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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.
M257: Wilmer Reinbold Flying Miniature Cinnamon Teal Decoy
Near-mint flying miniature cinnamon teal drake by George Wilmer Reinbold (1885 - 1946), Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, circa 1940. Both the carving and original paint are expertly detailed and beautifully accomplished with the latter exhibiting a mellow patina. There is a small chip repair to one wing tip. The duck has an approximate wingspan of 9.5", measures 7.25" bill to tail and is signed "Reinbold†on the back of the lower wing. There is a thin wire hanger on the back for mounting the carving on a wall. Wilmer’s work was represented in the most popular and well known outdoor outfitters, wildlife-themed gift shops, and galleries of the day, notably Richard Stockton’s Shop in Bryn Mawr, PA, Caldwell's in Philadelphia, and Crossroads of Sport and Abercrombie & Fitch in New York City. It is highly regarded and much sought after today. Wilmer was the father of noted carver Bill Reinbold of Chestertown, Maryland. SOLD
B003, 1929 Limited Edtion Book, The Compleat Walton, Izaak Walton
The Compleat [Complete] Angler and The Lives of Donne, Wotton, Hooker, Herbert & Sanderson, With Love and Truth & Miscellaneous Writings. Edited By Geoffrey Keynes. Illustrations By Thomas Poulton and Charles Sigrist. Publication Date: 1929. Publisher: The Nonesuch Press, 16 Great James Street, Bloomsbury. Author: Izaak Walton. First edition of Walton's complete writings. Limited to 1600 numbered copies, 1100 copies for the United Kingdom and 500 copies for Random House in the United States (this copy being No. 977). Octavo (8 3/16 x 4 7/8 inches; 208 x 123 mm.). 631 pages. Six engraved portraits (Walton, Donne, Wotton, Hooker, Herbert, and Sanderson) by Charles Sigrist, including frontispiece. Ten drawings of fish and a lead weight by Thomas Poulton, printed from line blocks, the fish color stenciled by The Curwen Press. Two seals of Donne redrawn by Poulton and printed in red. Original full natural morocco with front cover decoratively tooled in gilt and spine lettered in gilt in compartments. The leather, particularly on the spine, has darkened somewhat with time and handling, but is otherwise undamaged. Top edge gilt on the rough, others uncut. Marbled endpapers. Housed in the original marbled paper covered slipcase which shows wear on the edges and corners. The Complete Walton, which includes The Compleat Angler, is said to be the third most frequently reprinted book in the English language after the Bible and the works of Shakespeare, "The Compleat Angler" is as much about life as it is about angling. First published in 1653 in thirteen chapters, Walton continued to add to his work through editions in 1655, 1661, 1668, up to his fifth and final edition in 1676 containing twenty-one chapters. SOLD
D0735: Mason Challenge Grade Mallard Drake Decoy
Excellent Challenge Grade mallard drake decoy by the Mason Factory, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1905-1910. This solid-bodied, glass-eyed decoy has a very well-formed "snakey" head and exceptional original swirled paint with very light wear. It has been lightly hit by shot. Structurally, the head is loose at the neck joint with the separation on the right side breaking a "sliver" above the actual joint (see sixth photo). There is an age split in the bottom and there has been a professional repair to a very small tail chip with touch-up to that area. The decoy measures nearly 17" in length, is 5 1/2" wide and stands 6 1/2" high at the head. It's tough to find a 100 year-old Mason in better condition than this! SOLD
D0710: Frank Willis Greater Scaup Drake
Fine half to two-thirds scale hollow-carved greater scaup drake decoy by Frank C. Willis of Redwood City, California, circa mid-1960s. Willis (1918-1997) carved between 300 and 400 fine decorative decoys from old growth redwood between the mid-1960s and early 1980s. Willis was a perennial winner in the annual Pacific Flyway Decoy Contests. This bird is signed "Frank C. Willis" and identified by species and gender. There is no date or number as Willis provided on most of his carvings. Even the stacked initials "FW" are atypical in that they are penciled in rather than incised. The unusual characteristics exhibited by this carving lead me to believe that this is one of his earliest birds, accomplished before he had settled on the pattern he would follow for the next 15 to 20 years. Even the pose of this bird, with the head snuggled down in a content position, is rare for a Willis carving. It is in mint original condition with glass eyes and detailed feather paint and measures just over 12" in length. See the July/August 2009 issue of Decoy Magazine for a article on Willis by Paul Mazzilli. SOLD
D0737: Keith Mueller White-Winged Scoter Drake Decoy
Fine solid-bodied white-winged scoter drake decoy by Keith Mueller of Killingworth, CT, circa 1980s. This is a big bird, measuring 20" in overall length, 9" in width and standing 7" tall at the head, not including the keel. The decoy is in excellent original paint and is branded "Mueller"on the keel. There are several very tight hairline cracks in the decoy with the most noticeable one running from the left breast up into the back. It's easy to see why Keith is considered to be among a small handful of the top contemporary decoy carvers. He has been awarded the title of World Chqmpion Carver twice and is the only carver to win all three hunting decoy divisions at the prestigious Ward World Championships. Keith has won over 250 "Best of Show" awards world-wide and has works displayed in numerous museums, including at the internationally acclaimed Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum "Birds in Art" exhibit. SOLD
M280: Russ Burr Miniature Bobwhite Quail, Circa 1940
Three miniature Bobwhite quail on driftwood by Russ Burr (1887 - 1955), Hingham, Massachusetts, circa 1940. Burr began carving in 1937 and continued into the early 1950s. This is an early carving, accomplished before he began stamping his work. Each quail measures approximately 2" in length. The driftwood base is about 7" long. From the bottom of the base to the top of the head of the highest quail measures roughly 3 1/2". Each quail is in original detailed feather paint with wire legs and painted eyes. See Birds in Wood and Paint by Joe Ellis, pages 92-98.
M053: Deltacraft Decoy Pattern, Milwaukee School/Warren Dettman
Deltacraft Plan, No.4642, Duck Decoys, shows a plan to make a hollow-bodied decoy of laminated construction. Deltacraft was part of Delta Manufacturing Co., Milwaukee. The plan shows that it was drawn by "E.H." and designed by Ed Hamilton. The plan was mailed in a Delta Mfg. envelope and stamped, "Aug 17, 1945". The decoy pictured is easily recognizable as one of a form attributed by most decoy auction houses to Warren Dettman of Milwaukee, circa 1935. The fold-out plan measures 38" in width and 24" in height. See D0212 and D0720 in the Waterfowl Decoys section of this website for a mallard drake and hen attributed to Dettman. This plan is pictured on page 137 of "Collecting Antique Bird Decoys and Duck Calls" by Luckey and Lewis. Price includes US shipping. SOLD
D0720: Warren Dettman Mallard Hen Decoy
Solid-bodied mallard hen decoy with carved raised wings, glass eyes and strong original detailed scratch-feather paint, circa 1930s. It measures 16.5" in length, 7" in width and is almost 8" high at the head. The decoy is attributed to Warren Dettman of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, circa 1935, by most of the decoy auction houses, but that attribution is questioned by some. The decoy is definitely from the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) "school". Dettman was a taxidermist at MPM and taught others, particularly WPA workers hired by the museum, to carve decoys. There is a possibility that these decoys were carved by one of those students. See D0212 in this section for a hollow mallard drake attributed to Dettman. The two decoys are definitely by the same hand but are stylistically different. SOLD
