Delaware Blue Bill drake with carved nostrils, hollow neck shelf, and a dry marbelized sap bleed paint. Made by a German Prisoner of War for Dr. Aubrey Smoot, part-time Camp POW Doctor in Georgetown, Delaware.  6 3/8 in. H x 14 in L. Circa 1944. Note: According to the Ward Foundation Inc. “Dr. Aubrey Smoot, served […]

Pair of carved and painted Bluebill duck decoys, a drake and hen, by Fred Plichta. Hen is branded “Hy” Dahlka and Ken Dahlka to the underside, and the drake is marked “3T” to the underside and retains its original paint. Hen: 7 1/2 in. H x 13 in. L. Drake: 6 3/4 in. H x 14 1/2 […]

Carved and painted swan decoy, attributed to Sperry Factory, New Haven, Connecticut, with distinctive carved mandibles and nostrils. 14 in. H x 19 1/2 in. L. Circa 1920-1930’s. CONDITION: Overall good condition with scattered losses to paint and a repaired neck.

Joe Lincoln-style Canadian Goose is carved by Martin (Marty) Collins of Massachusetts. The decoy is marked on the underside with “A. M. Forbush” and tack eyes. 14 in. H x 25 in. L. 20th century. CONDITION: Overall good condition, with some wear and cracks consistent with age, including a chip on the tail.

Black duck decoy by Billy Ellis (Whitby-Oshawa, Ontario) with original paint and swiveling head. Billy Ellis fished and made gunning decoys at his shack on Story’s Marsh, south of Whitby Island. His carving career began in the 1920s and continued through the 1940s. This decoy, with its solid black finish, dates from the second period […]

Chesapeake Bay canvasback drake decoy by an unknown maker, attributed to either Dick Howlett or Daddy Holly and originally from the rig of John Poplar. Branded “Clara”. 8 in. H x 14 in. L. Circa 1890s. CONDITION: Scattered wear and losses. The head is a replacement.

A “Tinnie” or Tinshore Plover bird decoy with the original paint and stand. 2 in. H x 10 in. L. Late 19th century. 2nd item: Elder drake decoy carved by Harvey Cross (Big Tancook Island, Nova Scotia, 1895-1981). 7 in. H x 19 1/2 in. L. Circa 1930s. Note: His hunting partner was his brother, Ralph […]

California High-Head Pintail Drake decoy by Frederick Harms (1891-1979), with a solid grey body and white breast.  9 in. H x 17 in. L. Circa 1920s.  Note: Harms, an understudy of decoy maker John Patterson, often had his work mistaken for Patterson’s. This particular High-Head Pintail was carved alongside Bill Williams, and the two frequently hunted for the […]

Three (3) Jim Pierce (Havre de Grace, MD) carved and painted decoys, including: a golden-eye drake and hen. The drake is signed “Jim Pierce” on the underside, with a vibrant green head and a white and grey body. It measures 7 1/2 in. H x 14 in. L. The hen is impressed with “JP” on the underside, with […]