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Very sculpturesque tucked-head feeding wood pigeon decoy with painted eyes by an unknown carver, circa early 1900s. This decoy was found outside of Perth, Scotland, where it was hunted along the River Tay. The decoy is in well patinated original paint and retains its original bill. It is unusually large with a length of almost 16" and has a hollow recess drilled and chiseled into its belly, probably to reduce its weight. While most wood pigeon decoys were made in England itself, pigeons were and are hunted in Scotland as well, and it is very possible that this decoy was made by a heretofore unknown but very talented Scottish carver.
Price: $975.00
Early English wood pigeon decoy by an unknown maker, circa late 1800s to early 1900s. A large decoy with only minor wear, measuring 15.5 inches from tip of tail to tip of bill, this glass-eyed carving retains its original bill and is in original paint with a deep brick-red breast and typical white neck patches and wing markings. It has deeply carved wing and shoulder outlines and raised wingtips. This is the first decoy I have seen by this maker although it was most likely produced for the turn of the century retail trade of gunsmiths and sporting goods stores, probably in the London market. Stand included.
Price: $995.00
Exceptional English wood pigeon decoy by Robert Lange, Yorkshire, UK, circa late 1800s to early 1900s. These decoys were limited in production and are some of the finest early decoys the UK has to offer. This decoy is carved in Lange's finest style with extended split wing tips, deeply carved wings and shoulders and a full breast. Exhibiting an excellent patina, it is in excellent original paint showing only minor wear with mottled breast, neatly scalloped neck patches and fluid but precisely applied wing markings.. A solid-bodied decoy with high quality glass eyes, it measures 13" in length and is roughly 3.5" thick. Retaining its original bill, it has been lightly hit by shot and has a tight crack it its tail. One would be hard pressed to find a finer example by this important maker. Stand included.
Price: $1395.00
Unusually clean example of a classic wood pigeon decoy from the famous gunsmith firm of Trulock & Harriss, Suffolk, England, circa 1880s. Their decoys are considered to be the premier examples of English wood pigeons known. This example is finely crafted with overall feather carving, checkered breast and throat feathers, deeply carved edging on the wing coverts, carved and raised primaries, a fluted tail, glass eyes and a carved cere at the base of the wooden bill. The softly-blended paint with an excellent patina is strong and original other than some touch up paint on the bill which is also original but has been broken off at the face and skillfully reattached. This is the first and only T&H pigeon I've seen with either a carved cere or wooden bill. The decoy is also somewhat shorter and more slender than their more common examples, measuring 13 1/2" from tip of tail to tip of bill. Nonetheless, it is by the same carver as the majority of the T&H decoys. It is my assumption that it is a very early model whose wooden bill turned out to be too fragile, resulting in the use of the poured lead bills seen in their subsequent decoys. In general, it is more refined in form than most od their pigeons. Perhaps the term, "svelte", is most appropriate. Although who carved these decoys for Trulock and Harriss is not known, a strong argument can be made that the birds were made by the same craftsmen tasked with making the gunstocks for the gunsmith's primary product, perhaps on a seasonal basis or as a filler during slack periods.
Price: $2195.00
Early and folky feeding wood pigeon decoy by an unknown carver, found in and and possibly from the Belfast area of Northern Ireland, circa 1890s. As often seen in early wood pigeon decoys, the decoy is laminated with attached wings and a 1" thick addition to the belly of the bird. Except for touchup to the face and bill which may be an excellent professional replacement, it is in original paint showing an aged patina with white feathering along the edges of the wings, a white collar at the neck and a white ring at the base of the bill. Measuring 14" in length, it has tack eyes and an attached iron swivel stand. A line attached to the small staple set under the bill was used to give a bobbing or feeding motion to the tail-heavy decoy.
Price: $850.00
Very fine solid-bodied English wood pigeon decoy with yellow glass eyes and its original inset metal bill. Circa late 1st quarter of the 20th century, it is a very early example from the Geo. G. Bussey Co., one of London’s premier sporting goods dealers, The company was founded by George Gibson Bussey (1829-1889) around 1860 and remained in business in London's Peckham district until the late 1940s. Recent research (see "What's In A Name", Hunting & Fishing Collectibles Magazine, Nov-Dec 2019, Pgs 40-46) indicates that these decoys were made for Bussey by an unknown Yorkshire carver I've dubbed "Mr. Z". This decoy has deeply carved shoulders and wing outlines with a carved and fluted tail. Measuring 15" in length and 4 1/2" across the shoulders, it is in excellent original paint, done in he species' breeding plumage. As was the case with many early pigeon decoys, the body was made of multiple pieces. In this case, the bottom of the breast is a 1" thick lamination. Stand included.
Price: $1075.00
Feeding wood pigeon decoy by Edward Arthur "Ted" Grace, Walderslade, Kent, United Kingdom, circa 1952. The bird, painted in fall plumage, is in original feather paint with light wear. It has screw eyes set in separate grommets to simulate eye rings, a cast metal beak and relief carved shoulders. The pigeon is hollowed from below with an inset metal plate marked "Pat. 431190" (Issued to Grace's mentor, Harry Boddy in 1935) to hold the included metal spike for setting the decoy in the ground. The decoy measures 14.5" in length and 4" in width. It was made in two pieces with a convex lower piece of wood cut from the body. That piece had the center cut out by jig saw to form an elongated "horse collar" hollow and was then nailed back onto the body. This method was found to be easier to accomplish than otherwise hand-hollowing the one-piece decoy from below as seen in earlier examples. There is a clasp at the back of the tail to secure the spike when stored in the hollow body. The hollowed body allowed a light breeze to cause the decoys to bob up and down, effectively simulating live feeding birds. Stand included.
Price: $475.00