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Welcome to Decoy-Dux, specializing in quality representative antique, vintage and contemporary duck, goose and shorebird decoys and carvings, as well as miniatures, books, paintings and other related collectibles.
D0751: James Rolph Wood Pigeon, Circa 1900 - 1910
English wood pigeon decoy attributed to Francis Rolph of Lakenheath, Suffolk, United Kingdom, circa 1900 - 1910. He was the area's largest dealer in all manner of birds and game. After inquiries from customers, he began making decoys as early as 1880, concentrating on pigeon decoys. The body is somewhat rectangular in cross section, reflecting the exclusive use of hand tools in the making of his decoys. Lightly used with a pleasing patina, this stylish pigeon with its original wooden bill and separately carved head is slightly oversized, measuring almost 15" in length, 3.75" in width and slightly over 3" in depth at the breast. It has relief carved shoulders and wings and white glass eyes. The full-bodied carving is in original paint depicting the species' fall plumage. The separately carved head is most unusual in decoys of this species. In fact, his decoys are the only ones I've seen by English carvers displaying this characteristic. Francis was the father of James Rolph, himself a decoy maker and father-in-law of William Jaggard who joined the family business in the early 1930s. James Rolph's decoys are quite similar to those of his father except that the heads are carved as part of the body rather than separately. Stand not included. SOLD
D0750: Rare Hollow-Bodied English Wood Pigeon, Harry Boddy
Rare hollow-bodied English wood pigeon decoy by Harry Boddy, Walderslade, Kent, United Kingdom, circa 1920s. The bird, painted in fall plumage, is in excellent original paint with a nice patina and minimal wear. A very well formed bird, it has screw eyes set in separate grommets to simulate eye rings, a carved wooden bill and relief carved shoulders. This is the first full-bodied, hollow-carved wood pigeon by any maker that I've ever encountered. In 1933, Arthur Penn patented (British patent number 406,386) a winged version of this decoy for Boddy which, when suspended from a tree and manipulated by strings, closely imitated the hovering and settling motions of live pigeons. This decoy measures 14" in length and 4" in width, the same size as the half-bodied models. Stand not included.
SOLD
M304: Ludwig Shorebird Whistle Circa Early 1900ds
Shorebird whistle made by the Ludwig Company, Chicago, Illinois, in the 1st quarter of the 20th century. It is their small size (1-1/4" diameter, 1-1/2" high canister, 2-3/4" overall height with stem) nickel-coated brass whistle. The whistle is in excellent condition with very little wear other than minimal surface scratching to the nickel plating. On many of these whistles, the stem has broken loose from the canister and been soldered back in place; not so with this one. It is structurally sound and in perfect working order with a strong whistle. "Ludwig" is stamped on the top of the canister. SOLD
D0747: Trulock & Harriss TRU-ISS English Wood Pigeon Decoy
Rare hollow English wood pigeon decoy made for the gunsmith firm of H. Trulock & Harriss, London, U.K., circa 1912-1916. Made from a cast and chased aluminum alloy, it was patterned after wooden examples made for the famous gunmaker around the turn of the 20th century. The wooden versions are felt by many collectors to be the best examples of English wood pigeon extant. This decoy is in weathered original paint. It was made in three pieces; an upper body, a lower body and a spring-mounted head. An integral wire stake is attached, designed, along with the "bobble-head", to add motion to a set of birds. Cast true to the form of the wooden examples, these decoys have strongly emphasized shoulders and detailed primary and tail feathers. This decoy has four impressed notations on its lower half: "THE TRU-ISS DECOY", "HARRISS'S PATENT No. 21550", "H. TRULOCK HARRISS GUNMAKER" AND "PICKERING PLACE, ST. JAMES STREET, LONDON". The pigeon measures 13 1/2" in length, 5" across at the shoulders and roughly 4" in depth, exclusive of the head. SOLD
M298: Leo McIntosh Snowy Owl - Stony Creek Decoys
Fine full-sized carving of a snowy owl by Leo H. McIntosh, Jr. (1953 - 2007), Stony Creek Decoys, Woodville, New York, circa 1990s. Recognized as one of the best contemporary decoy carvers before his untimely death, Leo apprenticed with Ken Harris for five years before founding Stony Creek Decoys. This owl, in excellent antiqued feather paint, exhibits a nice patina with pleasing crackleture. It measures 17" in height (21 1/2" with the stand) and its body is slightly over 6" in diameter. The head, with high quality glass eyes, is turned about 45 degrees to the left. The wings, shoulders and tail are all relief-carved. There is an age split running the length of the breast as well as other smaller cracks in the back and wings. The carving is signed, "McIntosh", in front of the tail by the hole for mounting it on its stand. This is a rare species for McIntosh and one sure to please the advanced collector. SOLD
M297: Vintage Frank E. Townsend Flying Pheasant Lamp
Nice lamp with 2 flying cock pheasants mounted on an artfully-assembled weathered wood base. The lamp was made by Frank E. Townsend, Bloomfield, New Jersey, circa early 3rd quarter of the 20th century, and is signed on the bottom. Overall, the lamp measures 25" tall, 18" wide and 9" deep. The height with the shade and lamp hardware removed would be 18". I've "photo-shopped" the lamp hardware out of the first photo to show how the piece would look with the lamp removed. The pheasants are both in excellent original intricate feather paint with cupped wings and relief-carved tail feathers. Each is made of three pieces; two wings and the body. The birds measure 10" in length with 8 1/2" to 9" wing spans. Significant care and thought went into designing and building the base which complements and completes the overall sculpture. The shade is in excellent condition and the lamp does work in its current condition. SOLD
M296: Joe Kline Cock Pheasant, Circa 1950s
Excellent cock pheasant carved in half-scale by Leo J. "Joe" Klein, Wilcox, PA, circa 1950s. Klein was known for his elaborately carved and painted ducks, turkeys, woodcocks and other upland game birds. This carved pheasant has relief-carved wings, feet and eyes. The original feather paint is intricately detailed and boldly applied. The bird measures almost 14" in length, stands 7" high (exclusive of the base) and is 3" wide. The carving is in mint condition other than an almost unnoticeable chip to the tip of the bill as seen in the last photo. A sticker with Klein's name and address remains on the bottom of the base. SOLD
D0746: Trulock & Harriss TRU-ISS English Wood Pigeon Decoy
Rare hollow English wood pigeon decoy made for the gunsmith firm of H. Trulock & Harriss, London, U.K., circa 1912-1916. Made from a cast and chased aluminum alloy, it was patterned after wooden examples made for the famous gunmaker around the turn of the 20th century. The wooden versions are felt by many collectors to be the best examples of English wood pigeon extant. This decoy is in weathered original paint. It was made in three pieces; an upper body, a lower body and a spring-mounted head. An integral wire stake is attached, designed, along with the"bobble-head", to allow motion to a set of birds. Cast true to the form of the wooden examples, these decoys have strongly emphasized shoulders and detailed primary and tail feathers. This decoy has four impressed notations on its lower half: "THE TRU-ISS DECOY", "HARRISS'S PATENT No. 21550", "H. TRULOCK HARRISS GUNMAKER" AND "PICKERING PLACE, ST. JAMES STREET, LONDON". The pigeon measures 13 1/2" in length, 5" across at the shoulders and roughly 4" in depth, exclusive of the head. Stand not included. SOLD
