pitting on barrel. Second Riverside Arms Company 12

(600 - 800)

(800 - 1,200) 267

20 gauge with Damascus barrels, engraved on side plates:

T.C. Montgomery, Damascus steel double barrel percussion break action shotgun. Checkering at grip and forearm. Engraved side plates with TC Montgomery

“Patent June 20 1883” and “Cooper” on opposite side.

on each side. Trigger guard and underside of action are

Checkered grip. Barrel length 31.75”, full length 45”. Piece

also heavily engraved. Inside barrel measures 3/4”. Barrel length 30”, full length 46”. Very light discoloration and rust; gun seems to operate as it should.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(800 - 1,200)

268

Parker shotgun, double barrel side by side percussion. Finely checkered grip.

“Parker Brothers” engraved in side plate. A shield inset behind barrel lever. Damascus barrels. Engraved on fore arm “Patd. Mar 26.1878”. Engraved in front of trigger guard “pat. mar.23.1875”, and engraved number at rear of trigger guard “5.6.225.” Parker Brothers is engraved on both side plates. Engraving between barrels reads “Parker Brothers Makers, Meriden Conn”. Plastic butt plate with dogs head reads “Parker Brothers”. Inside barrel measures between 3/4 - 7/8”. Barrell length 36.25”, gun measures 52.5”. Very light tarnish and rust on outside of barrels; seams to function okay.

172

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(4,000 - 6,000)

***Gun in photos is not part of this lot and not include with the boat.

268a

Vintage Virginia or Maryland punt or market gunners boat. 15’ long x 31” wide at oar locks. Old green paint.

Slightly elevated platform at middle of inside. Also included is water scoop and two hand paddles. Structurally good; does have some wood and metal repairs that were done a very long time ago.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

173

268b 268b

Two advertising pieces. Piece titled ‘Sumphins Gwin to Happen”. Measures 20.75” x 15.5”. Has two small side tears, a small tear at corner, and a few holes near character’s arm. Second titled ‘Dah he Goes!”. Measures 24.5” x 15.5”. A few small spots have been reinforced professionally from the backside; four or five small tears on the edges; both are professionally matted and framed but will not ship with glass included.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

259

268c

268d 268c

Three Dupont advertising matched pieces. Highly decorative frames, displaying “Wilmington Delaware, EI DuPont and Company.” One piece is titled “October Evening, Ducks Dupont Gun Powder 1802.”

Second is titled “An Early Start, Quail,” also dated 1802. Third titled “Midday Discussion, Woodcock”. Loosened slightly in frame and darkened with age.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,500 - 2,500) 268d

Dupont advertising self-framed tin. Setter and Pointer “Shoot DuPont Powders”, copyright 1903. 22.25” x 28”. Very good and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,500 - 2,500)

174

268e

Winchester advertising “Bear Dogs”. Self framed tin with “W” trademark in each corner and shells on each side. Measures 32” x 42”. Image of dogs from “H.R. Port Philadelphia.” Very small scratches and light wear.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.(5,000 - 10,000)

175

269

Very rare set of wooden corn cobs. A complete set of 12 carved and painted vintage cobs in the original green bag, marked “Cobbie Decoys.” Cobbs are 8.5” long. Bag shows some age; corn pieces are excellent and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,500 - 2,000)

269 270

Remington UMC metal advertising sign. Embossed multiple colors. From American Artworks, Schopton, Ohio. 8.75” x 27.5”. A few small scratches lower left side; a few small spots of paint bubbles have been darkeneed.

(800 - 1,200)

270

271

Rare and early glass target ball thrower, Captain Adam Henry Bogardus (18341913). 25” long. Original with some wear and slight bending to metal label.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

Captain Bogardus was a well known author and competitive shooter in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. He patented the first successful glass ball thrower in 1877. It came in two varieties, the simplest would only throw balls straight away, and cost $6.00 at the time. The example offered here retailed for $8.00 and could be controlled by the person behind the shooter for angled, as well as straight shots, as top spring mounting block pivoted on a large wooden base. Top of this block has tacked on embossed brass medallion with trademark of shooter surrounded by “CAPTAIN BOGARDUS” “PATENT BALL TRAP”. Balls were placed in a brass cup affixed to long side of a large V-spring, which is retained in loaded position by spring-loaded hook at rear with three notches to adjust for distance.

272

271

Glass target ball thrower, Chamberlin Cartridge Company, Cleveland, Ohio. Embossed on bottom plate “THE CHAMBERLIN CARTRIDGE & TARGET CO., PATD, NOV. 7TH, 05, CLEVELAND, OHIO, U.S.A.” A spring load trap. 22” long. Rust and tarnish but appears to be in working condition.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,000 - 2,000)

176

272

Cast iron sink box decoys

273

273

276

274

276a

275

276b

Extremely rare bluewing teal iron sink box decoy. Possibly the only known sink box decoy after the work of George Petersen, Detroit, Michigan. Measures 10.75” long. Old paint, worn mostly to a primer coat with rusting; holes form the casting in the underside back and

from age; joints at feet have been rewelded.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

276

Pair of cast iron sink box decoys from Long Island, New York. Old paint appears to be original; minor

one side.

wear, mostly to white areas.

(500 - 800)

(400 - 600)

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

274

Very rare Canada goose sink box decoy. Cast iron,

decoy. Mason sink box decoys are rare. 13” long. Traces

hollowed out from underside. 21” long. Old paint, some

of old paint.

(2,000 - 3,000) 276a

Sink box decoy. Patterned after a Mason tack eye (400 - 600)

of which may be original; structurally good.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection. (1,000 - 1,500)

275

Rare pair of Canada goose andirons, 1st quarter 20th century. Modeled after a James T. Holly goose from Havre de Grace, Maryland. With added feet and

276b

Pair of cast iron sink box decoys, Madison Mitchell, Havre de Grace, Maryland. Signed and dated 1962.

14” long.

Provenance: General Warren Magruder collection.

(500 - 700)

rear support. Geese measure 18” long. Rusted and pitted

177

Calls

277

277

279

278

280

Box turkey call, Neil Cost, Greenville, South Carolina. Signed and dated 1990. 10” long. Very good and original.

278

(800 - 1,200)

Box turkey call, Neil Cost, Greenville, South Carolina. Signed and dated 1986. 10” long. Very light wear.

281

279

Box turkey call, Neil Cost, Greenville, South Carolina. Signed and dated 1993. 10” long. Very good and original.

280

(800 - 1,200)

Box turkey Call, Neil Cost, Greenville, South Carolina. Signed and dated 1992. Part of a set of six. 10” long. Very good and original.

Very rare Herter’s crow call. With brass label, “Jimmy Robinson” model. Plastic mouth piece with lath turned barrel. 3.5” tall. Shows light in use wear; small dent at lower right of brass plate.

(1,500 - 2,500)

281

178

(800 - 1,200)

(800 - 1,200)

283

285

284

286

283

Three duck calls by various makers. One by John

285

Ferguson, one by Penny Wade, and one by Clyde Harbin.

Harbin call has “120” and “CAH” stamped at top of barrel.

Longest measures 7.25”. All three appear to be original.

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

284

Three heavily carved duck calls. Two by Doug

(700 - 1,000)

Three duck calls, Marv Meyer, Minnesota. Longest measures 6.75”. All are excellent and original.

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

286

Four heavily carved duck calls by different makers. Call with wood ducks on barrel by Virgil Hodges,

(400 - 600)

excellent and original. Call that is checkered by Gerald

Rice, both have checkered stoppers. And one by Ray

Crawford excellent and original. Walnut call with mallard in

Wright with metal band at barrel. Longest measures

cattails by Herb Ohlen. Call with mallards in trees by Benny

7.75”. Excellent and original.

Driskill. Longest measures 6.75”. All excellent and original.

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

(500 - 800)

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

(500 - 800)

179

Contemporary carvings

287

290

288

291

289

292

287

Rigmate pair of redheads, Bob White, Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Both are signed and dated 6/01. Both retain Bob’s quail weight, and have turned heads, raised wingtips, and carved tails. Two piece hollow body. Very good and original.

288

(1,000 - 2,000)

feather painting. 13” long. Excellent and original.

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

291

feather painting on hen’s head. Both are in a somewhat alert pose. 17” long. Original paint; rubs on hen near

and dated 1990. Both retain Bob’s quail weights, have

carved wingtips to expose a gray primer; drake has light

turned heads, raised wingtips and carved tails. 14”

289

crazing on top of back extending through tail and a few

(1,000 - 2,000)

small rubs that have exposed gray primer.

Pair of bluebills, Bob White, Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Both have tucked heads, carved tails,

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

and raised wingtips. 14” long. Both are in strong original

292

paint; drake has some rubs at top of back.

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

290

Pair of gadwall, Bob White, Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Both retain Bob’s quail weights. Carved tail and raised, carved wingtips. Very detailed scratch

Rigmate pair of goldeneye, Bob White, Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Two piece hollow body. Both are signed

long. Very good and original.

(800 - 1,200)

Pair of shovelers, Bob White, Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Hollow carved with tucked heads and wide spoon bills. Raised V wingtips and relief tail feather

(1,000 - 1,500)

carving. Bob White quail weights on underside. Measures 14.25” long. Original paint; minor to moderate crazing;

Pair of tucked head ruddy ducks, Bob White, Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Both retains Bob’s quail weights. Extended carved tails and wingtips. Detailed

(1,200 - 1,800)

areas of sap bleed with paint flaking.

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

(1,000 - 1,400)

293 293

294

295

Pair of pintails, Sean Sutton, Paulsboro, New Jersey. Signed on underside, as well as Sutton weights

and original.

(600 - 900)

heads and have fine paint detail. 16.5” long. Excellent

Very rare and unusual swimming brant, Bob White, Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Signed and dated 1983 and

and original.

has “R. White decoy” carved in triangle pad weight.

attached to the underside. Both have slightly turned

295

(650 - 950)

Carved wingtips and shoulders with a head that is in an 294

Preening hollow carved black duck in the style of Elmer Crowell, George Strunk, Glendora, New Jersey. Relief carved wing and tail carving with crossed wing tips. ‘G. Strunk’ stamped into the lead weight and signed on the underside. Measures 16 1/2” long. Excellent

aggressive swimming pose that is turned to one side. Two piece hollow body. 20” long. Strong original paint; rub on one side of bottom; small wood imperfection in back.

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

(1,500 - 2,000)

298

297

297

299

Hollow carved great blue heron, David B. Ward, Essex, Connecticut. Upright head pose. “DBW” stamped in underside. Measures 34.25” long. Tight crack

Impressive pair of mallards carved in the Caines Brothers style, Ira Skees, Chincoteague, Virginia. Two piece hollow body carved in the style

near stick hole, otherwise excellent and original.

of the Caines Brothers. “I Skees” carved in underside

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

298

Standing black duck, George Strunk, Glendora, New Jersey. Hollow carved with slightly turned, up-

(1,200 - 1,800)

299

of both. Drake is back reaching with bill pegged in to body. Hen has exaggerated serpentine style neck. 20” long. Excellent and original.

(1,000 - 1,500)

looking head. Relief carved wing and tail feathers with crossed wing tips. Signed and stamped ‘G. Strunk’ on the underside. Measures 17” long. Excellent and original.

(800 - 1,200)

181

Massachusetts Keyes Chadwick 1865 - 1958 | Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

Chadwick, a carpenter and poultry farmer, made his first decoys in 1881 for his own use. A few years later he began making decoys under the influence of his neighbor and decoy carver Benjamin Smith. His earliest carving style is nearly identical to Smith’s. Between 1900 and around 1930 Chadwick produced his most stylish work.

After that he simplified his decoy style to make it easier to carve larger quantities and to make the decoys more durable.

300

Excellent rigmate pair of mergansers, Keyes Chadwick, Oak Bluff, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Both have very slightly turned heads. Inletted Vineyard style weights. Drake’s head is slightly reared back and alert, where hen’s is gently tucked. 17.5” long. Dry original paint; some appealing surface crazing to black areas on drake; a few small rubs at tip of bill and head; tight crack in underside of hen.

(18,000 - 22,000)

182

183

301

Mallard hen, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Cork body with wooden bottom board that bares Crowell’s hot oval brand. Also branded “Winthrop” for the rig owner. Charlie Hunter metal tag on underside. 15” long. Strong original paint; light gunning wear.

Provenance: Winthrop rig, Long Island, New York. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,500 - 3,500)

301

302

Goldeneye hen, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Pre brand model with tucked head and feather rasping on the back of head. Measures 15” long. Original paint with moderate to significant flaking and wear; heavily hit by shot; small amount of old glue visible at neck seat.

(2,500 - 3,500)

302 303

Black duck, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Cork body with wooden bottom board that bares Crowell’s perfect oval brand. Also branded “Winthrop” for the rig owner. Charlie Hunter collection tag on underside. 16” long. Original paint with some pieces of cork missing around neck; slight separation between body halves; rubs that exposes bare cork.

Provenance: Winthrop rig, Long Island, New York. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,500 - 3,500)

303

304

Swimming merganser hen, probably Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Head is extended and slightly turned. Glass eyes.

19” long. Original paint that is worn at high spots and edges around body; crest has mostly worn away, but remnants of feathers or hair remain; two cracks in neck; small chews to end of bill; one glass eye is cracked.

304

184

(2,000 - 4,000)

305

Oversize sleeping mallard, Dr. George Ross Starr, Jr., Duxbury, Massachusetts. Thinly hollowed with relief wing and tail feather carving. Head is turned and resting on back. Inserted metal tail sprig.

Starr’s two ink stamps and hot brand on the underside. Measures 17 1/2” long. Original paint with very minor discoloration; area on one side near tail has filler and touch up; a few very minor dents.

Provenance: Ex Dr. George Ross Starr, Jr. collection. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

305

(1,200 - 1,800) 306

American merganser drake from Martha’s Vineyard, 1st quarter 20th century. Hollow carved with long body and slight crest carving on head. Measures 19 3/4” long. Original paint with moderate to significant crazing and wear; separation at body seam; small chip at nail in one side; small amount of glue visible at neck seat.

Provenance: Robert and Sylvia Mangold collection.

Literature: A rigmate is pictured on page 126

306

of “Martha’s Vineyard Decoys”, by Stanley Murphy.

306a

(1,500 - 2,500)

Black duck, Charles Hart, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century.

A working decoy which has been hollowed from underside. Branded “H Day” in side, also has George Ross Starr collection stamp and “WWB” branded in underside. Finely carved feathers, wingtips, and tail. Two piece body construction. Glass eyes and head that is slightly turned. 17” long. A very thin early second coat of paint has mostly worn away to expose a mix of original and thin second; light gunning

306a

wear.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(800 - 1,200)

307

Red breasted merganser drake, Frank Adams, West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Note on underside says, “From the ex George Thompson collection.”

Sold in July 2004, lot 418. Two piece body with tack eyes. 16” long. Old paint is mostly a second surface; flaking to bare spots of wood; some discoloration; head has also been reset and is slightly off of neck seat.

(1,500 - 2,000)

307

185

Joseph Lincoln 1859 - 1938 | Accord, Massachusetts

307a

Stylized black duck, Joseph Lincoln, Accord, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Ice groove carved at back of neck. Well executed head carving has deep jowl and is reared back. 18” long. Strong original paint; crack in one side of back and typical Lincoln crack in underside; small rough area at one side of tail; some paint flaking in both body and head where wood is exposed.

(5,000 - 8,000)

186

308

309

308

Rare white wing scoter drake, Joseph Lincoln, Accord, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Large oversized decoy with tack eyes and sculpted bill. 17” long. Thin original paint has worn evenly to expose a raised wood grain; tight cracks in back of body;

309

paint loss to bare wood, mostly at one side of the underside of decoy.

(4,000 - 6,000) 309

Rare goldeneye drake, Joseph Lincoln, Accord, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Slight shoulder carving and incised bill.

Measures 15” long. Original paint with minor to moderate gunning wear; small dents and shot marks; tight crack through neck; split in the underside typical of Lincoln decoys.

Provenance: Guyette & Schmidt April 2004, lot 640. Robert & Sylvia Mangold collection.

(5,000 - 8,000)

187

310

313

311

314

312

315

310

Rare very small working decoy, unknown maker, Maine. “C.M.” carved in underside. Inletted neck. 8.5”

313

long. Original paint with partial bill replacement; crack in

Canada goose “loomer,” Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Removable head. 47” long. Dry original paint with rubbed areas and edge wear.

neck has been reglued; moderate, what appear to be,

(800 - 1,200)

gunning wear that is unusual for a decoy this size.

(800 - 1,000) 311

Pair of goldeneye, Leigh Witherspoon, Vinalhaven, Maine. Both have inlet head and carved eyes. 13.25” long. Very good and original.

312

314

Typical round inlayed lead weight on underside. 14.75”

(1,000 - 1,400)

Canvas covered old squaw drake, Joseph Lincoln, Accord, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Tack eyes with canvas over wood construction. 17” long. Original paint with some strengthening to black area on head; appears to be restoration to underside of bill.

(1,000 - 1,500)

Redhead drake, Keyes Chadwick, Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, 2nd quarter 20th century. “WE Dugan” branded in underside. long. Original paint with moderate gunning wear; lightly hit by shot; hairline crack in back.

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

315

Black duck, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Crowell’s oval brand is burned in to the underside. 16.5” long with slightly turned head. Original paint with moderate wear; cracks in underside; lightly hit by shot; small shot scar at tip of bill.

188

(1,000 - 1,400)

(900 - 1,200)

James Bourne 1868 - 1952 | Pembrook, Massachusetts

316

Rare old squaw drake, James Bourne, Pembrooke, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Original paint with minor wear, mostly on back; several tiny dents.

(6,000 - 9,000)

189

Elmer Crowell 1862 - 1952 | East Harwich, Massachusetts

Dr. Lombard Carter Jones.

317

Rigmate pair of bluebills, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts. Pre brand, circa 1900.

Slightly turned heads. Both have “DR. L.C. Jones” written in old script on the underside for Dr. Lombard Carter Jones (1865-1944) of Sandwich and Falmouth, Massachusetts. Jones owned the “Chateau de Coot” camp in Sandwich. 14” long. Good original paint; shows light gunning wear; some rubbed areas have paint loss; dent in back of hen; a few shot scars on drake; a very minor amount of touchup to lower edge of hen’s bill.

190

(8,000 - 12,000)

317a

Rare brant, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Crowell’s oval brand is in the underside. Very slightly turned head, good paint detail with painted crossed wingtips. Tack eyes and inserted bill. 19” long. Small amount of paint restoration to areas around eyes where oxidization occurred; hairline crack in head.

(12,000 - 18,000)

191

317b

Early goldeneye drake, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts, circa 1910. Pre brand. Slightly turned head. Rasp marks at back of head and feather painting at wingtips and tail. 15” long. Strong original paint with light gunning wear; a few rubs, mostly on back; one small area with filler missing at one side of breast.

192

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

(8,000 - 10,000)

318

Very rare bluewing teal hen, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Crowell’s oval brand is in the underside. Head is turned approximately 45 degrees. 11” long. Original paint with minor wear, mostly on sides; crack through neck base; small dents.

Provenance: From a hunting rig used on the Edisto, Combahee and Ashepoo Rivers in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Purchased directly from Crowell in 1925, there were originally six birds, four of which still exist. Crowell teal “hunting” decoys are extremely rare, less than a dozen examples are known in collections.

(8,000 - 12,000)

193

Miniatures by Jess Blackstone 1909 - 1988 | Concord, New Hampshire All of the New England states have their miniaturist of note. New Hampshire’s claim to fame in this regard rests firmly on the work of Jess Blackstone and George Boyd.

Jess was prolific in not only the number of carvings he created, but also the sheer variety of birds he produced.

Jess was named after his mother, Jesse Gertrude Dill. His birth certificate records his middle name as “Atwood”, however, for the rest of his life, all documents list his middle name as “Dill”. Through 1940, the family resided at various locations in Melrose, Massachusetts, a densely populated suburb of Boston. Young Jess must have had an innate talent for drawing, and, probably art in general. His 1928 Melrose High School yearbook notes that he was “one of the class artists” who “helped his classmates by drawing posters and cartoons”. He would capitalize on these experiences immediately after graduation by working for a local newspaper as a “cartoonist”. In the 1930s he transitioned back and forth between this occupation and that of “sign painter”. At some point, he attended the Cambridge Art School and studied briefly under Maurice Day, the owner of “The Whittle Shop” in Damariscota, Maine.

Fortunately, there were some nearby natural areas near his home that provided habitat for a variety of birds and, from an early age, beginning perhaps as young as 19, he became an avid birder. His father, Arthur, began a small business in carved miniature birds in 1937 and he was soon joined by his son who decided to combine his creative talents of sign painting and his love of birds into a vocation. The team produced a number of carvings together, many of which were identified by a goldcolored label on the bottom noting “Hand Carved and Painted by Blackstone”. In about 1940 or 1941 Jess married his wife Edith Ruth and the couple moved to Penacook, New Hampshire. He enlisted in the Army during WWII and served from 1943 to 1945. Upon returning from service, the couple moved to nearby Concord, New Hampshire where he is remembered as living in a modest rural home with a sizable yard. His workshop was in a corner of the kitchen of his home, near a large window which allowed him to view his beloved avian subjects at close hand. His carving and painting talents soon far surpassed those of his mentors, his father and Maurice Day. The marketing of his birds, however, was always an issue. Initially, he had tried the usual methods, such as local shows or consignments through outlets such as Abercrombie and Fitch. Ultimately, he settled into a long relationship with the prestigious “League of New Hampshire Craftsmen” and most of his sales after the war were through either their art galleries or their craft fairs.

194

He was quite prolific with an estimated lifelong production of 8,500 to 8,750 pieces. Unlike other New England mini carvers, Blackstone’s subjects were primarily songbirds. Joe Ellis, in “Birds in Wood and Paint”, records 164 different species that are credited to him, some in both male and female plumages. He followed in the footsteps of Elmer Crowell, mounting the bulk of his tiny jewels on carved and painted “stone” or “rock” bases with a rare few positioned on pieces of driftwood. His birds were carved from white pine and he would typically produce between 30 to 60 birds per month. He differed from most carvers by giving his birds a light rasp finish prior to painting which nicely imparts life to the feathering. He identified each carving with the name of the species on the bottom along with his now familiar stylized and conjoined “JB” signature. Being almost obsessive, he also recorded the number of the species in the order in which it was carved. A warbler with the number 5 indicated that this was the fifth bird of that species that he produced. Some birds were carved in far greater numbers than others. He is said to have carved around 2,500 chickadees alone, perhaps indicating the popularity of that species and the ease with which it would sell. Occasionally a bird would be dated but this is rare. Large numbers such as 63123 were used in the early 1960s to indicate that this example was carved in 1963 and it was the 123rd of that species carved. A “DW” prefix would indicate a driftwood mount. In the mid 1940s his typical bird was selling for $2.00 but by the early 80s he was getting $50.00 or more per carving.

Ill health forced Jess to stop carving in the early 1980s, but his reputation will always remain strong. The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen has developed an annual award in his name and his work is included in a number of museums, including the permanent collections of the New Hampshire Historical Society. His birds were included in exhibits at the Worcester Art Museum and the Massachusetts Audubon’s Museum of American Bird Art. Jess Blackstone is buried in the Dartmouth College Cemetery in Handcock, New Hampshire.

319

322

320

323

321

324

319

Cerulean warbler, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “#24 cerulean warbler” and

322

signed “JB”. 3.5” long. Excellent and original.

Pine siskin, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “6410 siskin” and signed “JB”. 3.5” long. Excellent and original.

(800 - 1,200)

(1,000 - 1,200) 323 320

Canada goose, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “64132 Canada goose”

Ruby crowned kinglet, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “89 Kinglet” and signed “JB”. 3.5” long. Excellent and original.

(600 - 800)

and signed “JB”. 4.5” long. Excellent and original.

(1,000 - 1,250) 321

Audubon warbler, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “4 Audubon’s warbler” and

324

Tree sparrow, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “21” in pencil and “tree sparrow” in pen. 4” long. Excellent and original. (600 - 800)

signed “JB”. 3.5” long. Excellent and original. (800 - 1,200)

195

325

328

326

329

327

330

325

Semi palmate plover, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “#3 semi palmate plo-

328

ver” and has a gold Blackstone sticker. 3” long. Excellent and original.

signed “JB”. 3.5” long. Excellent and original.

Gold finch, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “145 goldfinch” and is signed “JB”. 3.5” long. Excellent and original.

327

196

Grasshopper sparrow, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “#2 grasshopper sparrow” and signed “JB”. 5.5” long. Excellent and original.

(600 - 900)

Golden crowned kinglet, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “293 Kinglet” and signed “JB”. 3.5” long. Excellent and original.

(600 - 800)

(600 - 900) 329

326

Ruby crowned kinglet, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “260 Kinglet” and

(600 - 900)

(600 - 900) 330

Red breasted nuthatch, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “468 nuthatch” and signed “JB”. 3.5” long. Excellent and original.

(600 - 800)

331

333

332

334

331

Mallard drake, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Mounted on weighted board. Finely painted

333

Robin, Arthur Blackstone. Underside reads “Robin”. 4” long. Original paint with some light rubs on body.

with glass eyes. 4” long. Original paint shows light wear from handling.

(300 - 500)

(400 - 600) 334

332

Greenwing teal drake, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Mounted on weighted board. Finely

Chickadee, Arthur Blackstone. Underside reads “chickadee”. 3.5” long. Very good and original with small area of paint missing near belly.

(300 - 500)

painted with glass eyes. 4” long. Original paint shows light wear from handling.

335

335

(400 - 600)

336

337

Chickadee, Arthur Blackstone. Underside reads “chickadee”. 4” long. Tiny dent at tip of bill; slight knot

Chickadee, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Underside reads “466 chickadee” signed

separation at one side.

“JB”. 4” long. Strong original paint; slight edge wear to

(300 - 500)

337

one side of tail; tip of bill is slightly blunted.

336

(200 - 300)

Chickadee, Jess Blackstone, Concord, New Hampshire. Signed “16/56” on underside with word “Chickadee”. 3.75” long. Excellent and original. (300 - 600)

197

Items of interest

338

339

340

341

338

Two tiered micmiac Indian wall basket, Nova Scotia, circa 1900. Split ash construction. 16.5” tall. Original sur-

side; otherwise remains unpainted and shows light rust in

smaller split ash cross pieces are missing.

some areas.

Provenance: Guyette collection. Purchase from Chris (350 - 450)

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

341

Early dove tailed seed holder, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, last quarter 19th century. Dovetailed con-

Early carved wooden setter, possibly 1st quarter 20th century. Multiple pieced construction has sepadog’s longer coat. 27” long x 17” tall. At least two coats of paint have been applied and worn off but show good age; wear around face or nose from repeated handling.

198

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,000 - 1,500)

(800 - 1,200)

struction. 7” x 10” x 22”. Inside is divided into compartments.

Original buttermilk paint; minor wear; mouse hole chewed

rated slightly at most seams. Carved texture to simulate a

Sheet metal weathervane of a pointer, probably 2nd quarter 20th century. 43” long. Original paint to one

face with excellent patina; some rapping and some of the

Huntington in late 1970s.

339

340

into one corner; slight roughness to bottom molding.

Provenance: Guyette collection. Purchased out of a shed loft in LaHave, Nova Scotia, circa 1975.

(350 - 450)

342

345

343

346

344

347

342

Miniature whale, David Ward, Essex, Connecticut. 15” long. Glass eyes with open mouth and

9.5” tall. Stoneware flask and early stoneware crock

teeth. Base is signed on underside. David Ward’s initials

street NY.” Original and good.

marked “Haskell and merick. Drougests North 10 gold

stamped in underside. Excellent and original. (800 - 1,200) 345 343

(500 - 800)

Five wooden items, four measures and one firkin.

A pair of penguins. Each is carved from a laminate

All in original buttermilk paint; measures vary from 9.5” to

piece of wood. Both have carved eyes, carved wings,

10.5” in diameter. Firkin is 11.5” tall. Original and good

and feet. 12” tall. Both are in original paint with considerable paint loss from weathering; one has tip of bill missing other has a reset bill.

Provenance: Steven Michaan collection.

Provenance: Guyette collection.

346

Large hand made bear trap, possibly circa 1900. Hand forged iron with square bolts. Has three teeth

(1,000 - 1,500)

(350 450)

in total on jaws. Trap is 26” long. Structurally good.(350 344

Five pieces of stonewear last half 19th century. Two

450)

are redware. Redware double handle marriage ceremony goblet, 5” tall. Handled blue decorated crock with cover,

347

Cast iron sheep. 22” long x 12” high. Original and good.

(650 - 950)

199

351

348

352 350

353

348

Two color painted blanket box with turned feet, circa 1900. Two inset panels at front with metal escutch-

antique shop on the Trans Canadian Highway, New

green inset panels. Original paint with wear, mostly on

Brunswick around 1980.

edges.

(800 - 1,200) 352

350

Provenance: Guyette collection. Purchased from a

eon. 23” tall x 36” wide x 20” deep. Box is maroon with four

(350 - 450)

A set of andirons, circa 1900. Each of a black butler

Old decoy sign which came off the door to Elmer Crowell’s shop, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 7.25” x 24.75”. Original and good; post was added at a later

dressed in fancy top coat with hands on knees and knees

date.

long.

Provenance: Purchased at Richard Bourne July 1988 auction, pictured on cover.

of iron with extended arm inserted in to back. 17” tall x 18”

353

(800 - 1,200)

Miniature display shelf, Buck Crawford. Pair of canvasbacks and swans mounted on canted shelfs attached

Literature: “The Art of the Decoy,” Adele Earnest, p. 167, exact item pictured.

bent. Both are painted black and are cast from one piece

(800 - 1,200)

to backboard. Appears to be circa 1940 or 1950. Swans are similar to those made by Bob McGaw. Board measures 18” long. All are covered in a coat of varnish that has

351

200

Small tapered leg stand, New Brunswick, last quarter 19th century. 28.5” tall. With backsplash is another 4”. Original paint; with striped decoration; minor wear.

mellowed and darkened slightly otherwise very good and original.

(800 - 1,200)

354

355

356

354

357

358

Pine pail bench, Lunenburg county, Nova Scotia, last quarter 19th century. 43” tall x 48” wide x 10”

356

deep. Constructed with hand forged nails. Boot jack ends.

14”. Motor has been restored and is cleaned of all oil and

Original buttermilk red paint with moderate wear; molded

gasoline.

back splash on top shelf is missing; cracks in shelves.

Provenance: Dale and Gary Guyette collection.

Purchased from Doug Selig in the late 1970s.

355

Vintage boat motor, made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Evinrude, Elto. ELTO and Cub labels on gas tank. 30” x

357

all oil residue and gasoline.

358

cross bracing. Beveled edges on legs. 28” tall. Seat is

(500 - 700)

Early stave construction pine bucket with extended handle. Measures 25” tall x approximately 12” wide at base. Original red paint; natural wear and shrinkage.

10.5” x 18.5”. Bow back windsor and stick back windsor.

Stick back in original paint. Butter milk brown paint with

Vintage boat motor, Made in USA, Neptune. 23” x 19”. For display purposes only. Motor has been cleaned of

(600 - 900)

Three chairs.Weavers stool, Prince Edward Island, last quarter 19th century. Doweled construction on

(700 - 900)

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(400 - 600)

minor wear; moderate wear to the primer in bare wood on seat; chip missing from one side of front edge.

Provenance: Dale and Gary Guyette collection.

Purchased from a picker on Prince Edward Island around 1980.

(350 - 450)

End of session one 201

SESSION TWO Thursday, November 11, 2021 | 10:00 am

Ward Brothers

202

359

Rare pair of flying green wing teal, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. Relief wing and tail feather carving. Extended crest on drake. Signed by Lem and dated 1952 on the belly. Measure 14” long with a 15” and 15 1/2” wing span. Strong original paint with very minor paint rubs at tips of bills and wing tips.

Provenance: Richard Oliver July 1988 sale. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(12,000 - 15,000)

203

360

Exceptional pair of gadwall, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. This is one of the rarest species made by the Ward Brothers, and is only the second pair that our company has sold in nearly 40 years. Both signed and dated 1971. Inscription reads “My Best Gadwall, my third pair.” Hollow carved with fine feather wing tip and tail carving. Both have turned heads, which are slightly reared back to show a content well fed resting duck. Excellent original paint.

204

(14,000 - 18,000)

205

361

Black duck heads gun rack, Charles E. ‘Shang’ Wheeler, Stratford, Connecticut. Made to hold five shotguns. Tack eyes and fine scratch feather paint detail. Each measures 34” high with the duck heads measuring 6 1/2” long. Original paint with minor to moderate flaking and wear from actual use as a gun rack; minor dents, otherwise very good structurally.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

206

362

An early and well weathered gull fence post topper, Gus Wilson, South Portland, Maine. Wilson’s bent metal feet, mounted to a contemporary board; inlet head with carved eyes. Raised wingtips.

16” long. Several coats of paint have worn away to create a very weathered surface; several nails exposed at one patch; several splits in body; weathering cracks at neck.

Provenance: Dr. John Dinan collection.

(3,000 - 4,000)

362

363

Standing wood duck, Ralph Laurie, Hingham, Massachusetts. Extended crest and relief wing tip carving. Measures 16 1/4” long. Original paint with minor discoloration and wear; very good structurally.

Provenance: Last sold at Eldred’s July 1987. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,000 - 1,500)

363

207

364

Redhead hen, Chauncey Wheeler, Alexandria Bay, New York. Full size half body flyer. “Female redhead” in pencil written on back. Fine feather detailing, mostly on breast, underside, and wing.

21” long. Dry original paint with exception of an area of inpainting where wing is attached to body.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(8,000 - 12,000)

364a

Exceedingly rare dove, Chauncey Wheeler, Alexandria Bay, New York, 1st quarter 20th century. Delicate bill carving, glass eyes, and inserted tin tail.

Wheeler only carved one rig of dove for his friend and carving student John Philip Sousa of Sachets Harbor, New York. Measures 12” long. Original paint with very minor wear; area on each side of head with touch up; also an area on the underside and one side with touch up; a few small dents and paint flakes and a tiny flake from tip of bill; neck crack repair with touch up.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: See page 53 of ‘Chance’, by Harold W. Reiser, III for the story on Wheeler doves, exact decoy pictured.

(3,000 - 5,000)

208

365

Flying black duck, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia. Applied wings and feet. Scratch feather paint detail and fluted tail. Measures 17” long with a 26 1/2” wing span. Original paint under a coat of varnish with moderate discoloration and minor wear; minor flaking and tight cracks in neck seat; bottom wing appears to have been off and reattached with the joint being slightly raised; reglued chip in one side of one foot.

(3,000 - 5,000)

209

366

366

Rare and desirable pair of flying canvasbacks, Capt. John Glenn, Rock Hall, Maryland, 1st quarter 20th century. Both are in in-flight pose with applied wings, and feet trailing behind body. Necks are extended straight out. Detailed feather painting on backs, which includes fanciful wet on wet blending on drake. 14” long. Strong original paint; small rub on neck of drake and slight separation at neck seam; rough area to one side of hen’s bill; each has small area of wood loss at one wingtip.

(4,000 - 6,000)

367

Flying grouse, Phillipe Sirois, Arrowsic, Maine. Tack eyes and inlet head feathers. Fanned out inlet tail. Applied wings with incised feather carving. Real grouse legs and feet. Measures 16 3/4” long. Original paint that has darkened with age; a few small flakes to filler at body seams; tiny chip in one wing tip feather.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection. One of two flying grouse that hung in Sirois’s house, the other was in the collection of 367

210

Dr. John Dinan Jr.

(2,000 - 3,000)

368

369

368

368

Excellent pair of decorative mallards, John Zachman, Detroit, Michigan. Relief carved wings and raised neck seat. Detailed bill carving and curled tail sprig on drake. Comb feather paint detail on drake.

Measure 14 1/2” and 15” long. Minor paint rubs and flakes on bills, otherwise excellent and original.

369

(4,000 - 6,000)

Well carved mallard drake, Roger Barton, San Francisco, California. “RWB” stamped in weight. 17” long. Relief wing carving. Carved primaries and secondaries. Fluted tail. Very slightly turned head. Excellent and original.

Provenance: Miller collection, collection stamp on underside. (3,000 - 4,000)

211

Ron Tepley 1933 - 2021 | Racine, Wisconsin

370

* Outstanding golden eagle, Ron Tepley,

Racine, Wisconsin, circa 1970. One of the best figures we have seen from him, with the exception of the hawk that is also in this sale. Full decorative detail with applied and inserted wing and tail feathers. Mounted on wood that is carved to simulate a piece of twisted wood in stone. Made from composite. Alert eagle has head turned looking at sky. 34” tall. Excellent in all respects.

Provenance: Lynnwood Herrington collection.

(5,000 - 8,000)

212

371

* Incredible red tail hawk, Ron

Tepley, Racine, Wisconsin, circa 1970. Wings are fanned to create a protective posture. A full size piney has been captured and remains 371

clutched in the talons of the hawk, which is resting on a rock, sitting on a gravel base mounted to a carved wooden pedestal. Heavy feather detail carving with individually carved and inserted tail feathers and wings. 20.5” tall Excellent original paint; good structurally.

Provenance: Lynnwood Herrington collection.

372

(4,000 - 6,000)

* Pair of carved gyrfalcon, Ron

Tepley, Racine, Wisconsin, circa 1970. Both are mounted to stone form. Heavily carved detail and inserted wing and tail feathers. Stone form has applied lichen or moss, carved in wood to simulate a rock.

25” tall. Top falcon has tight crack in breast with some pitch bleed in that area; small spots of staining on one side of wing; other has very small amount of wingtip damage at both tips.

Provenance: Lynnwood Herrington 372

collection.

(2,000 - 4,000)

213

373

376

374

377

375

378

373

Wood cock on trinket box, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Signed. Carving measures 6.5” tall.

376

Pair of bluebills, John Zachman. Signed and dated 1970. Fine feather carving detail at wingtips and tails.

Finely detailed wingtip and tail feather carving. Very

Drake is branded “JZ” and has an exhibition sticker for

good and original.

the 1969 Great Mississippi Valley Fair in Davenport, Iowa.

(800 - 1,200)

13.75” long. Excellent and original.

374

Standing wood duck drake, Frank Finney, Cape Charles, Virginia. Full size, back preening or resting,

377

(1,200 - 1,500)

Stylish pintail drake, William Schultz. Carved prima-

with dropped tail and raised and split wingtips. High qual-

ries and secondaries and fluted tail. Head is turned slightly

ity scratch painting at side pockets. Carved feet, and

to one side. 20” long. Excellent and original.

mounted on carved wooden base. 9.5” tall. Excellent

(1,200 - 1,500)

and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

375

(1,500 - 2,500)

Full bodied decorative black bellied plover on stone base, Al Glassford, Smith Falls, Ontario.

Signed. Carving stands 9.5” tall. Body is 4” wide with finely detailed feather carving and slightly turned head. Very good and original.

214

(800 - 1,200)

378

Rigmate pair of pintails, John McLoughlin, Bordentown, New Jersey. Note on underside signed by wife and McLoughlin. Both have two piece hollow body.

Hen has a tucked head, with carved raised wingtips and carved tail. Drake has turned head, carved wingtips, carved tail, with extended double sprig. Drake 21” long. Both are very good and original.

(1,500 - 2,500)

378a

3/4 size standing pintail hen, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland.

Signed and dated 1948. Balsa body with inserted cedar tail and turned cedar head. 12” long. Good feather paint detail. Original paint; minor wear; feet are professional replacements; small amount of touchup at one side of neck seat. (3,000 - 4,000)

215

Illinois River Bert Graves 1887 - 1956 | Peoria, Illinois

379

Exceptional mallard hen, Bert Graves, Peoria, Illinois, 1st quarter 20th century. Two piece hollow body with original Graves weight. “P” branded on underside for Puckaway Club, a noted North Central Wisconsin hunting club. Excellent feather painting by Catherine Elliston. Several small string marks around neck and one over back area; very light rubs near underside.

(4,000 - 6,000)

216

380

Rigmate pair of mallards, Bert Graves, Peoria, Illinois, 1st quarter 20th century. Both retain original Graves weights. Two piece hollow bodies. Excellent original paint; very light gunning wear.

(4,000 - 6,000)

380

217

381

382

384

383

381

382

Rigmate pair of pintails, Hec Whittington, Oglesby, Illinois. Both stamped and dated 1974. Both have Starr

14.75” long. Original flocked paint with minor wear; mul-

Each has inset and extended wingtips. 18” long. Both

tiple spots of touchup to flaking; very minor blunting to

are very good and original.

bill tip.

(1,200 - 1,800)

Mallard drake, Charles Kelso, Tiskilwa, Illinois, 1st quarter 20th century. Hollow carved. Part of the

384

(800 - 1,200)

Very rare 1/2 size trumpeter swan, Hec Whittington, Oglesby, Illinois. Stamped and signed November

Fred Dunbar rig. Possibly made by Kelso and painted

1975. Hollow body with glass eyes. 18” long. Original

by Charles Althoff. “F.D.” and “36” or “3C” painted on

paint; structurally good; small tail chip repair.(800 - 1,200)

erate wear; neck crack repair and some spots of inpainting mostly on back and one side.

Provenance: Governor Jim Thompson collection.

(600 - 800)

218

Crow, Charles Perdew, Henry, Illinois, 2nd quarter 20th century. On wire legs with glass eyes. Measures

collection stamp on underside. Comb painting on drake.

underside. 17” long. Original paint has darkened; mod-

383

385

Hollow carved bluebill drake, Fred Allen, Monmouth, Illinois, last quarter 19th century. Good comb paint detail on back. Original paint; minor wear; moderate wear on top of head; a few small dents.

Literature: “Decoys and Decoy Carvers of Illinois,” Paul Parmelee and Forest Loomis.

(2,000 - 3,000)

385

386

Bluebill drake, Robert Elliston, Bureau, Illinois, last quarter 19th century. Hollow carved with original Elliston weight. 14” long. Mostly original paint; small area of inpainting at top of back, around neck seam; coat of varnish and some white paint on sides has been professionally removed.

Literature: “Decoys of the Mississippi Flyway,” Alan Haid.

(2,000 - 3,000) 386

387

Mallard hen, Charles Walker, Princeton, Illinois, 2nd quarter 20th century. Two piece hollow body with round bottom and raised wings. Head is turned. Strong combing on back of body and wings. From the Zering rig, share number 25 at the Princeton Club.

That info is painted on underside. 17” long. Original paint with restoration around wing patch areas and along top of head; restoration also to a crack in neck.

388

(2,000 - 3,000)

387

Rare dove decoy, Charles Perdew, Henry, Illinois. Made as part of the gift to Otto Meyer. 9.5” long. Original paint; protected by a coat of varnish; structurally good.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

388

219

Charles Perdew 1874 - 1963 | Henry, Illinois Ruben was fortunate to step into the reins of a thriving company which was started by his father, Peter, and two older brothers in 1895. The family were farmers who began a woven wire fence manufacturing business in a small shed behind their home. Peter’s fences, which featured a keystone design, were advertised as being “horse high, pig tight and bull strong”. The company prospered and grew at an astounding rate, ultimately becoming one of the largest employers in the Bartonsville area.

After his father’s death, the company, now Keystone Steel and Wire, was under the control of his older brothers and by 1917/18, Ruben was working as a “chemist” at the factory. He rose through the ranks, becoming vice president by 1930, general manager by the 1940s, and by the time of his death, president, and general manager.

He married his German born wife, Martha Marie Borsh in a ceremony in Lucerne Switzerland in 1921. The couple raised two sons and a daughter while living in the Peoria Heights section of Peoria. They would

return to Europe often and, unfortunately, it was on a trip to Germany where he passed away. His death was reported in newspapers as far away as Tampa Florida, Cedar Rapids Iowa and San Francisco, CA. An ardent sportsman, he could afford the finest of equipment and his decoys were from the shop of Charles Perdew for use at his Rice Pond Club near Chillicothe, IL. One of the most exclusive private clubs in the Illinois River Valley. At the Rice Pond, they use a draw down natural vegetation management system to create a natural and appealing habitat for their nearly 1500 acres. A true hunters paradise.

389

389

Rigmate pair of mallards, Charles Perdew, Henry, Illinois, circa 1945. Hen has slightly turned head. Both

Mallard drake, Charles Perdew, Henry, Illinois. Retains Perdew weight. 15.75” long. Near mint

are branded “RES” for Ruben Ed Sommer (1899-1961) who

original paint protected by its original coat of varnish;

was an owner/ member of the Rice Pond near Chillicothe,

several tiny spots of slight discoloration on back; structur-

Illinois. Both retain Perdew weight. Original paint with

ally good.

good painta and minor to moderate wear; hairline crack in drake’s bill; very minor amount of touchup to approximately 3/4” of tail area where paint had flaked away and also to very small rea at back of neck seat of drake.

(12,000 - 15,000)

220

390

(4,000 - 6,000)

389

390

221

North Carolina Lee Dudley 1860 - 1942 | Knott’s Island, North Carolina

222

“Lee Dudley Canada Goose Decoy. As fine a goose decoy as was ever made in the back Bay/Currituck region. Obvious “Dudley” profile. “V” wing carving and shoulders are very pronounced. The goose bodies are highly sculptured. Made for “club” use.”

Dick McIntyre, commenting on this exact goose, Decoy Magazine, March, 1994

391

Extremely rare and important Canada goose, Lee Dudley, Knotts Island, North Carolina, last quarter 19th century. Possibly the only known example with the original head and neck. Wing relief carving with extended tail. Head that is slightly reared back. A large “LD” carved in underside was probably added at a later date.

20” long. Bill is a professional replacement; multiple coats of old paint with traces of original; flaking to paint with heavy gunning wear shown on both body and head.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: “Gunnin’ Birds,” Kroghie Andresen, p. 80. ‘Southern Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, Jr., p. 216, exact decoy pictured.

(75,000 - 125,000)

223

392

Redhead drake, Lee Dudley, Knotts Island, North Carolina. A sleek bird with wonderful lines and upswept tail. Original Dudley weight.

Very old line tie. “LD” branded in underside. 13” long. Decoy is in old paint, and last painted as a scoter as a rig of these were; most of them have had the scoter paint removed over time; tight crack in neck; bill is a professional replacement

by Cameron McIntyre.

224

(20,000 - 30,000)

225

Ned Burgess 1868 - 1958 | Churches Island, North Carolina While Ned Burgess became one of, if not the most prolific decoy carver from the Tar Heel State, deciphering the early years of his life is a challenge. He is said to have spent his youth largely “fending for himself”, fishing, trapping, and signing on aboard sailing vessels. Both Dick McIntyre and Kroghie Andresen have researched Burgess and state that, based on a 1957 interview, Burgess’ father died when he was five and he was orphaned by age nine. At twelve, Burgess is said to have lost the sight of one eye when a neighborhood girl threw sand in his face. The only vague written mention of his birth or early years is a reference in his brief obituary stating that “he was a native of Perquimans County, (N.C)”. The first verifiable printed record pertaining to him is his 1895 marriage to Laura Ellen Harris in Currituck County, North Carolina. The couple resided in Atlantic Township on the Outer Banks through at least 1900, while Ned worked as a fisherman. Their daughter, Eunice, was born in 1906 and, by 1910, the family had moved to New Hope in Perquimans County where Ned found employment as a farmer. Between 1917 and at least 1923, Burgess was in Norfolk, Virginia working as a fisherman and employed at a shipyard.

During the 1930s and 40s, he had moved the family back to North Carolina, living in Poplar Branch. His daughter died young in 1946 and Laura died in 1950.

Andresen states that after the death of his loved ones he moved to Waterlilly and lived out his years in a simple, tar paper covered home, assisted at times by his grandchildren.

Not having had the easiest of childhoods, with losing the sight in one eye in his youth, Burgess’ vision began to fail in his “good” eye in adulthood. He suffered a number of ailments throughout his life, ultimately having a leg amputated due to poor circulation. He died in the Norfolk General Hospital after a lengthy 38-day stay and is buried in Waterlilly, NC.

226

Regardless of his misfortunes, Burgess was a prolific carver over his lifetime. It is commonly accepted that Burgess never owned a bandsaw and hand chopped all of his decoys. In his 1957 interview he is said to have estimated that his normal production was about 500 decoys per year and it is estimated that his life long total is between 5,000 and 10,000 birds. The thin necks on his heads were strengthened with a nail driven in from below before they were fastened to the body with three additional nails. The surfaces were left textured, which he felt reduced glare when on the water. His production was, as one would suspect, driven by the demand for those species most commonly sought and, thus, canvasbacks comprise a very large portion of his total output. His very few mallards therefore are extremely rare and almost impossible to find in original paint today. He did most of his carving in a simple outdoor structure which, due to his poor eyesight, afforded him better lighting. His paint patterns were, likewise, kept quite minimalistic and have sometimes been referred to as somewhat “art deco” in nature.

Apparently, Burgess was not overly fastidious for, in his later years, his house and yard were said to be covered with shavings scattered everywhere from his carving.

The demand for his work never diminished and he had a reliable following from a number of U.S. Congressmen and Senators for their own rigs. He also filled sizable orders for some of the better gunning clubs of his day, such as The Currituck Shooting Club, the Dews Island Club, Pine Island Club and others.

His work was appreciated during his lifetime and, as North Carolina authority Kroghie Andresen has writen; “A Ned Burgess decoy in original paint deserves a prominent place in any collection”.

Ned Burgess’s wife (left) and daughter (right).

393

Rare mallard drake, Ned Burgess, Churches Island, North Carolina. Very rare species for this maker. Measures 16.75” long. Dry original paint; very minor wear; small reglued chip at top of tail; minor roughness on one side of tip of bill.

Provenance: Ex Jim Lewis collection. Julia & Guyette Fall 1987 sale, lot 84. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(8,000 - 12,000)

227

394

Redhead drake, Rufus Roberts. 16.5” long. Original paint with minor wear; struc-

turally good.

Provenance: Richard Borne tag on underside states decoy was sold in August 1986.

Charlie Hunter, III collection. (2,000 - 3,000)

394

395

Canvasback hen, Ned Burgess, Churches Island, North Carolina. 18” long. Near mint in all respects; slight amount of wear around tip of bill; mark at one side of body.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

395

396

Rare and early black duck, Callie O’Neal, Churches Island, North Carolina, circa 1940. Painted feathering and wing patch. 18” long. Strong original paint; rough area at tail; black paint drip on one side; a few small rubs; tiny dents.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

396

397

Swimming coot, Joe Hayman, Corolla, North Carolina, 2nd quarter 20th century. Forward head pose. Measures 13 1/4” long. Original paint with minor wear; hairline crack in bill, otherwise excellent structurally.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,500 - 3,500)

397

228

398

Root head swan, North Carolina, unknown maker, 1st quarter 20th century. A full body field decoy.

An extended, over hanging tail. 27” long. May possibly have been a goose then repainted as a swan, as there is some dark possibly primer under the coat of white, which shows excellent age; flaking and discoloration; significant crack in one side of body; an imperfection in wood at one lower side; all add to create the character for a rare full body field figure.

Provenance: Last sold April 1994 Guyette & Schmidt auction. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(5,000 - 8,000)

229

Swan Island Club 1872 - present | Curritick, North Carolina

A definitive history of the Swan Island Club was published

by John Sullivan and his research provides a fascinating overview of this fabled elite, private association – its members, extensive grounds, buildings and the daily activities of the Club.

In 1870, a group of sportsmen from Good Ground (today’s Hampton Bays), Long Island, sailed into Currituck Inlet aboard the yacht “Anonyana”. A storm forced them to anchor near Crow Island and, when the tempest had abated, the yacht was firmly aground and unmovable. The gentlemen soon realized the outstanding waterfowling to be had in the area and, using the stranded vessel as a club house, returned each season until the craft was abandoned in 1877. The group organized as the Crow Island Club and the first recorded log was for the 1872-73 season. The membership adopted a constitution in 1876 that limited the membership to 15. Initially, members were predominantly wealthy members of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and Pennsylvania society. The total holdings of the organization consisted of 9,236 acres of island, shoal, and marsh. Finally, in 1921, the club was formerly incorporated as a Massachusetts corporation under the name, “Swan Island Club”. New facilities were built over the many years and members and guests were afforded comfortable accommodations along with quality meals, guides, boats, dogs and decoys. Still in existence and

very active today, the Club diligently retains the rich flavor and tradition of the “golden age” of waterfowling.

Swan decoys were, when legal, commonly called into use by the members and guides. These would have served a variety of purposes, such as a confidence decoy for other approaching birds, or they were used as excellent shielding and camouflage on the wings of the sinkboxes. Swans themselves were considered a sporting target in their own right and, certainly, a number of the birds met their demise from the guns of members. Excerpts from the club log indicate that five were bagged on February 11, 1909, and on November 11, 1911, it was estimated that between 400 and 450 swans were seen in an adjoining bay and two were shot two days later. A hunter with a bagged swan is pictured in multiple photographs in Sullivan’s reference and a painting of swans being shot from a point blind is pictured on page 210 of that same book.

Swan decoys used at the Club were carved by a variety of makers and examples are pictured in the Sullivan thesis as well as in “Southern Decoys of Virginia and the Carolinas” by Henry Fleckenstein and “Gun Clubs and Decoys of Back Bay and Currituck Sound” by Archie Johnson and B. Coppedge. All surviving period examples must be considered rare and desirable.

Swan Island Club c1900 Club Boat “Teal”

230

399

Large and important hollow carved swan decoy, unknown maker, circa 1900. Used at the Swan Island Gun Club, North Carolina. This maker made several swans used at the club. Hollow with bottom board and removable swivel head. Retains Charlie Hunter collection tag on underside, as well as George Ross Starr collection stamp. A slight ridge runs from the midline of back through the tail. Nail in front of breast used as a line tie fastener, typical of North Carolina decoys. Head is carved to be turned. 38” long. Multiple coats of old white paint have crazed and flaked on most of body and head; some lead patching material was used around an area of upper neck; eyes are deeply carved and painted red, but were probably glass at one time.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: “Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway,” George Ross Starr, inside cover picture of Dr George Ross Starr’s pool house, exact decoy pictured, as well as p. 301, exact decoy.

(20,000 - 40,000)

231

Ike O’Neal 1885 - 1968 | Ocracoke, Virginia

“Big Ike”

Both “Big Ike”, (1865-1954) and “little Ike”, (1885-1968) were known for their passionate pursuit of waterfowl and market gunning. Big Ike was Little Ike’s uncle, and both resided on Ocracoke Island. Both are known for their production of sturdy well-built geese and brant, made for handling rough conditions and years of saltwater exposure. Often called “root head” but made with sturdy cedar limbs attached to a large cedar body that were finely shaped with wide hips and an elevated tail. The style is unique to the North Carolina makers.

232

“Little Ike”

400

401

400

Canada goose, O’Neal Family, Ocracoke, North Carolina, 1st quarter 20th century. Classic long body

401

with raised neck seat and wide tapered body. Head

Small Canada goose or possibly brant, O’Neal Family, Ocracoke, North Carolina, circa 1900. Raised neck seat. Tapered body. Retains Charlie

was made from a root or branch. 24” long. Old paint

Hunter collection tag. Measures 20” long. Multiple coats

on body appears to be mostly original; black on head

of old paint the last of which replicates a Canada goose;

is a second coat, and part of the branch the head was

old branch or root has been used for the head; heavy

made from has deteriorated or worn away and has been

wear with flaking; large nails in each side, probably to

strengthened by a band of wire; portion of the bill is also

prevent cracks.

missing; even flaking across back with rough areas at tail.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Provenance: Last sold April 2000 Guyette & Schmidt auction. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: “Gunnin’ Birds,” Kroghie Andresen.

(4,000 - 6,000)

Literature: “Gunnin’ Birds,” Kroghie Andresen.

(3,000 - 5,000)

233

402

Canada goose, Percy Carawan, Lake Mattamuskeet, North Carolina. A large bold body, similar to those used by the O’Neal Family. With a branch or root head that has been carved slightly turned, and twisted. 30” long. Original paint with natural wood cracks in back; much of paint on head has worn away.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(5,000 - 8,000)

234

405

404

407

404

Redhead drake, Charles Waterfield, Knotts Island, North Carolina. Slightly canted neck seat with squared

407

side. Raised neck seat and simple tail carving. 18”

tail. 14” long. Multiple coats of paint have probably been

long. Strong original paint; cracked area at one side

cleaned down to expose old paint on much of body;

of neck, where finish nails have been used to secure;

head appears to retain some original; small crack at base

tight crack in bill has been reset; crack running

of neck; chip at one side.

through back; thin brown paint on body has worn at

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(800 - 1,200)

405

Bluebill hen, Callie O’Neal, Churches Island, North Carolina, circa 1950. 18” long. Excellent original paint with some edge wear around tail; a few paint smudges.

Rare brant, Irving Fulcher, Stacy, North Carolina, 2nd quarter 20th century. “I.F.” carved in under-

high points to expose wood grain.

Provenance: Julia & Guyette October 1989 auction tag on underside. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: “Gunnin’ Birds,” Kroghie Andresen.

(3,000 - 5,000)

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(800 - 1,200)

235

Alvirah Wright 1872 - 1951 | Duck, North Carolina

Alvirah Wright was born and raised in the small community of Old Trap in the eastern part of Camden County near the Pasquotank River and, like so many men in his community, he made his living on the water.

He followed in his father’s footsteps and became a tugboat captain by trade. In about 1906, he moved to the Martin’s Point area of Dare County where he married Amy Rogers, set up a logging operation, and built a two story logging mill. Apparently, neither the timber nor the marriage proved sustainable causing him to move back to Old Trap and, in 1914, he married his second wife, Sally Forbes. He was also an accomplished boat builder and he developed quite a reputation for his skill in that trade.

It is reported that Wright only made 300 - 500 decoys in his lifetime. He made mostly large battery canvasbacks, a few redheads and scaup, and a small number of ruddy ducks. He is justly considered one of North Carolina’s finest decoy makers.

236

408

Ruddy duck drake, Alvirah Wright, Duck, North Carolina, circa 1910. Desirable body carving with wide hips, extended paddle tail with scoop carving on underside.

Large fat cheeks with upswept bill. Large nail secured at underside for weight, several old square nails secure neck to body. 12” long. Strong original paint; several shot scars, mostly to one side; crack in neck; small paint loss around edge of bill.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

Literature: “Great Book of Decoys,” Joe Engers, editor, North Carolina chapter, D.C. North, p. 177, exact decoy pictured.

(20,000 - 30,000)

237

409

Redhead drake, Alvirah Wright, Duck , North Carolina. Long iron weight on underside. Measures 14.5” long. Overpaint was taken down and the surface strengthened; original head has been off and resecured; tight drying cracks in body; lightly hit by shot; minor dry rot on the underside.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

238

(10,000 - 14,000)

239

Miniatures

410

410

23 miniatures, Fredrick Brown, Point Pleasant, New Jersey. All signed and dated with ranges from 2000 - 2008. Pairs include gadwall, canvasbacks, hooded mergansers, red breasted mergansers, pintail, wood duck, shovelers, greenwing teal, bluewing teal, widgeon, and three types of geese (snow, blue, and speckled). Pintail measures 9”, snow goose measures 9”. All are excellent and original.

410

410

240

(2,000 - 2,500)

411

Miniature redhead drake, Ben Dye or John Graham, Cecil County, Maryland. Slightly raised neck seat, with extended paddle tail at midline of body. 6.75” long. Original paint; small amount of filler missing where dowel enters top of head; restoration at neck seat and one side of neck where a piece appears to have been broken and replaced.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(3,000 - 4,000) 411

412

414

413

415

412

Miniature Canada goose, attributed to William Bailey Barco, Currituck, North Carolina. Measures 6”

414

Miniature decoy in the style of Lee Dudley. Signed “Baldwin” and dated 1964. Hardwood carving on wood-

long. Original paint with minor discoloration and wear;

en base with natural finish. With relief wingtip carving.

crack through neck with a few tiny nails to secure it and

Measures 6.75” long. Natural finish with warm patina;

touch up in that area.

small rubs and dents, otherwise very good and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

413

Rigmate pair of 1/2 size mallards, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. Both are signed and dated 1948

(1,200 - 1,800)

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

415

Three pairs of 1/2 size ducks, Charlie Joiner, Chestertown, Maryland. Pair of greenwing teal, wid-

(300 - 500)

on underside. Balsa body. Both have turned heads. 9”

geon, and bluebill. Teal are signed and dated 1969,

long. Strong original paint; small tail chip repair at one

Widgeon 1997, and bluebill 2003. 8” long. Very good and

side of tail; a few very tiny dents in one side of drake.

original.

(800 - 1,200)

(800 - 1,200)

241

Ward Brothers Crisfield, Maryland

242

416

Desirable pintail drake, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. Pinch breast model, circa 1930. Head is slightly turned with a tear drop shaped body. Signed by maker on underside. 17” long. Dry original paint; crack at one side of lower body; tight crack in neck; light gunning wear.

(15,000 - 20,000)

243

417

Pair of shooting stool model bluebills, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. Signed and dated 1965. Both have turned heads. 15.5” long. Near mint original paint; good feather paint detail; structurally very good.

(3,000 - 4,000)

417

418

Pair of shooting stool model canvasbacks, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. Signed and dated, “For our friend Milt Weiler 1969.” Both have turned heads. Just over 16” long. Near mint original paint; structurally very good.

(3,500 - 4,500)

418

417

244

418

419

Rigmate pair of 1936 model bluebills, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. Both have slightly turned heads. 15” long. Near mint original paint; white on front of hen’s face appears to have been redone at a later date; tiny chip missing from one edge of hen’s bill.

(10,000 - 14,000)

245

421

422

423

421

422

1948 model widgeon, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. Signed and dated 1952. Balsa body with

Pintail hen, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1930s. 14.5” long. With slightly tuned head. Near

turned cedar head and inserted cedar tail. Signed on

mint original paint with good detail; crack in back that

underside. 16” long. Original paint with minor wear and

extends to the side of the tail and underneath it; filler is

a few very small dents.

missing from nail at top of head.

(3,500 - 4,500)

Canvasback hen, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1948. Signed Lem Ward on underside.

Balsa body with turned head. Made and painted in the ‘36 style model. 16” long. Very good original paint; two small rough areas at tip of bill; some wear with paint loss around tail; tight crack in wood filler near neck seat.

(2,500 - 3,500)

246

423

Provenance: One of eight Ward Brothers decoys from the estate of the Reverand Beasley Reece, Crisfield, Maryland.

(4,000 - 6,000)

423a

Early canvasback drake, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1925. Rare and desirable “knot head” style. With a head that is turned nearly 45 degrees. 15” long. Moderate to heavy wear; strong original paint that has flaked in some areas on both head and body; some rust staining at top of back; what appears to be glue drops; portion of lower bill is a professional replacement.

(10,000 - 15,000)

247

424

Finely painted Canada goose, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1930s. Just over 24” long with slightly turned and lifted head. Fine feather paint detail. Near mint original paint; discoloration on white under the tail; crack in back; crack partway through neck.

Literature: “Decoys of the Midatlantic Region,” Henry Fleckenstein, Jr. (20,000 - 30,000)

248

Lem and Steve Ward examining the fine details of their work.

249

425

426

425

Widgeon drake, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. Signed and dated 1948. Balsa body

426

Excellent pintail drake, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland. 1948 model. Balsa body with pine head

with inserted hardwood tail. Turned head. 15”

and inset hardwood tail. Head is turned. “LT Ward and

long. Original paint; light wear at top of head; several

Brother counterfeiters” card is glued to underside of

shot scars and dents, mostly at back of body.

decoy. 18” long. Excellent original paint; with addi-

(4,000 - 6,000)

tional feathering detail between wing patches; a few very tiny dents; professional restoration to a crack in the neck.

250

(3,000 - 5,000)

427

Rigmate pair of bluebills, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1932. Both retain “L.T. Ward and Bro” stamp. Both have ice groove carved at base of neck. Stipple painting on sides with painted crossed wingtips on drake, which is something seen only in this period of decoys. 15” long. Both retain original paint with even gunning wear; wood putty separation at base of neck in both; an early working repair to crack in drake’s head near eye; rough area around bill of drake.

Literature: “Ward Brothers Decoys,” Ron Gard and Brian McGrath, p. 46, exact decoys pictured.

(7,000 - 10,000)

251

Pete Peterson Cape Charles, Virginia

Late 1970s with shell ducks and Lem Ward.

Erik John Peterson was raised on the banks of the lower Potomac River near Fort Foote, Maryland, but has spent most of his adult life in Capeville, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. He was the son of Henry B. Peterson and Elenore Ruth Braugh who were Minnesota natives of Scandinavian and German descent. During WWII, Pete’s father was hired as a research chemist for the U. S. Navy, which resulted in his parents relocating to the Washington, D.C. area.

Pete, like many of the great carvers of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, came to the area from elsewhere; Nathan Cobb from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Ira Hudson who was born in Delaware. According to Pete, you could add Mark McNair, Cameron McIntyre and Bill Gibian to that list as well.

After high school, Pete earned a degree in biology at Montana State University. Upon graduation, Pete joined the U.S. Coast Guard and was commissioned as an officer. That service led to him being stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, which led to his exposure to the Eastern Shore across the bay and the rural maritime lifestyle that he fell in love with.

As Pete says, “when I moved here in 1971, my life was complete, I found my home, I felt that way after the first 15 minutes I was here.” According to Pete, the Eastern Shore is a place where decoys are part of the culture, not a curiosity, but a commodity.

252

Peterson’s decoy shop in the winter of 1994.

His homestead, known as Petetown is a mecca for aspiring young carvers, decoy dealers and his peers as well. Not many people who know Pete well can resist the urge to stop and visit with him when traveling up or down Route 13 on the Eastern Shore.

In a sea of extremely talented contemporary carvers, Pete Peterson has carved in a style that is easily recognizable from across a room. Whether in a private collection or in an auction house catalogue, the knowledgeable collector can always spot a bird made by “Captain Pete”! Over the course of his 65-year career, Pete carved decoys in quite a few different styles, drawing on influences from carvers who came before him, especially those of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

On a personal note, I can think of only a handful of contemporary decoy makers whose work has such a distinct “signature”, so distinct in fact, that they have inspired a whole “school” of other carvers working in their style. Pete, along with the late Hurley Conklin and George Strunk have each influenced the work of many decoy makers, just as their predecessors helped create the regional styles that we recognize today.

Just as “Captain Pete” has drawn on techniques and carving wisdom from those who came before him, he has in turn shared that knowledge with other, mostly younger carvers from up north in Jersey and Pennsylvania and many Carolina boys from further south as well. Pete’s wisdom knows no bounds; his folksy advice is easy for the

novice to understand, “You’ve got to make them [decoys] curvy, like boats and women!” and “a decoy is just a small boat shaped like a duck.”

For the last 50 years Pete has used juniper (Atlantic White Cedar) exclusively, which he refers to as “a wood sent from heaven, for decoy carvers and boatbuilders”.

Pete is quick to say that he considers himself a craftsman, not an artist or in his words, “just as a boatbuilder builds boats or a carpenter builds houses, I build decoys”. Like many of the best carvers, Pete knows that making good hand-carved decoys is not just manual labor, but an intellectual endeavor as well. Like many of his peers, Pete still has a passion for his craft or as Pete would say, “After carving for 65 years, I’m still as happy as a schoolboy playing in a mudhole”.

Pete with a goose in the early 1960s.

Always the philosopher, Pete is keenly aware of his strengths and weaknesses as a decoy maker. For instance, he points out that, “When I’m in the mood, I can paint a dozen decoys faster and better than when I’m not”.

428

Pair of old squaw, Pete Peterson, Cape Charles, Virginia. Slightly turned high heads. “Pete” branded in underside, and dated 1978. Original paint with minor discoloration and wear; excellent structurally.

(1,000 - 1,400)

428

429

Pair of hollow carved bluewing teal, Pete Peterson, Cape Charles, Virginia. Hollow carved with split tail carving and slightly turned heads. “Pete” branded in underside. Also signed and dated 1983. Measures 10” long. Made to appear older; excellent and original.

(1,000 - 1,400)

429

253

430

Pair of red breasted mergansers, Pete Peterson, Cape Charles, Virginia. Hollow carved, long bodies with extended crests. “Pete” branded in underside. Signed and dated 2008. Measures 17.25” long. Very minor discoloration, otherwise excellent and original.

(1,000 - 1,400)

430

431

Pair of bufflehead, Pete Peterson, Cape Charles, Virginia. Slightly turned heads.

“Pete” branded in underside.

10.75” long. Made to appear older; excellent and original.

(1,000 - 1,200)

431

432

Pair of small hooded mergansers, Pete Peterson, Cape Charles, Virginia. Relief wingtip carving. Extended crests and carved eyes. “Pete” branded in underside, signed and dated 2000. 11” long. Made to appear older, excellent and original.

(800 - 1,200)

432

254

433

Pair of greenwing teal, Pete Peterson, Cape Charles, Virginia. Hollow carved with 3/4” bottom boards. Relief carved wingtips. Hen is in sleeping pose with bill buried in feathers. “Pete” branded in underside. Signed and dated 1992.

Measures 11” & 12” long. Some very fine white drips on drake’s back; otherwise excellent and original.

(1,000 - 1,400)

433

435

Large curlew and black bellied plover, Pete Peterson, Cape Charles, Virginia. Curlew in running pose with relief wingtip carving.

“Pete” branded in underside.

Also signed and dated 1980.

16.75” long. Black bellied plover Chip carved with glass eyes.

“Pete” branded in the underside.

Also signed and dated 1984.

Stand included. Measures 10” long. Curlew has glue on underside of tail from where a label was affixed and has fallen off,

435

otherwise excellent and original.

Black bellied plover made to appear older, excellent and original.

436

(800 - 1,200)

Coot, Pete Peterson, Cape Charles, Virginia. Reared back head and relief bill carving.

“Pete” branded in underside, also signed and dated 2008. 11.5” long. Made to appear older with significant paint bubbling; very good and original.

(300 - 500)

436

255

Sporting Art Edmund Osthaus 1858 - 1928

Born in Hildesheim, Germany, Osthaus studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Dusseldorf between 1874 and 1882, immigrating to the United States in 1883. He became the director of the Toledo Academy of Fine Arts between 1886-1893, eventually leaving to devote himself fulltime to painting, shooting and following field trials. He was a charter member of the National Field Trial Association formed at Newton, North Carolina in November 1895.

As one of the top American sporting painters in his time, he was greatly admired by wealthy families such as the Vanderbilts and the Morgans. These families and great art collectors commissioned paintings in order to decorate large and spacious walls in their grand homes.

256

437

Edmund Henry Osthaus (American, 1858-1928). Oil on canvas. Three Irish setters. Signed lower left, gilt framed. This painting was inspired by the action and pose of Osthaus’s dog, Mack, on a ruffed grouse hunting trip near Tawas, MI. Sold by DuMouchelles 10/2007. Superb quality and detail, a very fine example of the work of Osthaus. Image size 28” x 36”. As viewed under black light in the unopened frame, expected underpainting showing through, the painting black lights clean; some stretcher bar cracking developing along the left and top left edges; not lined or patched; gilt period frame has some cracking (expected) and almost no chips; original stretchers; frame appears to have restoration work done on the patina; crack in upper righthand side of frame.

Provenance: Bob Burger collection sticker on back of frame.

(60,000 - 90,000)

257

437a

Robert Abbett (American, 1926-2015). Oil on board. Signed and dated 1982. Setter on point in wooded background.

Professionally framed. Image size 20” x 30”. Excellent and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

258

(15,000 - 25,000)

Robert K. Abbett, noted as one of America’s contemporary masters of sporting and wildlife art, was born in Hammond, Indiana in 1926 and is a graduate of Purdue University and the University of Missouri.

In 1970, the commission to paint the English Setter, “Luke”, his first animal portrait, led him from illustration to becoming a full-time gallery artist. Abbett, with his wife Marilyn, now lives and works at Oakdale Farm, his Connecticut estate. There he can roam the fields and woods, observing wildlife in its true environment - to look at his art and to participate in what Bob Abbett calls “Being there”, insuring a solid connection with his viewers. His work continues to grow and expand in subject matter, encompassing his unsurpassed paintings of sporting dogs, fly fishing scenes, the world of horses, western scenes, and portraiture.

His paintings are now in the permanent collection of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, the National Bird Dog Museum in Grand Junction, Tennessee, the Genesee Country Wildlife Museum in Mumford New York and a bronze sculpture of the Gordon Setter, “Dare”, is in the collection of the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in St. Louis.

259

438

Ogden Minton Pleissner (American 1905-1983). Watercolor on paper.

6.75” x 9.75”. Titled “Mac Donalds Pool - St. John River.” Signed lower right.

Professionally matted and framed. Image of guide, fisherman, and canoe at pool side. As viewed under black light image appears perfect. (8,000 - 12,000)

260

439

Aiden Lassel Ripley (American 1896-1969). Watercolor on paper.

Image size 14.5” x 23.5”. Signed lower left and dated 1938. Titled “Jumping Blackducks.” Exhibited at “The Shooting Scene” exhibition of new watercolors

by A. Lassel Ripely November 2 - November 19, 1938, The Sporting Gallery and book shop, New York, New York. Professionally matted and framed. As viewed under black light excellent and original.

(12,000 - 15,000)

261

439a

Francis Lee Jaques (American, 1887-1969). Oil on board. 15.5” x 11.5”.

Pair of courting mallards. Signed lower right. Professionally framed. As viewed under black light only two small tight lines of restoration show, which are repairs to very minor crackalature, both in the lower corners.

262

(8,000 - 12,000)

439b

439b

439c

Martha Hudson. Watercolor on paper. Signed and

439c

dated 1981. Titled “Ice and Snow”. Image of 10 swan

Of small group of canvasbacks, two of which display leg

along icy shoreline. Framed and matted. Image measures

bands. Signed lower right. Image measures 23” x 52”.

20” x 27”. Damage to frame lower left, otherwise very

Professionally matted and framed. Painting is excellent

good and original.

and original; frame has multiple scratches.

(500 - 800)

(800 - 1,200)

439e

439d

439d

Art Lamay (b.1938). Impressive watercolor on paper.

Willie Crockett (1939-2021). Oil on board. Marsh

439e

Oil on canvas. Of water dog with wood duck drake.

scene with mallards. Signed and dated “Crockett 87”

Unknown artist. Professionally framed. Original stretcher

lower left. Image measures 18.5” x 39.5”. Professionally

and canvas. Image measures 23.5” x 19.5”. Overall good;

matted and framed. Very good and original.

a few small holes at one side of dog’s nose.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(800 - 1,200)

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(500 - 800)

263

440

440

Alexander Pope (American, 1849-1924) Oil on canvas. Portrait of dog. Signed “Alexander Pope” lower left.

Images measures 14” x 15”.

Professionally framed. In painted and restoration mostly away from dog’s face and along edges; professionally rematted and reframed.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

441

Harold Matthews Brett (18801955). Oil on canvas illustration. Signed lower left. Titled at top left probably for an article; says “All Set.” Hand written note that accompanies painting says Brett was an avid sportsman from Chatham and was friends with Elmer Crowell and Joe Lincoln.

Measures 31.5” x 31”. One small rub underneath hunter’s arm.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

264

(2,000 - 3,000)

441

(2,000 - 3,000)

Bolles was born in Boston, attended Roxbury Latin School and graduated in 1900 from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Art degree. He was a member of the Harvard “Hasty Pudding Club”, an avid polo player, prankster and well known as a theatrical eccentric.

Completing Harvard, he went on to further his training by studying at The Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He began his life long career as an artist and illustrator in 1903, living in Boston and working occasionally under the name of “Fenway Studios”. He quickly achieved recognition in the art circles of Boston, often commissioned to paint portraits of prominent Bostonians. Some of these early portraits are held in the collection of Harvard University.

In 1912 he married Claudia Elizabeth Hains, a recent divorcee, ten years younger than he. The marriage made sensational, if not scandalous, national press as far away as West Virginia, Iowa and Montana. She was the ex-wife of army captain Peter Hains who, in 1908, was convicted of murdering William Annis by shooting him in broad daylight. Annis was reported to be the illicit lover of Claudia while her husband was away on active duty. He was sentenced to 10 -12 years in Sing Sing prison but was released in 1911 after serving only 2 ½ years once the jury petitioned the governor for mercy, insisting that Annis had provoked Hains with actions “debasing his sense of honor”. Capt. Hains was granted an uncontested divorce the same year he was released. Claudia’s problems, however, were not over.

The press had reported that she had been a model for Bolles before they got married, a claim she vehemently denied. She had three children from her first marriage but did not have custody of them. Bolles never met her children, and they had no offspring of their own.

442

In 1923, the couple moved from Boston to Cotuit Village in the Town of Barnstable on the south shore of Cape Cod. In the 1920’s, the Cape was still a working community, heavily tied to the sea and the land. It was also becoming a center for artists, who could afford to work there, enjoy the quiet beauty of the area and either sell their work elsewhere or to the tourists which were quicky being drawn in greater and greater numbers to the area. Bolles had the luxury of a well established reputation and could paint in Cotuit while selling his work to clients from distant locations.

He became famous as an illustrator and his work is featured in numerous books such as Rudyard Kiplings “Just So Stories” and “Soldiers Three”. His paintings were in demand and they soon graced the covers of widely read publications such as “Field and Stream”, “Sportsman”, “The Country Gentleman”, “The Saturday Evening Post”, “Colliers”, and “Ladies Home Journal” to name a few.

In his hometown, he was known as an eccentric but was apparently well known and liked. He would often choose as his subjects local citizens engaged in everyday activities. He was often drawn to portray sportsmen, comely flappers and eccentric but jolly old men. He did a number of paintings focused on waterfowl, upland game and sporting scenes of Cape Cod. The Painting being offered in this sale is said to perhaps represent a member of the Nickerson family.

The work of Reginald Fairfax Bolles is widely appreciated. It is prominently displayed in a number of respected museums and is one of the focal points of the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit.

Reginald Bolles (American, 1877-1967) Oil on board. Image of hunter in duck boat, filled with decoys holding double barrel percussion gun. Signed lower right. Image measures 30” x 27”. Repair to a tear lower left corner; a few small spots of inpainting, mostly around lower portion of painting.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

265

442a

Alexander Pope (American, 1849-1924). Oil on canvas. Image measures 19” x 14”. Titled Hunters Bounty”. Signed lower right. As viewed under black light a patch was added to the back of canvas to repair a tear about 1.5” x .5” to the left side of the songbird; some inpainting was made to craquelure at head and breast of mallard; guilt period frame has some cracking.

266

(6,000 - 9,000)

443 443

Richard Bishop (American, 1887-1975). Oil on canvas board. Titled “Keep Down.”

Copyright 1944. On back written

by Bishop says “Reproduction rights retained by Richard Bishop.” Gallery tag also on back from Meredith Long and Company, Houston, Texas.

Image of canvasbacks setting down. 11.5” x 15.5”. Signed lower right. Varnish has darkened; otherwise very good and original.

444

Richard Bishop (American, 1887-1975). Oil on canvas board. Titled “Flaring Mallards.”

(4,000 - 6,000)

444

Copyright 1944. On back written

by Bishop says “Reproduction rights retained by Richard Bishop.”

Gallery tag also on back from Meredith Long and Company, Houston, Texas. Image of three mallards in flight. 11.5” x 15.5”.

Signed lower right. Varnish has darkened; otherwise very good and original.

(4,000 - 6,000)

267

445

Percival Rousseau (American, 1859-1937). Impressive oil painting. Canvas laid on board. Signed and dated 1911 lower right. Two setters on point at wood’s edge. Image measures 23.5” x 32.5”. Decorative frame has metal plaque that says “P. L. Rousseau”. Canvas has been relined with a new professional stretcher and frame; professional conservation to crazed areas that are spread evenly across.

268

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(10,000 - 15,000)

446

Frank Benson (American, 1862-1951).

Important watercolor. Signed and dated 1894, titled “For the Boat House.” Coot shooting scene from double dory boat. Image measures 13” x 18.5”. Excellent and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(15,000 - 20,000)

269

447

Lynn Bogue Hunt (American, 1878-1960).

Gouache on paper board. Signed. Image of mallards and pintails landing. Used as the cover for 1927 January Field and Stream. A copy of which is attached to the back of the painting. Framed behind glass. Image measures 21.5” x 17.5”. Excellent and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(8,000 - 12,000)

270

448

Lynn Bogue Hunt (American, 1878-1960). Gouache. Signed at bottom.

Also personalized to “William Schaldach - Lynn Bogue Hunt”. Image of goose hunters hunting over silhouettes, with tethered calling Canada geese. Brilliant sky filled with approaching flock. Protected behind glass. Image measures 23” x 19”. Excellent and original.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(7,000 - 10,000)

271

Virginia 449

Black duck, Captain Ike Phillips, Hog Island, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. High ridge extends down back. Old in use repaint; small area of roughness to edge of tail; several cracks and dents.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(2,500 - 3,500) 450 449

Blue wing teal from Hog Island, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Sharp and deep relief carved wings.

Swinging lead weight on the underside. A rigmate to this decoy can be viewed at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland.

Measures 11” long. Paint has worn to much bare wood with a warm patina; small dents and shot marks; minor roughness on tip of tail; drying cracks in breast and back; some old filler added to a crack in front of neck and upper breast.

Provenance: Collins July 1994 sale, lot 467. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

450

(2,000 - 3,000) 451

Black duck, John Henry Downs, last quarter 19th century. 18.25” long.

Raised neck seat and carved eyes. Old paint with moderate wear, appears to be original; head has been off and reset; crack in underside.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(3,000 - 4,000)

451

452

Hollow carved black duck, Charles Birch, Willis Wharf, Virginia. An earlier example of Birch’s work. 17” long. Old in use repaint; a few hairline cracks and dents.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

Literature: ‘Southern Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, Jr., p. 139, exact decoy pictured.

452

272

(1,250 - 1,750)

453

453

Canada goose, Charles Birch, Willis Wharf, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Hollow carved with raised neck seat and tack eyes. Inset and splined hardwood bill. Measures 24” long. Original paint with moderate gunning wear; thin coat of varnish was mostly removed; minor roughness on edge of tail, otherwise very good structurally.

Provenance: Bourne August 1986 auction. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(4,000 - 6,000)

453

454

Pair of early Canada geese from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Pinched breasts, raised neck seats, and applied bills that are doweled through to back of heads. 29” long. Old in use repaint; numerous age splits and cracks; filler added here and there a long time ago.

Provenance: Purchased to hunt with by the consignor 60 years ago in Oyster, Virginia.

(800 - 1,200)

454

273

Cobb Island, Virginia

274

455

Rare bufflehead drake, Nathan Cobb, Jr, Cobb Island, Virginia, 3rd quarter 19th century. Inlet neck seat and raised wing tip carving. Serifed ‘N’ carved into the underside. Mackey collection ink stamp on the underside. Measures 11 3/4” long. A layer of overpaint was taken down to much of the original surface showing moderate wear; drying cracks in head and body; crack through neck where head was broken off and reattached; professional bill repair.

Provenance: Ex William J. Mackey, Jr. collection. Ex George and Hope Wick collection. Richard Oliver’s July 1990 auction. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: “Decoys,” Gene and Linda Kangas, p. 136 exact decoy.

(25,000 - 35,000)

275

Arthur Cobb 1870 - 1951 | Cobb Island & Oyster, Virginia

456

Bluebill drake, Arthur Cobb, Cobb Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Hollow carved with raised and forward angled neck seat.

Carved eyes. Measures 14” long. Very well done professional paint restoration; separation at body seam and neck seat; crack with loss to wood on one side and back of neck was partially filled and touched up; minor roughness on top of head.

Provenance: Richard Oliver’s November 1988 sale, lot 248. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

276

(5,000 - 8,000)

Page 148 illustrated in “Duck Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater,” Eugene Connett 1965.

457

Bluebill hen, Arthur Cobb, Cobb Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Hollow carved with raised and forward angled neck seat. Carved eyes. ‘A.H. Cobb’ branded into the underside. Also branded ‘WP’ for the collection of William Purnell. Measures 13 1/4” long. Original paint with moderate wear under a thick coat of varnish that has dripped down the sides; hairline crack in back; dent in one side of bill and a small chip on one side of tip of bill.

Provenance: Ex collection William Purnell. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: Exact decoy pictured on page 148 of ‘Duck Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater’, by Eugene V. Connett.

(5,000 - 8,000)

277

458

Black duck, Arthur Cobb, Cobb Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Hollow carved with split tail carving.

Raised neck seat with forward angled neck seat and carved eyes. ‘A.H. Cobb’ branded into the underside. Measures 15 3/4” long. Paint on the sides of head is original, the rest in a thin second coat of black with minor flaking and wear; the bill is a professional replacement.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

458

459

Merganser hen from Cobb Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Inlet neck and relief wingtip carving. Tack eyes.

15” long. Worn original paint; several drying cracks; minor roughness to tail; crack in neck.

Provenance: Richard Oliver’s November 1990 sale, lot 295 and front cover. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

459

458

278

459

(4,000 - 6,000)

460

Black duck, Elkanah Cobb, Cobb Island, Virginia, last quarter 20th century. Hollow carved with inlet head, carved eyes, and a large serifed ‘E’ carved into the underside. Measures 16” long. Dry old paint has flaked to some areas of bare wood that retains the black coloring; small dents and shot marks; drying cracks along back and tail; minor blunting at tip of tail; repair to a crack through the neck with touch up on neck and head.

Provenance: Ex Mort Hanson collection. Julia & Guyette October 1991 sale, lot 35. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(6,000 - 9,000)

279

Shorebirds

461

461a

461

Yellowlegs from Hog Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Carved eyes. Worn old paint appears to be original; bill is a replacement; several dents and shot marks.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(4,000 - 6,000) 461a

Yellowlegs from Hog Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. 10.25” long with carved eyes. A serifed “B” is carved under the tail. A mixture of worn original paint and old in use repaint; hit by shot; several hairline cracks in one side.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(3,000 - 4,000)

280

Charles Clark 1869 - 1947 | Chincoteague, Virginia

463

462

462

Yellowlegs, Charles Clark, Chincoteague, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Fine form with wide dropped tail and squared off head carving. Original paint very minor wear; thin crack through neck; repair to a chip at one side of paddle tail.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

Literature: ‘Southern Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, Jr., p.

24, exact decoy pictured. Also see “The Bird Decoy,” Paul Johnsgard.

463

(2,000 - 3,000)

Curlew, Charles Clark, Chincoteague, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Raised V wingtip carving. The initial “M” or “W” is carved in underside. 12.5” long. Worn old paint; hit by shot; bill is an old replacement.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

462

(2,000 - 3,000)

281

465

464

464

Rare running dowitcher, John Haff, Cobb Island, Virginia, circa 1900. Carved eyes and

Curlew, unknown maker, probably Eastern Shore of Virginia, circa 1900. Two piece body.

wide beetle head style. 10.5” long. Worn old paint;

Wire nail bill. An unusual and folky carved eye. 13”

structurally good.

long. Original paint with some imperfections to

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Ex Davison Hawthorne collection.

282

465

(2,000 - 3,000)

wood near tail; nails that secure body to head have lost wood filler and paint in that area; tight crack in top of head.

(1,200 - 1,800)

466

467

466

A trio of plovers, North Carolina, maker unknown, 1st quarter 20th century. All are

467

Pair of eskimo curlew from the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Tack eyes. Both bills have been

carved from one piece of wood, with iron wire

shortened. Decoys are 11.5” long. Original paint

permantatly attached to underside. All three have

with moderate wear.

holes driven through tail for purpose of carrying.

Simple paint pattern of brown with yellow spot

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

decoration. Each measures approximately 8.5” long. Original paint; minor wear; imperfections in wood.

(3,000 - 5,000)

283

Pigeons

Waterfowl hunting is to the North American sportsman what wild pigeon hunting is to his English counterpart.

Some parallels can be drawn between the two. During the mid-19th and early 20th century North American ducks, geese and shorebirds were in great supply. While the United Kingdom is tiny in size, by comparison, it hosts three types of wild pigeon, the largest and most prolific being the Common Wood Pigeon, with breeding populations of about 6 million pairs. The pigeon became the focus for both sportsman and market gunners in the UK. Early sportsmen on both continents quickly learned the feathered fowl could be easily brought into shooting range with the use of decoys.

As demand for decoys developed, a range of professional carvers on both sides of the Atlantic blossomed, with the best ducks, geese and shorebirds being sculpted in North America and the best pigeons being made in the United Kingdom. Production of working pigeon decoys dates back to the first half of the 19th century. While many great North American carvers are known, most great UK makers are not. Comparatively, the amount of English Wood Pigeons produced pales in comparison to the number of decoys made in North America. This helps one to understand why they are very hard to find and thus very desirable today.

As with North American decoys, individuals and factories both made pigeon decoys.

The most famous factories include Trulock & Harris - a shotgun manufacturer, Ward & Co, and The Gradewell Last Co. A few of the notable individuals include Robert Sainze, Kent Boddy, and Edward Grace.

470

English wood pigeon, Trulock & Harriss. Considered one of the highest grade wood pigeons available on the market. Grooved feather carving from neck to lower breast. Deeply carved relief shoulders.

Finely detailed split and raised wingtips with fanned carved tail. Glass eyes and wooden bill. Appears as if the original bill has been broken and reattached; strong original paint with some wear to one side of wing; wood separation at one side and a small spot which has worn to bare wood. (2,000 - 3,000)

470

284

471

Two English wood pigeons. One by Francis Rolph. One has glass eyes, carved shoulders, and good paint detail. Other has screw eyes and smooth body. 15” long. Saize has Glass eyes and inserted wooden bill. Written on underside of tail while paint was still wet “W. Wright,” and two other words that are illegible.

12.5” long. All are in original paint with moderate wear.

(800 - 1,200)

471

472

A pair of English wood pigeon, Trulock & Harriss. Mounted on base. Both have turned heads, heavily carved crests, shoulders, wingtips, and tail. Both have glass eyes and lead bills. 15” long. Both have had repairs to cracks in tail; rough areas at extended wingtips; touchup to lead paint on bills.

(3,000 - 5,000)

472

473

English wood pigeon, Ward and Company Naturalists, London. Retains maker’s metal tag on underside. Turned head with tack eyes. Heavily carved body with typical canvas adhered to underside of tail. 16” long. Original paint; chips at side of tail; otherwise original and good.

(1,500 - 2,500)

473

285

Midwest

474

475

474

475a

Excellent canvasback drake, Bert Graves, Peoria, Illinois, 1st quarter 20th century. Fox rig stencil on

475a

Bluewing teal, from the Illinois River area, 1st quarter 20th century. Hollow two piece body, with a

underside. Retains original Graves weight. Displays Millie

head that is slightly turned and reared back. Very simi-

Graves’ finest paint, with wet on wet swirls, extending in to

lar in carving and style to those birds made from the so

fanciful feather painting on back. 17” long. Strong original

called “Carriage House” rig. An upswept tail and weight

paint; light coat of varnish that has mellowed; slight dis-

embossed with the name “Bock”. 11.5” long. Thin original

coloration on underside.

paint that is crazed evenly over the body; two small shot

(6,000 - 9,000)

scars; very old working repaint has been added to the 475

Rare ruddy duck drake, Frank Schmidt, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1930. Branded “Hy Dalka” in underside. Head is slightly turned. This decoy is from a small rig of ruddy ducks made by Frank Schmidt, possibly the only known working ruddy ducks made and used on Lake St Clair. 12” long. Fine original paint; light gunning wear; paint loss at front of bill; edge of tail and small chip missing form side of neck.

Literature: “Decoys of the Mississippi Flyway,” Alan Haid, p. 107, exact decoy pictured.

286

(1,200 - 1,500)

area below the center cut line.

(1,200 - 1,800)

476

Rare shoveler drake, Ben Schmidt, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1950. Tucked and rested head.

Detailed feather carving and stamping. 16” long. Paint has mellowed and slightly discolored on breast, otherwise excellent and original.

(2,000 - 3,000)

476

477

Very rare gadwall, Ben Schmidt, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1950. Slightly turned head. Excellent feather stamping. 16” long. Strong original paint that has mellowed nicely.

(2,000 - 3,000)

477

478

Bluewing teal drake, Ben Schmidt, Detroit Michigan, circa 1950. 12” long. Excellent original paint.

(2,000 - 3,000)

478

479

Pintail drake, Ben Schmidt, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1950. Slightly turned head with inserted spoon handle for sprig tail. Very nice and finely carved feathers at back. V feather stamping behind neck. 18.5” long. Near mint.

(2,000 - 3,000)

479

287

480

483

481

484

482

485

480

Pair of mallards, Ben Schmidt, Detroit Michigan, circa 1950. Both have fine feather stamping. Raised

483

wingtips. Drake has slightly turned head. 17” long. Near mint.

481

(1,500 - 2,000)

Canada goose, Ben Schmidt, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1950. Slightly turned head with feather stamped

original paint; light gunning wear.

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

484

Goldeneye drake, Ben Schmidt, Detroit, Michigan, 2nd half 20th century. Signed by maker on underside.

body, and raised and split wingtips. Hollowed from under-

executed rendition of a goldeneye head, which is slightly

somewhat worn away on back area of body; a couple of

482

stamping. 16” long. Excellent and original; white areas on drake have slightly discolored.

puffed above the neck. 15” long. Strong original paint

(1,500 - 2,000)

Pair of canvasbacks, Ben Schmidt, Detroit, Michigan. Drake has slightly turned head and feather (1,000 - 2,000)

(1,200 - 1,500)

Also exhibits Vic Brockers inventory number under tail. Well

side. 25” long. Strong original paint; some of which has tight cracks in body.

Rare redhead drake, “One Arm” Kellie, Monroe, Michigan, 2nd quarter 20th century. 13” long. Strong

that has mellowed somewhat in white areas.

485

(800 - 1,000)

Redhead drake, Harry Hahn, Erie, Pennsylvania, 1st half 20th century. Hahn carved in the Erie style, similar to Buchner. Tack eyes. Bill carving and carved tail. Copper tag on underside reads “941 West 5th street.” Worn original paint; separation between neck and head; structurally good.

288

(700 - 1,000)

486

Rigmate pair of bluewing teal, Otto Weinert, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 2nd quarter 20th century. Only one rig of these delicate feather painted bluewing teal are known. Each is painted in a semi eclipse or early plumage stage. With multiple rigging options at underside, so the rig will appear to be animated. Each is meticulously painted with fine feather detail. Hen has slightly turned and swimming head. 11” long. Strong original paint with light gunning wear; tight crack in back of drake.

(3,000 - 5,000)

289

Bill Cranmer 1917 - 2008 | Beach Haven, New Jersey Bill’s father died when he was only five years old, and he was raised by this mother “Maggie”. In 1920, the family was living with his uncle as a boarder. This gentleman (by the name of Crane) was a carpenter and perhaps this is where young Bill acquired a liking for woodworking, and he would spend the remainder of his working life employed as a “carpenter’ or “builder”. He enlisted in the Army in 1942 and, after the war, returned to New Jersey where he married Dorothy Schrayshuen. The couple moved to Beach Haven where their children, son, Frank, and daughter, Robin, were born. In 1955, the family moved to Spray Beach on Long Beach Island and, in 1959, Bill and Maggie opened their “Webfoote Shop” on the grounds of their home at 2609 Long Beach Blvd. Here they sold gifts as well as Bill’s decoys until they closed the shop in 1969. In 2000, they retired to Little Egg Harbor where Bill enjoyed watching and feeding the ducks on their backyard pond and occasionally carving a few decoys.

As early as 1883, an article in “Forest and Stream” reveals that the Cranmer name was a familiar one to visiting sports to the popular gunning grounds of Barnegat Bay. A number of family members served as carvers, guides or outfitters between West Creek and Barnegat. As a young man, Bill, too, enjoyed the outdoors, hunting and fishing on Barnegat Bay, especially the Maine Point area. He carved his first decoy in 1931 with the help of his uncle, “Joe Tom Cranmer”. His carvings were of the typical Barnegat style, but he became dissatisfied with the fragility of the thin necks and tails. After the war, he switched to more flat bottom decoys, which were preferred by the local hunters except that, for some species such as bluebills and brant, he retained the traditional hollow, rounded bottoms because of their ability to right themselves when thrown from the boat.

Bonnet Island Club

290

Bill Cranmer

In 1948 he entered his first carving contest at the New York Decoy Show and won an honorable mention. This inspired him to enter additional shows and the ribbons began to multiply. He carved working rigs for both local hunters and area gunning clubs such as the Bonnet Island Club and the Sandy Island Club. In a 1991 article he recounts the early hunting at the clubs: “Sometimes you’d wait all day; sometimes they never showed up”.“Other times you’d limit out early in the morning”.

The clubs attracted a number of prominent sportsmen of the day, notably artist Lynn Bogue Hunt and author Van Campen Heilner. A string of birds shot at the Sandy Island Club by Heilner and his companions hangs in the dome of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

With the diminishing demand for working wooden decoys, Cranmer carved more and more decoratives.

He greatly admired the work of the Ward Brothers of Crisfield and his decorative work clearly reflects their influence. Demand for his work increased to the point where, for a short period, he acquired a duplicating lathe, but he was not satisfied with the results and so, after a short trial period, abandoned it for hand carving. He briefly painted for Charlie Birdsall at the Wildfowler factory and Charlie is known to have made a master blank fashioned after one of Bill’s models. The collaboration was very short lived!

Cranmer is fondly remembered as a friendly, smart, easy going individual, well respected both in his home community and in decoy circles. In 1953, Dr. George Starr visited Cranmer in the shop behind his home. After talking decoys and methods he finally inquired about obtaining an example of his work for his collection.

“I very much wanted an example of one of his fine decoys but found that there was none available for sale and might not be for a long time. … my disappointment really showed. Suddenly Bill walked over to me quietly, held out a bird and said, ‘here George, take him up home with you’. I turned and there, with the ribbon still attached around his neck, was the decoy which had taken first place in the merganser class at the National Decoy Show in New York in 1951 (lot 493 in this sale). You can’t adequately thank a man for such generosity – you can only try to deserve it by treasuring that which you received”.

Sandy Island Club

Cranmer’s work was recognized for its quality in his day and, justifiably, it remains greatly appreciated today.

487

Rare and finely made flying mallard drake, William Cranmer, Beach Haven, New Jersey. Signed and dated 1956. Relief carved wing feathers and fluted tail. Metal tail sprig. Slightly turned head. Carved feet.

32.5” wing span. Very good and original.

Provenance: Dick and Lynn Gove collection.

487

(3,000 - 5,000)

291

488

Important sleeping greenwing teal hen, carved by William Cranmer and painted by Lem Ward. Signed and dated 1950.

Stamped ‘SGH” for Somers G. Headley. 9.5” long. Excellent and original.

Provenance: Dick and Lynn Gove collection.

(900 - 1,200)

488

489

Exceptional hollow carved sleeping bluebill hen, William Cranmer, Beach Haven, New Jersey. Signed and dated 1948.

Fine wingtip feather carving and fluted tail. Bill is buried in feathers. Stamped “SGH” for Somers G. Headley. 13.5” long. Near mint original paint with good patina; structurally very good.

Provenance: Dick and Lynn Gove collection.

(800 - 1,200)

489

490

Finely made pair of bluewing teal, William Cranmer, Beach Haven, New Jersey. Signed and dated 1950. Slightly turned head and fine feather paint detail. Hollow carved. Both are signed, dated, and stamped ‘SGH” for Somers G. Headley and “DSC” for Dave Campbell. 14” long. Excellent and original.

Provenance: Dick and Lynn Gove collection.

490

292

(1,200 - 1,800)

491

Pair of solid body greenwing teal, William Cranmer, Beach Haven, New Jersey. Signed and dated 1956. With good feather paint detail and slightly turned heads. 13.5” long. Very good and original.

Provenance: Dick and Lynn Gove collection.

(1,250 - 1,750)

491

492

Pair of mallards, William Cranmer, Beach Haven, New Jersey. Both are hollow carved, signed and dated 1950. Both have slightly turned heads and fine paint detail. 16” long. Very good and original.

Provenance: Stamped ‘SGH” for Somers G. Headley. The Noyes Museum exhibition stamp for August 1991 on underside of each.

Dick and Lynn Gove collection.

(950 - 1,250)

493

Hollow carved merganser, William Cranmer, Beach Haven, New Jersey. Hollow

492

carved with 1” bottom board.

Slightly turned and up-looking head with extended crest feathers. Relief carved wing tip and tail feathers. Was the 1st place winner at the 1951 National Decoy Show. Measures 17 1/2” long. Original paint with minor to moderate crazing and flaking on back; crack through neck.

Provenance: Ex Dr. George Ross Starr, Jr. collection. Dick and Lynn Gove collection.

Literature: Exact decoy pictured on page 51 of “Decoys Of the Atlantic Flyway”, by Dr. George Ross Starr, Jr.

493

(800 - 1,200)

293

New England shorebirds Lothrop Holmes 1824 - 1899 | Kingston, Massachusetts

One of the very earliest, most accomplished, and sought-after Massachusetts decoy makers, Lothrop Holmes, was born in Plympton MA, a small rural town about eight miles from coastal Kingston. As a young man, he worked in the local iron foundries.

He married Elizabeth Howland Hunter in 1848 and, for a few years, the couple presumably lived with one of their parents.

In 1854, the couple bought a small “half Cape” house on Main Street in Kingston. Their time here was brief, and in 1855, the couple moved to Providence, Rhode Island where Holmes spent the next decade living in the city and working in the nearby Phenix Iron Foundry. In 1870, Holmes’ mother died, and he inherited the 115 acre homestead farm. He still owned the half Cape in Kingston as well as a small half acre lot in Brant Rock, a village in the Town of nearby Marshfield noted for its coot and sea duck shooting.

As noted by GiGi Hopkins in her excellent research on the carver, “The assessed value for all this property was $5000, a comfortable sum for the time.” Over the years, the couple had four children but two had died as infants, one as early as age eleven and the oldest son at age twenty three. With no children to inherit the family farm, the property was sold, and Holmes and his wife returned to the small Cape in Kingston. Adjacent to the Holmes’ home was the Evergreen Cemetery, and at age sixty-two, Holmes was appointed to the position of trustee there.

He served in that capacity for the next nine years, and for one year (1893) he served as Evergreen’s superintendent. Both he and his wife are buried there.

He was an accomplished woodworker as evidenced by his finely crafted shooting box, and this skill is certainly apparent in the superb form and finish exhibited in his decoys. It is his paint, however, that elevates his work to the highest level. As noted by Bob Shaw, “He is the greatest master of line among decoy makers; where other carvers drew broad outlines of plumage, Holmes accurately delineated the intricate, interweaving lines of each species plumage with a sure, unwavering hand.” He made decoys of a

number of species, mostly of wooden construction and he is credited by many as being the originator of the canvas over frame type of construction.

294

493a

Yellowlegs, Lothrop Holmes, Kingston, Massachusetts, last quarter 19th century. Slightly forward head pose with relief wing and split tail carving. Tack eyes.

Measures 11.75” long. Strong original paint; very minor discoloration and fine crazing on much of the bird; very slightly blunted at tip of raised wingtips, otherwise excellent structurally.

Provenance: From an estate in Seattle, Washington.

Literature: “New England Decoys,” John and Shirley Delph.

(25,000 - 35,000)

295

493b

Fine eskimo curlew in running pose, attributed to Gordon Fox, Duxbury, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. Split tail. Finely blended paint. 13.5” long. Original paint with a few tiny rubs; bill has been broken off and reattached with a small chip at the top; end of tail has been broken off and reattached with a thin chip missing from one edge.

Provenance: Recently purchased from an estate in Carmel, California.

Literature: “Massachusetts Masters,” p. 34 and 35 similar example. Also essay written on this carver in “Massachusetts Masters, the Decoys as Art, Gigi Hopkins, p. 42 & 43.

(10,000 - 14,000)

296

494a

494

494

Greater yellowlegs from Massachusetts, circa 1900. Tack eyes. 12.5” long. Original paint; minor wear; several tiny dents.

Provenance: Chua collection.

494a

Early hollow golden plover, Nantucket, Massachusetts, last quarter 19th century. Four piece body with raised and extended wingtips and dropped tail,

(4,500 - 6,500)

which is carved at the edges. Early glass eyes. 10.5” long.

Original paint that is protected by an old coat of varnish which is partially worn; some separation at seams; worn and rubbed areas to paint; bill is a professional replacement.

(4,000 - 6,000)

297

494b

Hollow carved eskimo curlew, Folger Family, Nantucket, Massachusetts, 3rd quarter 19th century. Shoe button eyes. Relief wing carving with split tail. 13.5” long. Original paint with minor wear; half of the bill is a professional replacement; a few small dents.

Provenance: Ex Mackey collection, Mackey collection stamp on underside.

298

(45,000 - 55,000)

299

495

Running greater yellowlegs, Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, Massachusetts, 1st quarter 20th century. 13.5” long. With split tail, tack eyes, and fine feature paint detail. Near mint original paint with good patina; some tiny spots of old touchup where bill joins face; very lightly hit by shot.

Literature: “New England Decoys,” John and Shirley Delph.

Elmer Crowell outside his workshop, circa 1940

300

(20,000 - 30,000)

301

496

Red knot, Massachusetts. Stretched out body. Square iron nail inserted as a bill. Starr collection stamp on underside, as well as “KN3” near stick hole. 10” long. Original paint with some crazing, mostly on one side; light gunning wear.

(2,000 - 3,000)

496

497

Lesser yellowlegs, probably Rhode Island. Hat pin eyes with carved shoulders, and split raised tail. Hole is drilled through the tail area for a carrying string. Content pose, with head and neck swept back of body. 11” long. Original paint; a few shot scars; paint worn away on bill; small rough areas at tail; small paint chip at front of head.

(2,000 - 3,000)

497

498

Hollow carved golden plover, Charles Coffin, Nantucket, Massachusetts, last quarter 19th century. 10” long. Applied head.

Original paint with minor wear; lightly hit by shot; bill is a professional replacement.

498

302

Provenance: Dinan collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

499

Yellowlegs, George Boyd, Seabrook, New Hampshire. Fine paint detail and shoe button eyes.

10.5” long. Original paint with very minor discoloration and wear; small spot of touchup on front of neck and one side of head where bill meets face; small chip at peg that goes through top of head.

Literature: “Finely Carved and Nicely Painted,” Jim Cullen.

(3,500 - 4,500) 499

500

Eskimo curlew from Nantucket, Massachusetts, last quarter 19th century. Split tail carving. 13” long. Original paint with minor wear; very tip of bill is missing.

(3,000 - 5,000)

500

501

Black bellied plover, Nantucket, Massachusetts, circa 1900. Two stick holes drilled in underside. 11” long. Appealing original paint; shot marks, mostly in one side; bill appears to be an early working replacement.

(3,000 - 4,000)

501

303

502

505

503

506

504

507

502

Early golden plover, probably Massachusetts. String

Provenance: Matthews estate.

505

moderate wear, appears to be original; a few shot scars;

Golden plover possibly Nantucket, Massachusetts, unknown maker. Split tail. 10.5” long. Original paint;

small flaking in areas.

numerous shot scars.

hole drilled through back of tail. Shoulder carving, as well as split dropped tail. Tack eyes. 10” long. Old paint with

503

(1,500 - 2,000)

Yellowlegs, Massachusetts, unknown maker. Carved

506

Running greater yellowlegs, Alfred Gardner. 12.25” long with split tail and shoe button eyes. Original and

decoy. 12” long. In original paint; several shot scars; string

good.

neck; bill also appears to have been broken and reset.

(1,500 - 2,500)

507

(500 - 800)

Flat sided golden plover, by a member of the Folger family, Nantucket, Massachusetts, last quarter 19th century. Tack eyes. Measures 1” wide x 9.75”

Robin snipe from Massachusetts. Shoe button eyes

long. Strong original paint under a thin coat of varnish

and relief wingtip carving. Feather carving on back and

that has mellowed with age; very minor gunning wear;

sides. 8.5” long. Original paint with minor wear; lightly hit

small chip where bill meets face.

by shot; small chip missing form underside of bill.

304

(1,500 - 1,800)

shoulders and dropped split tail. An elegant looking hole drilled through tail area; restoration to a break in the

504

(1,000 - 1,400)

(1,200 - 1,800)

508

Rigmate pair of dowitchers, Nantucket, Massachusetts. Both have tack eyes. String holes drilled through extended tail. Appealing long bills. 11” long. Original paint; fine feather detail; shot scars mostly on one side of darker decoy and one scar at one tip of bill; very small areas of flaking; small professional restoration at neck seat on decoy that has shot scars.

(2,500 - 3,500)

508

509

Golden plover with iron bill, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, last quarter 19th century. 10.75” long. Original paint with good patina and minor wear; structurally very good.

(2,500 - 3,500)

509

510

Hudsonian curlew, Nantucket, Massachusetts. Tack eyes with string hole drilled through tail. By the same maker as two dowitchers in lot 508. 13” long. Original paint; several shot scars and flaked areas; restoration to crack in neck. (2,000 - 3,000)

510

305

510a

Canada goose, Charles Safford, Newburyport, Massachusetts, last quarter 19th century. Carved in underside “II VII” possibly indicating a rig number. Inletted weight in underside. A large solid body goose. Glass eyes. 27” long. Strong original paint shows an even amount of gunning wear; with some rubs; small areas of flaking and discoloration; a crack that appears to have been repaired in the making runs from the neck seat through the tail.

Provenance: Recently purchased from an estate in Carmel, California.

(30,000 - 40,000)

306

307

510b

Rare merganser hen, North Shore of Massachusetts, circa 1930. Possibly a member of the Wilson family. “S” carved in underside.

A well carved exaggerated crest with a sturdy extended paddle tail. Two inletted weights in underside. Only three of these are known, this hen and one other pair that exists in an important Midwest collection. 16” long. Appears to be an appealing second coat by the maker with minor flaking and wear.

Literature: “Top of the Line Hunting Collectibles,” Donna Tonelli p. 91, similar examples. “Decoys, North America’s One Hundred Greatest,” Loy Harrell, p. 108 for similar example. (5,000 - 8,000)

308

510c

Rare Herter’s owl with mounted dead crow, Herter’s Factory, Waseca, Minnesota, circa 1950. Brush painted breast with glass eyes and original claw bill. Owl measures 20” tall. Strong original paint; with nicks and scratches and a few shot scars; some tiny areas where scratches have been darkened, mostly on back of body; crow has a few imperfections and rubs form light wear.

(2,500 - 3,500)

510c

510d

Excellent owl decoy, Leonard Doren, Pekin, Illinois, circa 1950. Carved from balsa wood with glass eyes and well sculpted head and bill. Mounted to a poplar branch with painted feet. 18.5” tall.

Excellent original paint with only very slight wear at top of one ear.

(2,000 - 3,000)

510d

510e

Very rare owl decoy, Herter’s Factory, Waseca, Minnesota. “True to Life” model, circa 1940-1941. Glass eyes with wood stuffed cloth body and feet. These owls are very rare, as most deteriorated over time. Mounted on wooden base. Stands 22” on base. Structurally very good; retains original stitching; no tears and no fading.

(800 - 1,200)

510e

309

Harry V. Shourds 1861 - 1920 | Tuckerton, New Jersey

Harry’s decoy production was astounding. It is repeatedly said that he would comfortably carve a finished decoy head while getting a shave or haircut at the local barber. He is credited with carving thousands of decoys, perhaps more than any other carver in New Jersey. Following in the long standing, practical Barnegat tradition, his decoys were hollow carved with the seam made watertight with the time-honored marine use of caulking and white lead. His weights were poured lead in a recess he gouged into the bottom of each decoy, again, a time consuming but practical solution.

He did not seem to keep records, yet, after packing his decoys in barrels, he would wheel them to the local railroad station where he was reported to be the largest shipper in Tuckerton. Considering his talent and the time it must have taken, he sold his finished decoys, ready to hunt over, for six dollars a dozen. Rigs of his birds have been documented as far north as Maine and as far south as Georgia. The quality of his work is beyond dispute. Bill Mackey proclaimed: “Fortunate is the collector who has an example of Shourd’s work with its original paint intact, for his painting was worthy of the excellent carving beneath.” “Shourds’s must have tried to make each one a little better than its predecessor”.

Shourds is known to focus most of his carving on (as one would suspect) producing those species most in demand locally. As noted by Joe French: “The majority of his carvings are Canada geese, brant, black ducks and bluebills but he also made fewer numbers of redheads, goldeneyes, red breasted mergansers, hooded mergansers, bufflehead and oldsquaws”. A few rarities by his hand, such as mallards, exist and he is justly

310

famous for his “masterpieces” - his herring gulls. He also made a wide range of carvings for the most popular species of shorebirds; curlews, knots, yellowlegs, plovers, sanderlings and a few ruddy turnstones. H.V. Shourds passed on his talents to his son Harry Mitchell Shourds who copied his father’s patterns and must have certainly worked on decoys alongside his father. The work of father and son is extremely difficult to distinguish from each other. H.M, in turn, was followed in the Shourds’ family decoy legacy by his son, H.V Shourds III. As in the case of so many carvers, the early literature is rife with unintentional misspellings and mis-attributions.

Joe French’s first Shourds decoy was purchased from Somers Headley in 1955 when they were referred to as “Shourdes”. This spelling persisted through the publication of Bill Mackey’s 1965 “American Bird Decoys” and into the 1970’s Bourne auction catalogs.

Hal Sorenson in his 1960’s “Decoy Collectors Guide” spelled his middle name as “Van Nuckson”. Fortunately, these minor digressions have been corrected and Harry V. Shourds can now enjoy his justly famous and wellearned reputation as one of the greatest decoy carvers of all times.

511

Classic brant, Harry V. Shourds Tuckerton, New Jersey. Just under 17” long.

With tack eyes and very slightly turned head. Fine feather paint striping on lower sides. Original paint with minor wear; mostly on sides; moderate wear on underside; a few small dents.

Literature: “New Jersey Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, Jr.

(10,000 - 14,000)

311

512

Flying brant, Ellis Parker, Beach Haven, New Jersey, 1st quarter 20th century. Stick up brant with applied wire and canvas wings. ‘W.H.P. JR.’ branded into the underside for the collection of William Purnell. Measures 20” long with a 28” wing span. Original paint with minor wear; split in underside; short tears in canvas near wire; two plugged holes in the underside.

Provenance: Richard Oliver July

512

1985 sale, lot 683. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

513

515

514

516

513

(2,000 - 4,000)

Brant, Joe King, Manahawkin, New Jersey, 3rd quarter 19th century. Hollow carved with raised neck seat

seat and high head with thin neck. Measures 17”

and ice groove carving behind neck seat. ‘E.B. Cobb’

neck crack repair with touch up in that area; two small

branded in the underside for the rig of Elkanah Cobb,

shot strikes with touch up on back.

Cobb Island, Virginia. Measures 17” long. Early working repaint with moderate flaking and wear; cracks in neck;

long. Original paint with minor gunning wear; professional

Provenance: Ex Dick and Lynn Gove collection.

(1,200 - 1,800)

filler was added to a loss of wood on back.

516

Canada goose, Joe King, Manahawkin, New Jersey, 3rd quarter 19th century. Hollow carved with raised

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

514

Hollow carved black duck, Harry M. Shourds, Ocean City, New Jersey. 16” long. Original paint;

neck seat and ice groove carving behind neck seat. ‘E.B.

minor wear; very small amount of touchup on each side of

Cobb, Cobb Island, Virginia. Measures 23 1/2” long. Early

the head; thin surface crack partway down back.

working repaint with moderate flaking and wear; slight

(1,200 - 1,800)

(1,400 - 1,800)

Cobb’ branded in the underside for the rig of Elkanah

separation at body seam; crack through neck; bill chip repair; a layer of canvas was nailed on underside of tail,

515

High head black duck, Gideon Lippincott, Wading River, New Jersey, 3rd quarter 19th century. Hollow carved with scratch feather paint detail. Raised neck

312

presumably to cover some damaged wood.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(1,500 - 2,500)

517

Rare goldeneye drake, Amos Wheaton, Seaville, New Jersey. Three piece hollow body with extended paddle tail and fanciful, almost ornate painting on back of body. Wheaton’s head carving with deep separation between neck and back crest of head.

16” long. Strong original paint; light wear; shows good age; two dowels hold body parts together; top of tail has been shaved slightly and paint is missing in that area.

(4,000 - 6,000)

517

518

Canada goose, Levi Rhodes Truex, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1st quarter 20th century. Hollow carved with inlet lead weight and carved eyes. ‘Earl Leads Pleasantville New Jersey’ stamped into the underside. Ink stamp from the Jack Conover collection on the underside. Measures 24 1/2” long. Original paint with minor flaking and wear; drying crack in back; drips of discoloration on breast; mouse chews on tail.

Provenance: Ex Jack Conover collection. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(4,000 - 6,000) 518

517

518

313

Sporting art

519

Bien edition, John James Audubon, Wild Turkey male. Measures 39.5” x 26.75”. Retains excellent color; tears with professional restoration; along both edges; and a few small spots mid paper.

(4,000 - 6,000)

314

520

Havel edition, John James Audubon, Goose. “J. Whatman 1835” watermark. Full sheet 38” x 25.5”. Some tears; expected edge wear with one tear approximately 6” upper left coming in form side, some frame staining around outer edge approxi- mately .5” - 1” on to plate.

(3,000 - 5,000)

315

521

521

522

Watercolor on paper, Chet Reneson (b.1934), Old Lyme, Connecticut. Signed lower left, 1975. Image of

522

hunter carrying goose. Image size 19” x 28”. Professionally

Image of hunter punting through snowy marsh. Measures

matted and framed. Excellent and original.

20.5” x 29”. Professionally matted and framed. Excellent

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

and original.

(2,000 - 3,000)

523

523

A match set of pen and ink drawings, Lynn Bogue Hunt (1878 - 1990). One drawing is of a fisherman sight casting shoreline. Image of two men in boat is used as the exact illustration in a book on Lynn Bogue Hunt titled “The Sporting Life,”

by Kevin Shelly, p. 23. Image of man walking shoreline is exact illustration used for the introduction to the same book. Book is also included. 4” x 8.25”. Excellent and original; professionally matted and framed.

(1,500 - 2,500)

Oil on canvas, Howard Hill (1861-1926, California). Family of ruffed grouse at mountains edge.

Supported with wax backing. Signed lower right. Similar to works of A. F. Tait. Image measures 31” x 23”. Inpainting restoration to several areas, largest of which is left side of tree and sky, and right edge of tree, black light images available.

316

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection. (2,000 - 3,000)

523

with a guide in the boat. Other is of surf fisherman walking the

524

Watercolor on paper, Chet Reneson, Old Lyme, Connecticut. Signed and dated lower left, 1974.

(1,500 - 2,500)

524

The following five lots by noted American sporting artists, Lynn Bogue Hunt and Francis Lee Jaques are all illustrations that were used for glassware sets sold in the 1950’s. Glasses came in many sizes from highball to tall. Each illustration has been professionally framed and matted.

524a 524a

Lynn Bogue Hunt (American 18781960). Gauche on paper. Image size 8.25” x 6.5”. Illustration of setter and grouse. Titled “English Setter Pins down a Grouse.” Professionally matted and framed with linen matting. As viewed under blacklight three tape marks in white areas; remnants of illustration work, which are not visible to the naked eye.

(1,500 - 1,800)

524b

524b

Francis Lee Jaques (American, 18871969). Watercolor on paper. Image size 4” x 4”. Image of gobbler. Signed lower left.

Professionally matted and framed with linen mat. As viewed under black light two areas appear to have marks removed, not visible to the naked eye.

(1,200 - 1,800)

317

524c

Francis Lee Jaques (American, 1887-1969).

Watercolor on paper. Image size 3.75” x 4.5”. Signed.

524c

Professionally matted and framed in gilt frame with linen mat. As viewed under blacklight two small tape marks and some very light discoloration.

(900 - 1,200)

524d

524d

Francis Lee Jaques (American, 1887-1969).

Watercolor on paper. 4” x 4”. Mallards in flight. Signed.

Professionally framed and matted with linen mat. As viewed under black light no imperfections.

524e 524e

Lynn Bogue Hunt (American 1878-1960). Gauche on paper. Image size 6.5” x 6.5”. Illustration. Signed and dated lower right. Cock rooster with hen in flight in background. Professionally framed and matted with linen matting. As viewed under black light three tape marks, one in white sky and two along bottom edge which are not visible to the naked eye.

318

(900 - 1,200)

(900 - 1,200)

525

Three limited edition etchings, Benson Moore. All are signed. Professionally mounted and framed in early 15” x

525

7.5” birds eye maple frame. Slight discoloration on etchings otherwise good.

Provenance: Guyette collection. Formerly in collection of John Delph.

(350 - 450)

526

Pen and ink illustration, Arthur Davenport Fuller (1884-1966). “Used as an illustration for Jim Hunter,

526

Sportsman by Ray Holland, Jr. Houghton Miffin, Co. Boston 1937, p. 58 - “Almost immediately there was a thundering splash toward the other bank” Image size 10.25” x 8”. Very good and original.

(500 - 800)

527

528

529

527

Oil on canvas of Canada geese, Daniel Loge. Signed. Image size 14” x 28”. Very good and original.

528

(1,000 - 1,400)

Oil on board, Richard Ellis (b.1938). Image of right whale mother and calf.

Signed upper right. Image size 24” x 29”. Professionally framed. Very good and original.

529

Provenance: Deaccessioned from a New England museum.

Original ink and watercolor Shang Wheeler, Stratford, Connecticut, 2nd quarter 20th century. Mallard setting in along shoreline with lighthouse in back. Framed and matted image retains excellent color. Remarque by Wheeler along lower side of mat shows hunter in sneak boat shooting pair of mallards setting into decoys. Image is oval and is 11” long. Overall picture is 16.5” x 13”.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(800 - 1,000)

(800 - 1,000)

Virginia Captain Robert Andrews Smith Island, Virginia

Born in Cheriton, Virginia, Robert began working as early as age 13, listed along with his two brothers as a “laborer” (presumably on the family farm) while his father, William, worked as a Mariner. When he was 22, he married Amanda Mckunn and together they raised their son, Garland. He worked briefly as a “sailor” and this experience would serve him well when, around the late 1880s, he became a surfman at the Smith Island Life Saving Station. It was here, in about 1897, that he served with and collaborated on a rig of shorebirds with John Henry Downes and Alma Fitchett. By 1900, he was back in Capeville working as a sailor and “watchman/oysterer” until finally taking up house painting in the 1920s.

Capt. Robert Andrews with some of his black duck decoys

While known for his shorebirds, he also carved a number of black ducks and brant. There is no record that he ever made decoys to sell so we have to assume that he carved solely for his own use and thus, his production must have been quite small.

The quality of his work undoubtedly places Andrews in the ranks of one of the most desirable of the Smith Island, Cobb Island and Hog Island carvers.

Note: His gravestone lists his DOB as 1863 however all other census, marriage, birth, and death records list his DOB as variously 1855, 56 or 57.

320

Smith Island Life Saving Station and Light

531

Extremely rare brant, Captain Robert Andrews, Smith Island, Virginia, last quarter 19th century. Swimming pose with split tail carving, carved eyes, and inserted hardwood bill. ‘A’ carved under the tail. ‘ELW’ branded twice on the underside. Measures 18 1/2” long. Old working repaint with significant flaking and wear; many drying cracks in body, head, and neck; loss to wood near one nail attaching neck to body.

Provenance: Guyette & Schmidt April 1996 sale, lot 551. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: “Chesapeake Bay Decoys,” Robert Richardson, p. 208, exact decoy.

(14,000 - 18,000)

321

532

535

533

536

534

537

532

Merganser hen by a member of the Dize family, North Hampton County, Virginia. Extended crest. Roy

534

Rare mallard drake, Doug Jester, Chincoteague, Virginia. Tack eyes. Mallards by Jester are considered

Bull collection brand in the underside. Measures 16 1/2”

rare. 16” long. Original paint that has crazed mostly

long. Original paint with minor wear; tight drying cracks in

around white areas; numerous shot scars, mostly on one

body and tail; crack through neck.

side of breast and body; some discoloration and rough edge at one side of bill.

Provenance: Ex Roy Bull collection. Julia & Guyette October 1990, lot 197. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

535

Literature: Exact decoy pictured on page 130 of ‘Chesapeake Bay Decoys’, R.H. Richardson, editor.

(800 - 1,200)

Root head brant from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, 1st quarter 19th century. 20.5” long. Old in use repaint; numerous cracks.

(650 - 950)

(1,200 - 1,800) 533

Canada goose, unknown maker, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Tack eyes with long solid wood slender

536

Coot from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, last quarter 19th century. In alert pose with applied bill. 12.5” long. Appealing old in use repaint; minor wear; lightly hit

body and raised neck seat. “Knotts Island, Virginia” writ-

by shot; small cracks in back and neck.

(500 - 800)

ten on underside. 27” long. A very old crazed surface appears to be a mix of original and second coat; an early neck repair with paint restoration in that area.

(1,000 - 1,500)

537

Black duck, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia. Tack eyes, ice dip behind neck. 15.5” long. Old in use repaint; a few small dents and shot marks; minor roughness to the underside.

Provenance: D.C. North collection. Purchased from Larry

322

Lambert.

(800 - 1,200)

537a

Excellent rigmate pair of red breasted mergansers, Doug Jester, Chincoteague, Virginia, circa 1930. Both are unrigged and unweighted.

Long extended carved combs off the backs of both heads. Both retain Charlie Hunter collection tags and an Oliver sticker indicating a 1989 sale.

16” long. Both are in excellent original paint by Jester; drake may have been painted initially as a hen, but switched before it left the Jester workshop.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(4,000 - 6,000)

323

Walter Brady Oyster, Virginia Some of the very finest decoys said to originate on Hog Island, Virginia are assigned to the hand of Walter Brady.

Early decoy authority, Bill Mackey, wrote in “American Bird Decoys” that Walter “was a market hunter, who died at an advanced age in the 1940’s” . Sadly, no Walter Brady can be found in the Federal or State census records that fits this description. It has also been claimed by Henry Fleckenstein and others, that Brady was a Cobb Island guide but, again, no factual information to collaborate that claim can be located. Decoy authority, Cameron McIntyre, who has long studied decoys from the region, asserts that decoys said to be by Brady are very likely, the early work of Eli Doughty. The fact that a Walter Brady from Oyster did actually exist is verified by a number of statements written in “Decoys of Virginia and the Carolinas”. In that text, we find that residents of Oyster recalled that “- - - the only Walter Brady they knew never made any decoys”, yet an “old timer” in Oyster “had purchased goose decoys from Brady shortly before his (Brady’s) death - - “. Another resident could point to one of the homes where Walter lived. So where does this leave us in the endless debate over the Walter Brady mystery?

One very plausible explanation lies in the Federal census records. Indeed, there was a John Walter Brady who seemed to go by both “Walter” and “John Walter” (for simplicity we will refer to him as “Walter”).

In somewhat remote Capeville and the villages of Oyster and Eastville, records were poorly kept and facts must be extrapolated from a number of sources. What emerges is that Walter was born in Oyster, the son of William H. and Emily Susan Brady(see note 1). The young Walter probably by-passed school and quickly entered the workforce because, for his entire life, he could neither read nor write and, when necessary, signed documents with his “mark” which would then be authenticated by someone else. On December 10th, 1890, he married Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie”) Moore and they would quickly have five sons and three daughters.

324

Walter was obviously hard working and he vacillated between being an “oysterman” or “waterman” (1900.

1910, 1940 and death certificate) and working as a “laborer” on a local farm (1920, 1930). His obituary refers to him as “Captain” so he must have spent a good deal of time on or around the waters of Capeville and its offshore islands (Hog, Cobb, etc.). He apparently never achieved any substantial wealth for he never owned his own home and his residences were always “rented”.

Despite his local reputation as being a “cantankerous and hardbitten old fellow”, he must have been a good family man for, in 1940, he took in one of his granddaughters to live with him and his wife, (presumably after some mishap with one of his daughters?). Mr. Brady is buried in the Eastville Baptist Church Cemetery in Eastville, Virginia.

We cannot be certain if this was the Walter Brady of decoy fame. The pieces somewhat fit the legend yet, until concrete evidence emerges, the intriguing mystery will remain.

Notes:1. On Walter’s death certificate, his father is listed as John Walter Brady Sr.

538

Brant, Walter Brady, Oyster, Virginia, circa 1900. Canted neck seat with inserted hardwood bill splined through back of head. Charlie Hunter collection tag on underside. Raised, split tail with ridge line extending from mid back through top of tail. 16” long. Old working repaint; with average wear; original head has been off and reset; bill is possibly a very early replacement that has been secured with two wire nails; couple of small shot scars; small areas where paint has flaked away.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

Literature: ‘Southern Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, p. 44 and 158, exact decoy pictured.

(10,000 - 15,000)

325

Ira Hudson 1873 - 1949 | Chincoteague, Virginia Located at the northern end of Virginia’s fabled eastern shore, Chincoteague is a barrier island, fortunate to have neighboring Assateague Island serve as a storm buffer on its seaward edge. The name comes from the native American Gingoteague tribe meaning “beautiful land across the waters”. Seven miles long and one and a half miles wide, it is the largest inhabited island in the State of Virginia. For much of its early existence, access to the island was only by boat until the four-plus mile long series of causeways and bridges connecting it to the mainland was completed in 1922. Historically it was the island’s rich natural resources that drew the early settlers.

Originally used for grazing livestock, by the early 1800s the area’s oysters, clams and fin fisheries provided the primary source of income for the residents. Through the mid 1900s the inhabitants were almost totally dependent on the income derived from the shellfish and finfish industries, especially oysters. While these occupations are still important, tourism has become the island’s largest industry. Today it is probably best known for its wild ponies.

The island’s somewhat isolated location meant that it was relatively slow to grow and develop but, despite being ravaged by catastrophic fires and storms, grow and develop it did. The first census taken in 1831 showed 510 inhabitants. Thirty years later the population had increased to 1,100 and by 1929 (after the completion

326

of the causeway) the population was recorded as being 4,500. Until it was outlawed (and perhaps even after that date), market hunting provided additional seasonal income for the hardy watermen. As early as the late 1800s the area’s abundant waterfowl began to attract greater and greater numbers of visiting hunters.

Hotels, along with additional service industries, were established to meet the needs of the many guests.

Among the service industries were guiding and decoy production. Soon, familiar names such as Ira Hudson, “Doug” Jester, Miles Hancock, Dave (“Umbrella”) Watson and, more recently, Delbert (“Cigar”) Daisey, began to produce thousands of quality decoys to fill the needs, initially, of local gunners and, eventually, sportsmen and clubs spread along the entire Atlantic seaboard. Today the tradition continues, well represented by a number of talented contemporary Chincoteague carvers. Oysters, decoys and ponies have put tiny Chincoteague on the map!

539

Rare crook neck brant sink box decoy, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia, circa 1920s. Large lead pad attached to underside. Old in use repaint; head has been off and reattached; several cracks.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

Literature: “Chesapeake Bay Decoys,” extended edition, Bobby Richardson, p. 186, exact decoy pictured.

(8,000 - 12,000)

327

540

541

540

Merganser hen, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia. Raised neck seat, tack eyes, and extend-

Hollow brant, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Two piece hollow body with

ed crest with incised feathering. Measures 13 1/2”

tack eyes. On raised neck seat, with ice groove carved at

long. Original paint with minor discoloration and wear;

back of neck. 16” long. Original paint has darkened with

small dents and hairline drying cracks in body; some filler

age; rust near nail tips that have secured the two body

with touch up added to a defect in wood on the under-

halves; very tight thin crack at neck has been secured

side; most of the bill is a replacement; small chip in lower

with glue.

part of crest.

Provenance: Julia & Guyette October 5, 1990 sale, lot 193. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

328

541

(4,000 - 6,000)

(4,000 - 6,000)

542

Extremely rare greenwing teal drake, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia, circa 1920s. Detailed scratch loop feather paint.

The decoy’s scratch feather looping has been applied opposite of his typical fashion. 10.5” long. The paint is difficult to read, it may have been primed with a brown coat that shows through in some areas, or it might be a very early second coat; minor wear; small spot of touchup on one side of breast; hairline crack partway through neck; slight wear to the wood on one edge of the tail; chip missing from neck that was reglued.

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(8,000 - 12,000)

329

543

Stylish pintail drake, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia. Very round body style with banjo tail. Original paint with moderate wear and discoloration on body; small dents and hairline cracks.

Provenance: Ex Bill Purnell collection. Small “P” is branded in underside. (2,000 - 3,000)

543

544

Two piece balsa body widgeon, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2nd quarter 20th century. Partially inlayed neck seat with ice groove carving and tack eyes. Measures 13.5” long. Original paint under a yellowed coat of varnish; separation at body seam; minor roughness on top of head; tight cracks in neck.

Provenance: Ex Sam Dyke collection, and so stamped.

(2,000 - 3,000)

544

545

Very rare mallard drake, Ira or Delbert Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia. Partially inlet neck seat, tack eyes, and fluted tail. Fine scratch feather paint detail. Decoy was originally made as a music box and the flap that opened at the center of the back was sealed and touched up. Measures 12 1/4” long. Original paint with minor flaking and wear protected under a thin coat of varnish; some flaking at back of neck seat.

545

Provenance: Julia & Guyette October 1990 sale, lot 621. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

546

Black duck, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia, 2nd quarter 20th century. 15.5” long. Tack eyes, fluted tail, and ice dip carving behind neck.

15.5” long. Original paint with minor wear; moderate wear on underside; small cracks in underside; thin crack partway through neck base.

546

330

(1,250 - 1,750)

547

548

547

Important rigmate pair of goldeneye, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia, 1st quarter 20th century. Both retain the Roy Bull brand on underside. Both

548

Turned tail and head merganser drake, Ira Hudson, Chincoteague, Virginia. Tail and head are carved to mimic a duck swimming in a circle with the crest and bill

are in an appealing second coat of paint by the Ward

also carved. Tack eyes and raised neck seat. Measures

Brothers. 14 1/2” long. Ward brothers paint has moderate

14 1/4” long. Early restored paint with minor to moder-

gunning wear with wood grain exposed in some areas;

ate wear; hairline cracks in the underside and near tail;

flaking to filler at neck seat; crack in hen’s back; profes-

chip in top of crest; lower portion of neck is a professional

sional bill chip repair on drake.

replacement; hairline crack in one side of neck seat; shot strike in one side of head.

Literature: “Ward Brothers Decoys,” Ron Gard and Brian McGrath, p. 36, exact decoys pictured. “Ira Hudson and Family,” Henry Stansbury,” p. 104, exact decoys pictured.

Provenance: Richard Oliver’s February 1989 auction, lot 163. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

(5,000 - 8,000)

331

Bronze sculptures

549

Bronze of a grizzly bear standing on small stones, Gerald George Balciar (b.1942). Artist proof dated 1975. 25” tall. Very good and original.

(2,500 - 3,500)

550

Limited edition bronze of three walrus on rocks, Gerald George Balciar (b.1942). Entitled, “Arctic Reunion”. Limited edition 1/20. Dated 1983. 18” wide x 14” tall. Excellent and original with good tone.

(2,500 - 3,500)

332

551

Bronze of full size pheasant, rising out of corn field, Carl Wagner (1938-2011).

Entitled, “Flush”. Limited edition 3/36. Dated 1985. 31” tall. Fine detail. Excellent and original.

552

(2,000 - 3,000)

“Browns Territory” limited edition bronze 2/18, James Stafford (b.1937).

Dated 1978. 18” tall. Very good and original.

(2,000 - 3,000)

333

553

Carl Wagner (American, 1938-2011). Bronze sculpture. Flying barred owl, entitled “Night Wing”.

Limited edition 1/12. Signed and dated 1983. 30” tall with 44” wingspan. Very good and original.

(2,000 - 3,000)

553

553a

Lee Lester (American). Cast bronze sculpture. 28” x 13”. Lab with clutched mallard in mouth. Mounted to marble and wood base. Titled “The Retriever”. Excellent and original.

553a

334

(1,500 - 2,500)

554

554

Bear in rocky landscape, Mark Hopkins, Loveland, Colorado. Copyright 1996. 15” tall. Good patina; slightly dirty.

555

(800 - 1,000)

Screaming eagle bronze, Mark Hopkins, Loveland, Colorado. Copyright 1994 number 98/400. Stands 13” tall. Good patina excellent and original.

(800 - 1,000)

555

335

Delaware River

556

Exceptional Blair School greenwing teal hen, last quarter 19th century. Hollow carved body halves are joined by four wooden dowels. Shoe button eyes. Fine feather paint detail. 11.5” long. Near mint original paint; structurally very good.

Provenance: Chua collection.

336

(40,000 - 60,000)

337

557

558

557

Rare canvasback drake, John Dawson, Trenton, New Jersey, first quarter 20th century. Stamped “JD”

Rare merganser hen, John English, Florence, New Jersey, last quarter 19th century. Small “H” carved in

in underside. 16” long. Original paint with good patina

underside, as well as the initials “DSC” stamped for Dave

and very minor wear; several small specks of dark paint on

Campbell. 15.5” long. A mix of original paint and old in

back; never rigged. An excellent example of Dawson’s

use repaint; structurally good.

work.

338

558

(4,000 - 6,000)

(3,500 - 4,500)

558a

Hollow carved bluewing teal drake, John Blair, Sr., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 3rd quarter 19th century. Branded “C Wild.” 13.25” long. With raised V wingtip carving. Mixture of original paint and old in use repaint; neck crack repair; eyes are professional replacement; small dents.

Provenance: Mary Matthews collection

(4,000 - 6,000)

339

558b

558c

558b

Rigmate pair of bluebills, John Dawson, Trenton, New Jersey, 1st half 20th century. Both stamped “JD”

558c

Black duck, William Quinn, Yardley, Pennsylvania, 2nd quarter 20th century. Two piece hollow body with

on underside, as part of Dawson’s personal rig. Also “DSC”

raised carved wingtips. “V” Feather carving in back and

for Dave Campbell collection. Two piece solid body.

sculpted tail. Head is tucked. Hillman collection stamp on

14” long. Excellent original paint; some feather detail to

underside. 15” long. Structurally excellent, paint is a sec-

drake’s back; light wear that has exposed natural wood

ond coat by Quinn.

surface on hen’s back; light spot of staining to side pockets on both and small stain spots on drake’s back.

(6,000 - 9,000)

Provenance: Hillman collection lot 407.

Literature: “New Jersey Decoys,” Henry Fleckenstein, Jr., p 189, exact decoy pictured. “Decoys of Midatlantic Region,” George Ross Starr, p. 61, exact decoy pictured.

(3,000 - 5,000)

340

559

560

559

Mallard hen, John Blair, Sr, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two piece hollow body with tack eyes

Black duck, Dan English, Florence, 1st half 20th century. Two piece hollow body with raised carved

and raised neck seat. Feather paint detail on head.

wings, fluted tail, and decorated incised wing pattern.

Initials “R.J.E.” are randomly stamped under tail. Two

With “V” cuts behind neck. Bares Mackey collection

dowels secure the two body halves. 17” long. Original

stamp on underside. As well as Muller collection stamp.

paint on body was probably covered by a coat of lin-

15” long. Original paint with light gunning wear; profes-

seed oil at one time that was taken down; tight crack

sional replacement to lower half of bill.

in neck where old nails were used to resecure; some wear from light gunning.

560

Provenance: Mackey collection 1973.

(2,500 - 3,500)

Provenance: Sold at a Richard Oliver auction Nov 10, 1988. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(4,000 - 6,000)

341

Joseph Morgan 1924 - 2001 | Tullytown, Pennsylvania

Born in 1924, Joe Morgan spent his youth on the shores of Warren Cove in Tullytown. He is said to have begun his duck hunting career on the Delaware River when he was only 11 and carved his first decoys when he was 16. By the time he was 18, he was working at the Fleetwing Co. in Bristol, PA – an aircraft parts manufacturing facility. He enlisted in the Navy and served between 1943 and 1946 as a machinist mate second class. After he left the service, he married Jeanne M. Lamb in 1948 in Rochester, NY and the couple lived in Rochester through 1953 while Joe worked for the Eastman Kodak Co. In 1953-54, he moved back to Tullytown and worked as a model builder for a plastics firm, ultimately forming his own modeling firm (Acro-Matic Co.) in 1958. He retired from business in 1972 and accepted a position as a guide at the Feather Duster Club on the Chesapeake Bay. While Joe began carving at a young age, his total production is estimated at no more than 150 to 200 birds. During his lifetime, he knew many of the area’s better-known carvers, men such as Joe King, Bill Quinn, Claude Trader and others, and undoubtedly was influenced by them. His work exemplifies the classic Delaware River style and, as noted by both Huster and Knight in Floating Sculpture, and Allen Linkchorst in Decoy magazine, “Many observers feel his pintails are his most outstanding birds”.

Note: Kenneth Gosner in “Working Decoys of the Jersey Coast and Delaware Valley” lists

342

his residence as “Holland, PA”.

561

Rare rigmate pair of pintails, Joseph Morgan, Tullytown, Pennsylvania. Drake has slightly turned head. Hen is in content pose. Both have raised carved wingtips. Original paint; minor discoloration and wear; a few tiny dents; tiny chip missing from edge of hen’s tail.

Provenance: Formerly in collection of David Campbell, stamped DSC in underside.

(17,500 - 22,500)

343

562

Pair of bluebills, William Kimble, Trenton, New Jersey, 1st quarter 20th century. Detailed feather carving and fluted tails. 13” long. Original paint; minor discoloration and wear; a few small dents.

(900 - 1,200)

562

563

Preening black duck, Jess Heisler, Burlington, New Jersey, 1st quarter 20th century. Raised “V” wingtip carving and fluted tail. Bill is buried in feathers. 14” long. Appealing old in use repaint; several tiny dents.

Provenance: Ex collection Dave Campbell, stamped “DSC” in underside.

(1,000 - 1,400)

563

564

Black duck, John Dawson, Trenton, New Jersey, 1st quarter 20th century. Two piece hollow body with glass eyes. Wingtip carving in back. “DSC” stamped in underside for Dave Campbell collection. 16” long. Old original paint on body with strengthening around body seam; crazing to paint on head; possibly some old working paint added to areas of bill; paint on head has crazed; filler loss at one part of base

564

of neck; a few small scratches and rubs.

565

(1,500 - 2,500)

Sleeping bluebill drake from Delaware River area, 1st quarter 20th century. Very similar to the work of Dan English. Hollow carved with gouge carving under tail.

Measures 12 1/4” long. Original paint with very minor wear; small dents; white on sides has a second coat possibly done in the making.

565

344

Provenance: Robert and Sylvia Mangold collection.

(2,000 - 3,000)

566

567

566

Preening Canada goose from the T. Gray rig, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, last quarter 19th century. Hollow carved with head turned in preen-

567

Pintail drake, Joseph King, Edgely, Pennsylvania. Two piece hollow body with turned head, carved wingtips, and extended sprig tail.

ing pose. Measures 16 1/2” long. In use repaint with

Retains weight with “J.S. King Edgely Pennsylvania”

significant crazing; moderate flaking and wear; long

on underside. 18” long. Excellent original paint that

shot marks on back; multiple cracks in neck with old

has mellowed slightly; crack in neck.

filler and glue visible.

Provenance: Guyette & Schmidt July 1996 sale, lot 572. Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection. Purchased directly from Joe King when he moved to Idaho, part of his hunting rig.

(2,500 - 3,500)

345

Maine 568

Eider drake, probably Maine. Shoe button eyes. Carved bill and raised neck seat. Unusual construction with inset swing weight. 18” long. Original paint; glue repair to crack at top of body and around crack in neck; some minor touchup in that area of back.

568

569

(2,500 - 3,500)

Hollow carved eider drake, Gus Wilson, South Portland, Maine, 1st quarter 20th century. Turned inlet head. Carved eyes and relief wing carving. Black areas have old in use repaint; white appears to be original with minor wear; lightly hit by shot.

Provenance: Gene and Linda Kangas collection.

Literature: “New England Decoys,” John and Shirley Delph.

569

(2,000 - 3,000) 570

Monhegan Island style drake, Gus Wilson, South Portland, Maine, 1st quarter 20th century. Inlet head, carved eyes, and relief wing carving. 15” long. Appealing old in use repaint; small cracks; shallow chip missing from top of tail; more recent touchup on much of the bill and small professional bill chip repair.

(2,000 - 3,000)

570 571

Rocking head scoter, Gus Wilson, South Portland, Maine. Relief wing carving. Inlet and doweled head, which is free to rock with the motion of the waves. George Ross Starr, Jr. collection ink stamp on underside.

Measures 18.5” long. Original paint; with moderate gunning wear; knots and defects in wood; roughness and dry rot on one lower side of body; cracks in neck.

571

Provenance: Bourne May 1986 sale, lot 252 tag. Charlie Hunter, III

346

collection.

(1,500 - 2,500)

572

575

573

576

574

577

572

Merganser drake from Maine, 1st to 2nd quarter 20th century. Underside says “Bluehill, Maine circa

575

Red breasted merganser drake, possibly South Addison, Maine. Inletted neck. Underside is inpainted

1900.” Tack eyes and extended paddle tail, which is

with exception of small area under tail. 18” long. Thin

carved out from the underside. 19” long. Original paint

original paint; inserted bill appears to be original.

has partially worn away from heavy gunning wear; rough area at tip of bill and one side of tail.

(800 - 1,200)

(1,500 - 2,000) 576

573

Old squaw hen, Gus Wilson, South Portland, Maine, 1st quarter 20th century. Relief wing carving and

Working loon, Albert Orme, 1st quarter 20th century. Hollowed out from the underside. 18.5” x 6” x 9”. Appealing old in use paint; small cracks in neck; crack

carved eyes. Made with a swivel head. 12” long. Original

in back; small dents.

(650 - 950)

paint with minor discoloration and wear; thin surface 577

crack in one side of neck.

Provenance: Used at hunting camp on Lake Champlain.

(1,000 - 1,500) 574

Black duck, Gus Wilson, South Portland, Maine, 1st quarter 20th century. Turned head with inletted neck. Carved shoulders and wings. Glass eyes. 16” long. Original paint; gunning wear; rubs mostly at top of

Unusual and very early gull, last quarter 19th century. Inlet style of neck. Hollowed out from one side under a wing area, where lead weight has also been poured to make the decoy stable and heavy. Whether it was a shore decoy, a door stop, or a sink box item, it is appealing from an artistic standpoint. 13” long. Original paint has appealing crazed pattern, with rubs to bare wood and scratches.

(300 - 500)

head, back, and tail; underside has had wood imperfections filled with plaster.

(800 - 1,200)

347

New Jersey

577a

Very rare peep or sanderling, Daniel Lake Leeds, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1900. Bill is splined through back of head. Carved shoulders with split wingtips and dropped tail. 9” long. Strong original paint in an appealing pattern; slight wear; a very small area on front breast was touched up a long time ago; rough area at tip of bill.

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

348

(6,000 - 10,000)

578

581

579

582

580

583

578

Early curlew, Salem County, New Jersey, last quarter 19th century. Tack eyes with shoulder, wing, and tail

581

Two yellowlegs, Ephram Hildreth, Cape May County, New Jersey, 3rd quarter 19th century. 11.5”

carving. Writing on underside indicates this was part of the

and 9.75” long. Worn original paint; both bills are replace-

collection of Mort Hanson and Lloyd Johnson. Two tone

ments; two hairline cracks and a few shot marks in one.

paint with feathering on head, neck, and underside. 16” long. Original paint; shot scars, mostly to one side; some imperfection in paint due to age.

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

582

Willet or curlew, unknown maker, Cape May, New Jersey, last quarter 19th century. Glass bead eyes,

(1,500 - 2,000)

(2,000 - 3,000)

inserted iron bill. Shoulder and split wing carving and 579

Curlew, probably Cape May, New Jersey. Bold

dropped tail. 16” long. Original paint; some wood splitting

carved eyes with hardwood hooked bill. Wing painting

where bill is inserted into face; bit of grunge and dirt has

outline. Similar to decoys found in the Cape May, New

worked its way into the texture of white paint; shows good

Jersey area. 15” long. Strong original paint; a couple of

age.

imperfections in wood; stick hole was filled with glue.

(1,500 - 2,000) 580

Large and impressive curlew from Cape May, New Jersey, unknown maker, circa 1900. A hard-

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

583

Large curlew, New Jersey. Similar to Swain Family, or Cape May area. Glass eyes. Writing on underside says “Ike Swain Family, Cape May, 1880”. 17” long. Excellent

wood hooked bill is splined through back of head. 19”

original paint; thick crack through one side of body; other-

long. Strong original paint; with light gunning wear; the

piece of wood used had worm holes on the underside at

the time of making.

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

(2,000 - 4,000)

(2,000 - 2,500)

wise very good and original.

Provenance: Bruce Williams collection.

(1,500 - 2,000)

349

Decoratives 584

Large brook trout, Jim Foote, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1970. Signed under fin. Slightly curved body with detailed musculature. Open mouth, carved gills, tails, and dorsal fin. This may be the largest brook trout known to have been carved by Jim. 13.5” long. Very good and original.

584

585

587

586

588

585

586

Carved bluefish mounted on door panel. Signed

(2,500 - 3,500)

“Ellen McCaleb” top left. Fish measures 33”, board length

Carved wooden brook trout on wooden backboard, Lawrence Irvin, Winthrop, Maine. Signed on

is 12” x 42”. Growing up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia,

back. 23” long with backboard painted to simulate birch

Ellen learned to paint and carve from Mark McNair. Very

bark. Two fins are replaced, otherwise very good and

good and original.

original.

587

(700 - 900)

Northern pike fish plaque made in the style of Oscar Peterson, with carved eye, mouth, fins, and tail. Branded “W.F.” on back of plaque. 38”

588

(950 - 1,250)

A sculpture or sea scene of a baby sea turtle that has just hatched and is crawling toward the water, Tom McFarland. Base is made of a solid sand, egg shell

long. Excellent original paint; with a crazed surface, gives

remnants off to one side. Turtle fin tracks follow his direc-

the appearance of age.

tion to the new world. Signed and dated “Loggerhead,

(400 - 600)

Tom McFarland, 1982.” Measures 27”. Very good and original.

350

Provenance: Charlie Hunter, III collection.

(700 - 1,000)

588a

Full size standing Canada goose watch gander, John Sharp.

Carved from single piece of walnut with no applied parts which is John Sharps trait in carving, which has lead to his numerous world championships. On carved wooden base with carved corn stalks.

Approximately 29” tall. Signed and dated 1980. A few cracks in base, otherwise original and good.

Literature: 1980 Easton, Maryland Waterfowl Festival booklet, p. 87, exact carving.

(8,000 - 12,000)

351

588b

1/4 size carving of a bald eagle, Jim Sprankle. Dated 2006. Standing on globe. Wingspan is 16”. Fine feather carving detail. A replica of the full size standing eagle carved for George H.W. Bush Very good and original.

588c

(1,250 - 1,750)

Full size standing gull, maker unknown. Carved feet, detailed feather carving with crossed wingtips. 20.5” long. Repainted at one time as a black duck; black duck overpaint was professionally removed; structurally good.

Provenance: Chua collection.

(3,000 - 5,000)

590

Pair of 1/3 size flying mallards, Roy Conklin, Alexandria Bay, New York. Different Roy Conklin stamps on each. Identified in pencil. 7.75” long.

Original and good.

(400 - 600)

590

352

590a

591

592

590a

591

Egret decoy, Reggie Birch, Chincoteague, Virginia, circa 1985. Signed and dated on underside. Decoy has

592

Standing full body egret, J. Miles. Signed and dated 2008. Tucked, curved, and turned head with glass

been stressed to create the appearance of age. 24” long.

eyes and fish in mouth. Carved tail and wingtips. 37”

34” tall on included stand. Multiple cracks; paint that has

tall. Original paint had been stressed to create appear-

been scraped away.

ance of age; some flaking and crazing.

(800 - 1,200)

Weathered and decorative full size flying gull. With

Provenance: Kirby Roberts collection.

(1,500 - 2,000)

applied bill, carved eyes, and applied back wing.

Chip carved body, head, and underside of wing. 31” long. Original paint is weathered nicely and worn to create an appealing surface.

(800 - 1,000)

353

Lloyd Tyler 1898 - 1971 | Crisfield, Maryland

“Lloyd J. Tyler was a genuine folk artist of considerate talent and versatility. Growing up in the depressed waterfront economy of Crisfield. Maryland, a tiny hamlet on the Eastern Shore, he chose a career as a decoy maker, providing thousands of them for hunters and gunning clubs throughout the shore. Lloyd also turned his talents to whimsical carvings of dogs, snakes and waterfowl. Making many for family and friends.”

“But like most folk artists he had achieved limited fame for his efforts when he died in 1970.”

Henry Stansbury Author of Lloyd J. Tyler Folk Artist, Decoy Maker

593

Pair of 3/4 size pheasants Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, 3rd quarter 20th century. Both are carved from hardwood.

Rooster is signed and dated 1946 under tail. Both have wooden legs and wooden feet, mounted to star shaped bases. Rooster measures 21.5” long. Some flaking and cracking on rooster’s body; paint separation where wooden tail is inserted to body.

Literature: “Lloyd Tyler, Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury, p. 40, exact decoy pictured.

593

354

(3,000 - 5,000)

Author, Henry Stansbury, admiring the Lloyd Tyler heron.

594

Full size standing heron, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1950. Two piece body and head. Glass eyes, wooden legs with carved feet.

Mounted to green painted board. Signed “Lloyd Tyler” on underside of board. 43.5” tall. Near mint original paint; structurally good.

Literature: “Lloyd Tyler, Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury, p. 93, exact decoy pictured.

(10,000 - 15,000)

355

595

Long billed curlew, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1950. Glass eyes with split wings and dropped tail.

Metal legs and feet mounted to piece of driftwood. Signed “Tyler” on underside. 16” long. Strong original paint with very slight wear; structurally good.

Literature: “Lloyd Tyler, Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury.

(3,000 - 4,000)

596

Standing full body decorative widgeon hen, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1940. Head is turned, tail is fanned and scoop carved on underside. Wooden legs mounted to board with painted

595

feet. 14” long. Strong original paint that has mellowed, mostly on white areas; tail has been broken and reglued; tight crack in neck with glue showing.

598

Literature: “Lloyd Tyler, Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury, p. 38, exact decoy pictured.

(800 - 1,200)

596

597

597

A group of miniature widgeon, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1950. Four hens and one drake. Three

598

Painting on board, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland. Signed “Lloyd Tyler” lower right. Two dead

are carved of balsa wood and two are hard wood.

hanging mallards. Board measures 25” x 12.5”. Original

Longest is 5.5” long. All are in original paint; with very light

paint that shows great age; with crazing to varnish and

wear from handling.

painted surface, several scratches and dents to surface of

(800 - 1,200)

both frame and painted board.

356

(800 - 1,200)

599

602

600

603

601

604

599

Decorative Standing widgeon drake, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1940. Head is turned with

flight. Tack eyes. Strong original paint with slight wear;

painted feet. 12” long. Thick original paint; a few small

crack in body.

crack.

Literature: “Lloyd Tyler, Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury, p. 92, exact decoy pictured.

Literature: “Lloyd Tyler, Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury, p. 9, exact decoy pictured.

600

Full size flying marsh hen, Lloyd Tyer, Crisfield, Maryland. Applied wings, which are outstretched in

fan tail. Wooden legs attached to wooden board with flakes missing; discoloration to white areas; bill has hairline

602

(800 - 1,200)

603

Wood cock, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1950. Raised and split wingtips. Inserted wooden bill, wire legs attached to wooden base with painted feet. 9.5”

Carved croppie on board, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1950. Similar fish can be seen on page 100 of “Lloyd Tyler” Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury. Fish has

long. Excellent and original.

Literature: “Lloyd Tyler, Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury.

(600 - 900)

carved gills, fins at mouth and eye. Scratch painting for scales. Painted background and yellow decorated frame.

Measures 6.25” 12.75”. Near mint.

601

(800 - 1,200)

604

Flicker decoy, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1950. Wire legs bent for attachment to a tree or branch.

Yellowlegs and plover, Lloyd Tyler, Crisfield, Maryland, circa 1950. Plover has iron bill with turned

Tack eyes. Carved from balsa wood. 12” long. Original

and carved tail. Yellowlegs has upward looking pose.

which may be an imperfection in wood at tail; some glue

Both have wire legs. Detailed paint feathering and are

marks are visible there; bill has been broken, reattached,

affixed to mounted base with painted feet. Yellowlegs is

and is slightly blunted at tip.

14.5” long. Both are in excellent original paint; plover has crack in underside.

(500 - 700)

Literature: “Lloyd Tyler, Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury, p. 91, exact decoy pictured.

Literature: “Lloyd Tyler, Folk Artist,” Henry Stansbury, p. 38, similar pictured.

paint; crack and dent at top of head; crack or separation

(800 - 1,200)

(600 - 900)

608

High head canvasback, James Currier, Havre de Grace, Maryland, 1st quarter 20th century. Rare early high head style with roman nose carving. Measures 17” long. Mix of original and in use repaint with moderate flaking and wear; drying cracks in one side of body; roughness on edge of tail; two cracks through neck and one in bill; loss to filler above nail hole on back

608

of head.

609

(1,500 - 2,500)

Rigmate pair of bluebills, Oliver Lawson, Crisfield, Maryland. Both signed and dated 1983. Both have slightly turned head, extended tails, and carved shoulders. 13” long. Mint.

(2,000 - 2,500)

609

610

Rigmate pair of buffleheads, Lloyd Sterling, Crisfield, Maryland. Balsa. Each is signed in pen along with the inscription, “phone 1427,” an early phone number in Crisfield. Both are stamped “Doug and Carol Whittington.” Both have turned heads, drake’s is high and alert. Detailed feathering on hen. 10” long. Original paint that has mellowed with age; slight roughness

610

to edge of bill on hen; a few small dents in hen.

Provenance: D.C. North collection.

(1,200 - 1,500) 611

Excellent pintail drake, Robert McGaw, Havre de Grace, Maryland, 2nd quarter 20th century. High head decorative model.

18” long. Very good original paint; two knot holes at top of back with pitch bleeding through; professional restoration to a crack in neck with

611

358

inpainting in that area; crack running length of underside.

(1,500 - 2,500)

612

615

613

616

614

617

612

Pair of canvasbacks, Jim Currier, Havre de Grace, Maryland. Underside of drake has the date 7/26/62,

eyes. 12.5” long. Original paint with a few very minor rubs and spots of discoloration; small dent in side of hen.

(900 - 1,200)

and $4, assuming that is the price when they were made.

Excellent original paint; with a knot that has pushed out of one side of hen; in the making repair to front of breast;

616

couple of small rubs on drake, body and head; hen’s bill has been broken with original piece reset.

(500 - 800)

Canvasback drake, possibly James T. Holly, Havre de Grace, Maryland, last quarter 19th century. Wooden sink box decoy. 15.5” long. Old paint, much of which is a second coat; crack in neck; tight cracks

613

Rigmate pair of redheads, Charlie Joiner, Chestertown, Maryland. Signed and dated 1987. 15” long. Both are excellent and original.

614

(800 - 1,200)

near tail and breast.

617

Rigmate pair of canvasbacks, Madison Mitchell, Havre de Grace, Maryland. Both are signed and

Balsa body black duck, probably by Oliver Lawson, Crisfield, Maryland. With slightly turned cedar head

dated 1947 in electro pen. North/ south line tie staples.

and inserted cedar tail. 15” long. Original paint; very

has mellowed to a nice patina with light wear; drake has

minor wear; touchup to filler at neck base; small dents.

some pitch bleed on lower side and has newspaper wrap-

Measure 15” long. Both are in excellent original paint that

pings stuck in three different places of underside.

(1,000 - 1,500) 615

(800 - 1,200)

Pair of sleeping redheads, Charlies Joiner, Chestertown, Maryland. Signed. Both have painted

Provenance: General Warren Magruder collection.

(800 - 1,200)

359

Minnesota fish decoys 618

Rare curved body bat wing fish decoy, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century. 6.5” long. Strong original paint; small areas of loss at fins.

(1,200 - 1,500)

618

619

Pike fish decoy, Ernie Newman, Carlton, Minnesota, circa 1950. Pearlescent body with orange head and two rows of dots along back.

Metal fins and glass eyes. 9” long. A spear mark at one side of body; very light wear.

(1,200 - 1,500)

619

620

Cut mouth pike fish decoy, Ernie Newman, Carlton, Minnesota, circa 1950. An early model with red head, white body, and applied scaling pattern. Brass fins with glass eyes. 8” long. Excellent original paint with some paint loss around body weight and tail area.

(1,200 - 1,500)

620

621

Rare curved bat wing fish decoy, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota. Flower fish with natural sides and black and white dots and red painted on the underside. 6.5” long. Fins have tarnished and rusted slightly; otherwise original and good.

621

360

(1,200 - 1,500)

622

Fish decoy, William Faue, Hanover, Minnesota. Red face with white and tan body. Decorated with red and white spots. Metal fins. 6.5” long. Original paint mostly worn off fins and 50% worn off one side of body, otherwise retains good but lightly worn paint.

(1,200 - 1,500)

622 622a

Two fish decoys, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century. A green fish measuring 8” long with strong original paint with a smudge of red under one fin. A golden sucker measuring 7” appears to be slightly dirty but original and good.

(700 - 1,000)

622a

623

Two bat wing fish decoys, Ernie Newman, Carlton, Minnesota, circa 1950. Smaller style, both rigged to hold treble hooks, which transforms them into “cheaters” used for jigging. One has orange body with gold head and black and white dots and glass eyes, measures 3.5” long and very good and original.

Other has foil applied to sides of body with red dots, red head, and glass eyes.

Measures 3.75” long.

624

623

(1,200 - 1,500)

Pike fish decoy, Ernie Newman, Carlton, Minnesota, circa 1950. Tri colored fish with dark green head and yellow spots running top of body. Scale pattern on back. Metal fins with glass eyes. 8.5” long. Rough area at tip of mouth; some crazing and discoloration and one spear mark.

624a

(800 - 1,200)

624

Pan fish, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century.

6.5” long. Very good and original with small paint loss around belly weight.

(600 - 800)

624a

361

625

Pike fish decoy, Ernie Newman, Carlton, Minnesota, circa 1950. Pearlescent white body fish with two rows of spots running along the upper side.

Metal fins and glass eyes. 8” long. Small amount of rust on one side of tail fin; tiny bit of crazing and discoloration at one side near eye.

(800 - 1,200)

625

626

Fish decoy, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota. Flower fish with gray body, and red and white spots. 6.5” long. Very good and original.

(800 - 1,200)

626

627

Fish decoy, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century. Blue and white design. 8” long. One fin is a bit tarnished; original paint.

(600 - 900)

627

628

Two fish decoys, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century. An orange and white and a black and natural. 6.5” long. Both are in strong original paint; orange fish has minor paint loss at fins; black fish has paint loss around belly weight.

(600 - 900)

628

628a

Fish decoy, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century.

Red and white body. Wooden tail. 7” long.

Very good and original.

628a

362

(400 - 600)

629

Fish decoy, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century.

White with gold eye. 6.5” long. Very good and original.

(400 - 600)

629

630

Rare double wing fish decoy, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century. Red and white design with black and white dots. Red on body appears to be original; white has been strengthened; fins may be from an earlier fish; glass eyes have been added.

(400 - 600)

631

630

Fish decoy, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century. Yellow with natural finish. 6.5” long.

Excellent and original.

(400 - 600)

631

632

Walleye fish decoy, Leroy Howell, Hinkley, Minnesota, 2nd quarter 20th century. Red and white paint. 7” long. Excellent and original.

633

(400 - 600)

Two fish decoys, from either Michigan or Minnesota. Red and white decoy

by John Peloomery, of Minnesota. One is painted like an American flag, other is

632

classic red and white. Longest is 8.5”. Both are in original paint with light wear; plummer fish has crazing to crest and appealing surface.

Provenance: Steven Michaan collection.

Exhibited at the Museum of National Folk Art. Literature: “Beneath the Ice,” Steven Michaan, back dust jacket, exact decoys pictured.

(500 - 1,000)

633

363

634

Alexander Pope, Jr. (American 1849-1924). Group of four chromolithographs. 1887. Each is matted to foam board. Image size 14” x 20”.

Each has exposed image of 13.5 x 19.5”. Created by Armstrong Company of Boston. All are in good to very good condition.

Literature: From Upland Game Birds And Waterfowl of the Unites States.

(400 - 600)

635

A. B. Frost (American, 1851-1928). Three chromolithographs. Rabbit shooting, woodcock, and prairie chicken. Each measures 11.75” x 19.75”. Minor amounts of edge damage to prairie chicken and to woodcock; all are unframed.

364

(300 - 500)

636

Alexander Pope, Jr. (American 1849-1924). Group of four chromolithographs. 1887. Each is matted to foam board. Image size 14” x 20”. Each has exposed image of 13.5 x 19.5”. Created by Armstrong Company of Boston. All are in good to very good condition.

Literature: From Upland Game Birds And Waterfowl of the Unites States. (400 - 600)

637

A group of four canned salmon labels. Three from Anacortes, Washington and one form Port Townsend, Washington. All are professionally framed and matted. Frames measures 10.75” x 16.5”. Excellent.

(300 - 500)

365

Joe Wooster 1934 - 2008 | Buckeye Lake, Ohio Born in Franklin, Ohio and raised in Columbus, Joe displayed an interest in, and an aptitude for, art from an early age.

By the time he was six, he was enrolled in the Saturday and summer classes at the Gallery of Fine Arts in Columbus. Fine art remained his interest through high school as is evidenced by his membership in both the Commercial Art, Press and Cartoon Clubs at North High School where he graduated in the class of 1952. After graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Jeanne Hellyer and enrolled in the Army, serving between the years of 1953 to 1955. He was wounded in the Korean War and after his tour of duty was up, he utilized the G.I. Bill to enroll in the Columbus College of Art and Design with the ambition to become a wildlife artist. This goal was sidetracked, however, when, in order to support his wife and children, he began a ten-year career with North American Rockwell as a Technical Illustrator. He had always been deeply interested in hunting and is remembered as being an outstanding marksman. By the mid 1950s he was carving decoys for his own use – “the store-bought ones neither looked or acted like ducks”. Other hunters along the Scioto River were envious of the effectiveness of his decoys and, to avoid their trying to lure ducks from his rig, he began to make and sell decoys to them for their own use. In 1966, the family moved from Columbus to Ashley, Ohio, near the Delaware River Wildlife Area that was to serve as Joe’s laboratory for studying birds for his expanding competitive carving career. He entered his first decoy contest in 1969 at the Pointe Mouille head carving competition and won first place. This would be the first of a long string of competition carving contests and the first of his many awards. From 1969 through at least 1978, he became a fixture on the carving circuit throughout the Midwest and East Coast. His record at

the 1973 Ward World Championship in Salisbury, Maryland would become typical for him. In that contest, against 79 other professional carvers, he won 19 ribbons, including 9 first place awards. Throughout his career, he struggled to balance the traditional hunting decoy with the demands of the decorative carvings. He respected the traditional roots of his art and attempted to remain true to this heritage. As pointed out by Ohio experts, Jeff and Joyce Hay: “The decoratives were winning contests and providing income for his family, yet he always wanted to remain authentic to the needs of the hunter”.

His work was featured in all of the decoy literature of his day. Articles appeared in “Decoy Collectors Guide”, “Decoy World” and “North American Decoys”. He wrote for “Decoy Collectors Guide”, and, for a period, he authored the column “Midwest Matters” in “Decoy World”. He donated a number of carvings to Ducks Unlimited for their fundraising activities and these raised thousands of dollars for waterfowl conservation. He also offered weeklong carving seminars at his own expense for the benefit of the Ohio State Department of Natural Resources. His work is featured in the period reference “Masters of Decorative Bird Carving” by Anne Small.

He will be remembered for his mischievous nature, his long beard and his curved calabash pipe. He would occasionally spell his name “Josef” because he thought it “might be more interesting”. His work can be viewed today in major collections and at prominent museums including the Smithsonian Museum of Art in Washington, D.C.

638

Loon in spring plumage, Joe Wooster, Buckeye Lake, Ohio. Signed and dated ‘81. Simple wingtip and tail carving. 24” long.

Excellent original paint.

639

(1,200 - 1,500)

Very rare Canada goose, Joe Wooster, Buckeye Lake, Ohio. Body is made with wooden bottom board applied to some kind of

638

composite material for body. Inset hardwood wingtips and tail. Signed and dated 1977 with remark self portrait and extensive writing “Made for the ‘Lem Ward Shootin’ Stool’ class - World Championship - Salisbury, MD. Made from the same floatation material as Michigan’s No. #1 ace decoy carver uses only. His decoy was judged acceptable for the finals while this one was disqualified for not being cork or wood!”.

Head is slightly turned in a resting semi preening pose. 24” long. Very good and original; some minor staining around neck seat. (1,000 - 1,500) 639

366

640

643

641

644

642

645

640

641

Match pair of ruddy ducks, Joe Wooster, Buckeye Lake, Ohio. Drake is signed and dated ‘78, hen ‘79. Both

643

Hollow swimming bluewing teal drake, Joe Wooster, Buckeye Lake, Ohio. Signed and dated 1974. Extended,

have feather carved wings and spread tails. 12” long.

raised crossed wingtips. 13” long. Original paint; one wing-

Excellent and original.

tip cracked and reglued.

(800 - 1,000)

American merganser, Joe Wooster, Buckeye Lake, Ohio Signed and dated 1977 with remark/self portrait.

644

(500 - 800)

Wood duck drake, Joe Wooster, Buckeye Lake, Ohio. Signed and dated 1982. Also written “195c pattern

Lengthy writing on underside says “Made for the ‘Lem

used on Duck Creek in Washington County.” Smooth body

Ward Shootin’ Stool’ class - World Championship, Salisbury,

gunning style. 15” long. Excellent original paint. (400 - 600)

Maryland - Withdrawn from the competition when the judges started a new game called ‘different strokes for dif-

Bufflehead drake, Joe Wooster, Buckeye Lake, Ohio.

Signed and dated 1980. Slightly turned head. Feather

crossed wingtips. 22” long. Excellent original paint; some

carving wings and tail. 10.5” long. Excellent and original.

slight darkening from age; otherwise very good and original.

642

645

ferent folks’!”. Slightly turned head. Raised wing carving,

(800 - 1,000)

Hollow harlequin drake, Joe Wooster, Buckeye Lake, Ohio. Signed on underside. Carved wings and tail.

14” long. Excellent original paint; some very small, possibly mold spots at back of head and top of back.

(400 - 600)

End of session two

(500 - 800)

367

Index of Carvers Abbett, Robert.. ............................................................437A Ackerly, Lemuel.............................................................. 187 Adams, Frank.................................................................. 307 Allen, Fred....................................................................... 385 Andrews, Captain Robert.............................................. 531 Anger, Ken............................................................... 114,122 Audubon, John James............................................ 519,520 Balciar, George....................................................... 549,550 Baldwin, Steven.............................................................. 183 Barber, Joel.. ................................................................. 181B Barco, Bailey................................................................... 412 Barton, Roger.. ................................................................ 369 Benson, Frank.. ................................................................ 446 Birch, Charles........................................................... 452,453 Birch, Reggie.. ........................................................ 143,590A Bishop, Richard........................................................ 443,444 Blackstone, Arthur...................................... 331,333,334,335 Blackstone, Jess.. ................................. 319-330,332,336,337 Blair, Sr., John.. ....................................................... 558A,559 Bogardus, Captain......................................................... 271 Bolles, Reginold.............................................................. 442 Bourne, James................................................................ 316 Bowman, William..........................................................216A Boyd, George................................................................. 499 Brady, Walter.................................................................. 538 Brayshaw, Thomas................................................... 175-177 Brett, Harold.. .................................................................. 441 Brooks, John.. .................................................................. 117 Brown, Frederick............................................................. 410 Buchanan, Charles.. ....................................................... 121 Burgess, Ned............................................................ 393,395 Carawan, Percy............................................................. 402 Carr, Sr., Hart.. ................................................................. 189 Chadwick, Keyes..................................................... 300,314 Chambers, Tom.............................................................. 113 Chamerlin Cartridge Company, .. ................................ 272 Clark, Charles.......................................................... 462,463 Cobb, Arthur............................................................ 456-458 Cobb, Elkanah.. .............................................................. 460 Cobb, Jr., Nathan.. ......................................................... 455 Conklin, Roy.................................................................... 590 Cooper, Robert.. ............................................................. 123 Cost, Neil.. ................................................................ 277-280 Cranmer, William..................................................... 487-493 Crawford, Buck.. ............................................................. 353 Crockett, Willie.............................................................439D Crowell, Elmer.......................................................................

32-43,228-230,234-238A,301-303,313,315,317-318,495 Crowell, Oscar................................................................ 118 Crumb, Joe..................................................................... 204 Currier, James.. ........................................................ 608,612 Dawson, John..................................................557,558B,564 DeMott, Daniel............................................................... 217 Dilley, John .. ..................................................................219A Dize Family .................................................................... 532 Dodge Decoy Factory, ............................................. 73,79 Doren, Leonard............................................................510D

Doughty, Eli........................................................200,201,207 Doughty, George........................................................... 203 Doughty Family ...................................................... 202,206 Downs, John Henry......................................................... 451 Dudley, Lee.............................................................. 391,392 DuPont, ............................................................. 268C,268D Dye, Ben..................................................................... 28,411 Ellis, Richard.................................................................... 528 Ellison, Henry................................................................... 182 Elliston, Robert................................................................ 386 English, Dan.................................................................... 560 English, John................................................................... 558 Farlow Company, ......................................................... 174 Faue, William.................................................................. 622 Finney, Frank................................. 148,149,242-248,373,374 Fitchett, Alma................................................................. 163 Folger Family, ....................................................... 494B,507 Foote, Jim....................................................................... 584 Fox, Gordon.................................................................. 493B Frost, A.B......................................................................... 635 Fulcher, Irving................................................................. 407 Fuller, Arthur.................................................................... 526 Gardner, Dexter.............................................................. 497 Gear, A.J......................................................................... 172 Gelston, Thomas............................................................. 219 Gibian, William............................... 14-18,20,22,145,152-154 Glassford, Al.................................................................... 375 Glenn, Captain John ..................................................... 366 Graham, John................................................................... 26 Graves, Bert.......................................................379,380,474 Haff, John........................................................................ 464 Hahn, Harry..................................................................... 485 Hancock, Miles............................................................. 1-6A Hanson, Marty................................................................. 144 Hardy Brothers, ............................................................. 173 Hart, Charles.................................................................306A Hayman, Joe.................................................................. 397 Heisler, Jess..................................................................... 563 Herter’s, ....................................................... 281,510C,510E Hildreth, Ephram............................................................. 581 Hill, Howard..................................................................... 524 Hiltz, Orren....................................................................... 124 Holly, John Daddy............................................................ 27 Holly, James T................................................................. 616 Holmes, Ben.................................................................... 214 Holmes, Benjamin........................................................... 211 Holmes, Lothrop............................................................493A Homme, Mandt........................................................... 49-53 Hopkins, Mark.......................................................... 554,555 Howell, Leroy.............................. 618,621,622A,624,626-632 Hudson, Ira.................................... 164,165,365,537,539-548 Hudson, Martha............................................................ 439B Hunt, Lynn Bogue............................ 447,448,523,524A,524E Irvin, Lawrence............................................................... 587 Jaques, Francis Lee................................... 439A,524B-524D Jester, Doug................................................... 7-13,534,537A Joiner, Charlie....................................................415,613,615

Kellie, One Arm.. ............................................................. 483 Kelso, Charles................................................................. 382 Kimble, William.. .............................................................. 562 King, A.J.......................................................................... 233 King, Joe.................................................................. 513,516 King, Joseph................................................................... 567 Laing, Albert................................................................... 212 Lamay, Art................................................................... 439C Laurie, Ralph................................................................... 363 Lawson, Oliver......................................................... 609,614 Lebeouf, Orel.. ....................................................... 116B,126 Leeds, Daniel Lake.......................................................577A Lester, Lee.. ...................................................................553A Levy, Lindsey.. ................................................................. 125 Lincoln, Joseph..................................231,232,307A-309,312 Lippincott, HGideon....................................................... 515 Loge, Daniel.. .................................................................. 527 Mason Decoy Factory, . . ............................................ 58-78 McFarland, Tom.. ............................................................ 588 McGaw, Robert.............................................................. 611 McIntyre, Cameron........................................................ 140 McLoughlin, John........................................................... 378 McNair, Mark....................................... 142,150,151,155-157 Meyer, Marv.. .................................................................. 285 Miles, J... .......................................................................... 592 Mitchell, Madison..............................................30,276B,617 Moak, Augustus........................................................... 54,55 Moore, Benson.. .............................................................. 525 Morgan, Joseph.. ............................................................ 561 Mueller, Keith.................................................................... 23 Nelson, Jim Brinks.. ............................................................ 24 Newman, Captain Frank. . ................................................ 31 Newman, Ernie...........................................619,620,623-625 Nottingham, Luther Lee.......................................... 160,161 O’Neal, Callie.......................................................... 396,405 O’Neal, Ike.. ............................................................. 400,401 Orme, Albert................................................................... 576 Osthaus, Edmund........................................................... 437 Parker, Ellis.. ..................................................................... 512 Parson, Leon................................................................... 162 Perdew, Charles............................................... 383,388-390 Peterson, Arnold............................................................. 138 Peterson, Oscar........................................... 80-100,134-137 Peterson, Pete......................................................... 428-436 Phillips, Captain Ike............................................... 202B,449 Pleissner, Ogden.. ........................................................... 438 Pope, Jr., Alexander. . .............................. 440,442A,634,636 Pryor, Leonard.................................................................. 25 Quinn, William.............................................................. 558C Ramey, Jess............................................................. 127-133 Reeves, Phineas.. ............................................................ 116 Reindahl, Enoch............................................................... 56 Remington, ................................................................... 270 Reneson, Chet......................................................... 521,522 Ripley, Aiden Lassel........................................................ 439 Roberts, Rufus................................................................. 394 Rousseau, Percival.. ........................................................ 445

Safford, Charles............................................................510A Schmidt, Ben..................................................... 476-482,484 Schmidt, Frank................................................................ 475 Schmiedlin, Jim.............................................. 44-48,191-199 School, Blair.................................................................... 556 Schultz, William............................................................... 377 Seymour, Harry................................................................ 166 Sharp, John...................................................................588A Shourds, Harry M. ........................................................... 514 Shourds, Harry V.............................................................. 511 Sirois, Phillipe................................................................... 367 Skees, Ira......................................................................... 299 Skerry, George..............................................................116A Smith, Cassius.................................................................. 216 Southard, William..................................................... 223,224 Sprankle, Jim................................................................. 588B Stafford, James............................................................... 552 Starr, Jr., George Ross.................................................... 305 Sterling, Lloyd.................................................................. 610 Stevens, George.................................................... 180,181A Stevens, Harvey.............................................................. 181 Stevens Brothers, .................................................... 178,179 Strator & Sohier, .............................................................. 76 Strunk, George...................................................141,294,298 Sutton, Sean.................................................................... 293 Taylor, Sebastion............................................................. 205 Tepley, Ron.............................................................. 370-372 Truex, Rhodes.................................................................. 518 Trulock & Harriss, .................................................... 470,472 Tyler, Lloyd............................................................... 593-604 Verity, Smith Clinton....................................................... 221 Verity, Obediah.......................................... 218,220,222,225 Verity Family, ................................................................. 226 Wagner, Carl........................................................... 551,553 Walker, Charles............................................................... 387 Ward, David B. ............................................................... 297 Ward, David.................................................................... 342 Ward, Travis..................................................................... 420 Ward & Company Naturalis, ........................................ 473 Ward Brothers, .......................... 359,360,378A,413,416-427 Waterfield, Charles......................................................... 404 Weaver, Steve......................................................... 239-241 Weinhart, Otto................................................................ 486 Wells, John R............................................ 111,112,115,122A Wheaton, Amos.............................................................. 517 Wheeler, Chauncey.............................................. 364,364A Wheeler, Shang................................... 209,210,215,361,529 White, Bob....................................................21,287-292,295 Whittington, Hec...................................................... 381,384 Wilson, Gus........................................... 362,569-571,573,574 Winchester, ................................................................. 268E Witherspoon, Leigh......................................................... 311 Wooster, Joe............................................................ 638-645 Wozny, Eddie.................................................................... 19 Wright, Alvirah......................................................... 408,409 Zachman, John........................................................ 368,376

Additional information references Lot 1 1.Fleckenstein, Henry A Jr.1983. “Southern Decoys of Virginia and The Carolinas”. Schiffer Pub. Exton, PA. 2.Trimble, James L. 2000. “Miles Hancock – A Decoy Maker Whose Terrapins were a ‘Specialty’”. Decoy Magazine, Sept/Oct 2000. Lewes DE.

Lot 7 1.Berkley, Barry and Velma. 1981. “Chincoteague Carvers and Their Decoys”.

Herff Jones University Pub. Gettysburg, PA. 2.Fleckentsein, Henry A. Jr. 1893. “Southern Decoys of Virginia and the Carolinas”. Schiffer Pub. Ltd. Exton, PA. 3.Starr, Dr George Ross Jr. 1974. “Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway”. Winchester Press. New York, NY. 4.Trimble, James T. 2004. “Doug and Charles Jester – Chincotegue Watermen and Decoy Makers”. Decoy Magazine, March/April 2004. Lewes, DE.

Lot 49 1.Kangas, Gene and Linda. 2011. “Great Lakes Decoy Interpretations”.

Creekside Art Gallery. Concord, OH. 2.Shaw, Robert. 2010. “Bird Decoys of North America – Nature, History and Art”. Sterling Publishing. New York/London.

3.Tonelli, Donna. 1998. “That’s a Homme of a Decoy”. Decoy Magazine Sept/ Oct 1998. Lewes, DE. 1.Frautschi, Walter A. 1945. “Early Wisconsin Shooting Clubs” The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Vol 28 No4 pp391-415. Wisconsin Historical Society 2.Lehmkuhl, Bob. 2007. “Lake Koshkonong – Susquehanna Flats 1870-1898, Searching For the Decoy Connection”. Decoy Magazine Sept/Oct 2007.

Lewes DE.

Lot 62 1.Cheever, Byron. 1974. “Mason Decoys”. Hillcrest, Pub.

2.Sharp, Ron and B Dodge. 2009. “Detroit Dynasty – The Factory Decoys of Peterson, Dodge and Mason”. Hunting and Fishing Collectibles Magazine Pub. Lawsonville, NC. 3.Earnest, Adele. 1965. “The Art of the Decoy”. Clarkson N. Potter Inc. Pub. Ner York, NY. 4.Goldberger, Russ J and A.G. Haid. 1993. “Mason Decoys – A Complete Pictorial Guide”. Decoy Magazine. Burtonsville, MD.

Lot 182 1.Sieger, Timothy et al. 2010. “The Decoys of Long Island”. Long Island Decoy Collectors Association. Privately printed. Water Mill, NY.

Lot 249 1.Walsh, Harry M. 1971. “The Outlaw Gunner”. Tidewater Publishers. Cam-

bridge, MD. 8. 2021. Correspondence with C. John Sullivan 9. 2021. Correspondence with H. Heusmann. Waterfowl Project Leader. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

Deco Flourish”. Decoy Magazine, Sept/Oct, 2004. Lewes, DE.

Lot 442 1. Correspondence Ted Harmon & Jim Parker Lot 487 1.Birdsall, Art and A Linkchorst. 1991. “Bill Cranmer – New Jersey’s Ward”.

Decoy Magazine. March/April 1991. Burtonsville, MD. 2.Burke, Patricia H. 1985. “Barnegat Bay Decoys and Gunning Clubs”. Privately printed. Ocean County Historical Society, Tom’s River, NJ. 3.Fleckenstein, Henry A. 1983. “New Jersey Decoys” Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Exton, PA. 4.Starr, George Ross Jr M.D. 1974. “Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway”. Winchester Press. New York, NY. 5.Private correspondence - Larry Poulin, Laviolette, NJ

Lot 531 1.Fleckenstein, Henry A Jr. 1983. “Southern Decoys of Virginia and the Caroli-

nas”. Schiffer Publishing LTD. Exton, PA. 2.Newberry, Dr S. Lloyd. 2020. “Wings of Wonder – The Remarkable Story of the Cobb Family and the Priceless Decoys They Created on Their Island Paradise”. Sporting Classics Pub. Columbia, SC.

Lot 561 1.Gosner, Kenneth L. 1985. “Working Decoys of the Jersey Coast and Dela-

ware Valley”.Art Alliance Press. Philadelphia, PA. 2.Huster, Harrison and D Knight. 1982. “Floating Sculpture – The Decoys of the Delaware River”. Hillcrest Pub. Spanish Fork UT. 3.Linkchorst, Allen. 1998. “Joe Morgan- A Little Known Maker of Quality Delaware River Decoys”. Decoy Magazine, May/June 1998. Lewes, DE.

Lot 638 1.Hay, Jeff and Joyce. 2015. “Ohio Decoys”. Seminar presented at the 50th

Annual North American Vintage Decoy & Sporting Collectibles Show. Midwest Decoy Collectors Assoc, St Charles IL. Privately printed.

2.Levy, Ester L. 1970. “1000 Islands Decoy Exhibit Again Attracts Master Carvers”. North American Decoys, Autumn 1970. Privately printed. Heber City, UT. 3.Potter, Merwin E. 1971. “Joe Woostar – The Buckeye State’s Duck Hunting Wildfowl Carver”. North American Decoys Autumn 1971. Privately printed, Heber City, UT. 4.Small, Anne. 1981. “Masters of Decorative Bird Carving”. Winchester Press.

Tulsa, OK 5.Wooster. “Buckeye” Joe. 1977. “A contemporary Carver Looks at Old Decoys”. Decoy Collectors Guide. Privately Printed. Burlington, Iowa.

6.Wooster, Josef. Various dates. “Midwest Matters” Decoy World. Salisbury and Cambridge, MD.

Lot 393 1.Andresen, Kroghie. 2008. “Gunnin’ Birds”. Privately printed. Charlotte, NC.

2.Dudley, Jack. 2001. “Wings North Carolina Waterfowling Traditions”. Coastal Heritage Series. Morehead City, NC. 3.McIntyre, Dick. 2004. “Ned Burgess – A Carolina Decoy Maker With an Art

The Great Lakes Decoy Association and The Ohio Decoy Collectors & Carvers Association Present March 18 & 19, 2022

TICKETS

$20

FOR ALL THREE DAYS

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ON I T A N I T S E E D portsmen T A M I T L U THE for Collectors and S

WATERFOWL FESTIVAL

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NOVEMBER 12–14, 2021 in Historic Easton, Maryland Your visit and art purchases benefit waterfowl and wetland restoration and conservation efforts in the region.

WATERFOWLFESTIVAL.ORG 410.822.4567

PREMIERE NIGHT PARTY Join us for great atmosphere, delicious food, drink, fabulous art, and interesting artists!

William H. Perry Decoy Auction THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11 VIP packages available

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55TH ANNUAL NORTH AMERICAN

Vintage Decoy & Sporting Collectibles Show

April 26-30, 2022

• The largest decoy and sporting collectibles show in North America • Room-to-Room Trading • Guyette & Deeter Auction • Exhibit Hall Dealer Show • Elmer Crowell Decoy Display • Oscar Peterson Fish Decoy Display • Educational Seminars • Contemporary Carver Display • So much more!

The Westin Lombard 70 YORKTOWN CENTER LOMBARD, IL

Sponsored by the North American Decoy Collectors Assn.

For information on daily events, booking rooms, and reserving tables, call

586-530-6586

CONDITIONS OF SALE ‑- PLEASE READ 1.

GUARANTEE ‑ We have made a concerted effort to accurately catalog and describe the property to be sold. The decoys and paintings have guaranteed condition reports. Should the need arise, the auctioneer reserves the right to make verbal corrections and provide additional information from the block at the time of the sale. Absentee bids will not be executed on items that are found to be other than described in the catalog. Since opinions can differ, particularly in the matter of condition, the auctioneer will be sole judge in the matter of refunds. If we fail to identify a flaw that has an impact on the value, you can return the decoy.

2.

DURATION OF GUARANTEE ‑ Request for a refund for items purchased IN PERSON at the auction must be made within 3 days of the sale. If you bid absentee, by phone, or on the internet, it is your responsibility to examine the lot immediately upon receipt and notify us of any issues. The guarantee will end 5 days from the date of delivery. Therefore, all guarantees on items purchased will become null and void 10 calendar days from the date of shipment. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IF YOU PAY LATE, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE GUARANTEE. Payment must be postmarked no later than 30 days after the auction.

3.

PROTESTED BIDS ‑ In the case of a disputed bid, the auctioneer is the sole determinant as to who the successful bidder is, and at his discretion, may reoffer and resell the article in dispute. If a dispute arises after the sale, the auctioneer’s sales records shall be conclusive as to who the purchaser was, and the purchase price.

4.

BIDDING - Bidding usually starts below the low estimate and advances in increments of approximately 10% of the open‑ ing bid subject to the auctioneer’s discretion. The auctioneer reserves the right, at his sole discretion, to refuse any bids that he deems unreasonable. The minimum bid increment guideline is as follows: $500 to $1000 - $25 $10,000 to $20,000 - $500 $100,000 and above - $2,000 $1000 to $10,000 - $100 $20,000 to $100,000 - $1,000 5.

ABSENTEE BIDS ‑ Phone or mail bids, at the discretion of the Auctioneer, will be accepted with a 20% deposit. In such case, the bookkeeper will execute such bids competitively. Absentee bids are executed by the bookkeeper on behalf of the bidder in accordance with the bid increment policy shown above. Please review the rules governing both absentee and phone bids in the back of the catalog.

6.

TERMS ‑ All items are to be paid for in U.S. funds on the day of the auction. No items will be released until they are paid for. Those who have not established an account with us and wish to pay by check, must do so prior to the beginning of the auction, by presenting a current letter of reference from their bank, or by providing references, that are suitable to the Auctioneer. The Auctioneer reserves the right to hold merchandise purchased by personal check, until the check has cleared the bank. Phone and absentee bidders ‑ You will be notified one week after the auction of your bids/results.

PAYMENT IS DUE UPON RECEIPT. A late charge will be accessed on all balances not paid, at the rate of 12% A.P.R. commencing 30 days after the auction. If any accounts become more than 60 days overdue, the consignor will be given the name of the buyer who is responsible for holding up their funds. Guyette & Deeter will not carry insurance on items that are not paid for within 35 days of the auction. Also, the auctioneer may retain and/or recover the deposit specified as liquidated damages. In addition, the property can be resold at public or private sale without further notice. Any defi‑ ciency resulting from such resale shall be paid to the auctioneer by the defaulting buyer, together with all charges, fees, and expenses incurred by such resale, or the enforcement of the obligation hereunder. Buyer agrees to pay all charges and expenses incurred by reason of any breach of the Terms and Conditions of Sale, including without limitation, reasonable attorney fees.

7.

PAYMENT FOR PURCHASES CAN BE MADE WITH CREDIT CARD (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover), CASH, CHECK, OR WIRE TRANSFER. 8.

BUYERS PREMIUM- The buyer’s premium, assessed on each selling lot, is 20% of the hammer price up to and includ‑ ing $1,000,000, plus 10% on any amount in excess of $1,000,000. For payments made using a credit card, the buyer’s premium is 23% up to and including $1,000,000, plus 13% on any amount in excess of $1,000,000.

9.

TAX ‑ THERE IS AN 6% SALES TAX IN MARYLAND. Tax is waived if buyer presents a valid resale certificate from any state or has purchases shipped outSIDE of MARYLAND. 10. ACCEPTANCE OF CONDITIONS ‑ Bidding on any articles in this catalog indicates your acceptance of all the above items.

11.

BIDDING AGENT RESPONSIBILITY ‑ If you are registering for someone or if you execute a bid for someone else under your number, you are responsible for the settlement of that account. You are also responsible for examining the decoy(s) for your client regarding the guarantee.

12. WITHDRAWAL ‑ We reserve the right to withdraw any property before the sale and shall have no liability whatsoever for such withdrawal.

13. TITLE ‑ Title passes upon the fall of the auctioneer’s hammer. It will then be the responsibility of the buyer to make full payment prior to removing the goods from the premises. Removal is at both the buyer’s risk and expense, and must be made at the conclusion of the sale, unless other arrangements are made with the Guyette & Deeter staff. Any lots we might make arrangements for moving or storing are solely at the risk of the owner, and any damage or loss occurring after the fall of the hammer becomes that of the buyer.

14. LEGAL DISPUTE ‑ Any legal disputes arising from this auction shall be settled in the court system of the State of Maine.

UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE - The Maine Uniform Commercial Code, Title II, Section 2328 applies to this auction.

15. Cases are not included with shotgun shell boxes. All dimensions are approximate and are not guaranteed. All calls are sold “As Is”.

THE OFFICE WILL NOT BE OPEN UNTIL WEDNESDAY AFTER THE AUCTION.

ABSENTEE, PHONE, AND ONLINE BIDS 1. Absentee bids are a service provided to our customers free of charge. Every effort is made to execute all absentee bids, however, in the event of an error or omission, or failure to properly execute absentee bids, the Auctioneer shall not be held liable.

2. All absentee bids must be accompanied by a 20% deposit, which will be refunded immediately after the auction if your bid is unsuccessful. If your bid is successful, the deposit will be applied to the purchase price and the balance due upon presentation of your bill. All absentee bidders are notified by mail, whether successful or unsuccessful.

3. Visa and Mastercard numbers can be given in place of a check deposit, if your bid is submitted by phone. Your card number will not be used to make payments for purchases, it is only used as collateral. Your card number will only be used to make payment for purchases if you default on payment.

4. To execute an absentee bid, fill out the enclosed form listing catalog number, description, and your top bid price (not including the 20% buyer’s premium). Send this together with your deposit as soon as possible. If your bids are sent seven days or less prior to the auction, you should call our office three days prior to the auction, to confirm that we have received your bids. If they have not been received at that point in time, we will take your bid over the phone. We cannot guarantee that bids received after the auction has started will be executed.

5. If two or more bids are received on the same item from different people, the bidding will open at the next logical raise above the second highest bid. If two absentee bids are received with the exact same amount, the first one received will take precedence.

6. All bids must be in even dollar amounts. Bids in fractions of dollars will be considered the next lower even dollar amount.

7. Bid increments: The bid increment policy, which also applies to both absentee and phone bidders, is listed under “CONDITIONS OF SALE” (item #4), in the front of the catalog.

8. Open bids, bids with no set top amount, or orders to just simply buy the lot, cannot be accepted. You must have a definite top limit before we can execute your bid. Alternatives to this are as follows: a. To bid over the telephone. This can be done by simply sending a 20% deposit for what you wish to bid on the object. This will bind whatever bid amount you wish to bid over the telephone. (NOTE: There are only 8 phone lines into the auction room and phone bids will be handled on a first come, first serve basis.) b. Some bidders concerned that a lot might just go for one bid above their top limit, leave a top bid plus one bid.

This works as follows: the top bid submitted might be $1,000, but not wishing to lose the lot for simply $25 more, the party might bid $1,000 + 1 bid if they definitely don’t want to go over a certain price, they would indicate $1,000 +1 ($1,025) (NOTE: One possible problem that occasionally arises with absentee bids is when someone in the audience bids exactly the amount, which you specify is your limit. In such a case, we would not go one extra bid unless your bid sheet indicates “plus one” bid.).

9. If you are a successful bidder, a bill will be sent a few days after the auction. Purchasers should indicate their desired method of shipment, if such is necessary. There is a charge for shipping, labor, materials, and insurance. Please provide notice in writing if items are covered under your own insurance policy. Shipping is done on a first come, first serve basis, and can take up to 4 weeks. Please note that a certified check, Visa, Mastercard, or any other form of guaranteed funds will expedite shipping.

10. For expensive oil paintings and delicate carvings, we need a written statement from the purchaser, assuming the responsibility of pursuing any claims, in the event of damage incurred during shipping. Valuable lots need to be sent 2 day air UPS due to values. Under no circumstances will we be liable for damage to glass or frames, or fragile decoratives, regardless of cause.

11. TERMS — Phone and absentee bidders — You will be notified one week after the auction of your results. Payment is due upon receipt. Interest will be charged on all balances not paid within 30 days after the bill is sent at the rate of 12% APR. If any accounts become more than 60 days overdue, the consignor will be given the name of the buyer who is responsible for holding up their funds. If an account is 75 days overdue, the items may be returned to the consignor and overdue buyer will pay the buyers premium and commission from the sale, if they wish to participate in future Guyette and Deeter auctions.

12. Bidding on any article(s) indicates your acceptance of these terms above.

13. If you would like any additional information on any of the lots, please contact: Gary Guyette at (410) 745-0485 or Jon Deeter at (440) 610-1768. nd

If you have any questions concerning absentee bids, please call us.

OFFICE: OFFICE:

PO Box Box 1170 1170 PO St. Michaels, MD 21663 St. Michaels, MD 21663 410-745-0485 410-745-0485 Fax 410-745-0487 410-745-0487 Fax decoys@guyetteanddeeter.com michael@guyetteanddeeter.com

I desire to bid on the following items in the sale. The bids are to be executed by Guyette & Deeter, up to but not exceeding the amount(s) specified on the below bids. All bids will be executed and accepted subject to the Terms of Sale and Absentee Bids Procedure outlined in the catalog. (Please be sure that you understand our procedures before using this Absentee and Phone Bid Form.) Office will not be open until Wednesday after the auction.

A PREMIUM OF 20% WILL BE APPLIED TO ALL ITEMS SOLD, TO BE PAID BY THE BUYER

Page 2

NAME OFFICE USE

PHONE IN CATALOG # ORDER

AUCTION DATE DESCRIPTION

BID AMOUNT

493a

111

391

200

424

455

Guyette & Deeter, Inc. PO Box 1170, St. Michaels, MD 21663 www.guyetteanddeeter.com 410-745-0485