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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.
D0986: "Menage A Trois" of Teal Decoys, Circa 1930s
Trio of solid-bodied teal decoys by an unknown maker, circa 1930s, found in California. Hand carved and painted decoys without eyes, painted or otherwise, measuring approximately 8.5" L x 4.25" W x 4.25" H. The heads are doweled into the bodies. Excellent synergistic (the whole is greater than the sum of the parts) folk art, all in lightly worn original feather paint. Most of the original neck filler on one remains but is missing on the other two.
Price: $465.00
D0929: Rare Delaware River Canada Goose Decoy, Charles Allen, Circa 1940
Rare Delaware River Canada goose decoy by Charles Allen (1893-1985), Bordentown, New Jersey, circa 1940. As the few Canada geese that migrated down the Delaware would decoy to black duck rigs, goose decoys were seldom made by carvers from this region. Those few that exist were made by Allen and a small handful of other carvers including John Blair and John McLoughlin. Allen meticulously painted his decoys in a classic style, often applying five to eight coats. A big, bold glass-eyed decoy in original paint, it is solid-bodied with sharply carved shoulder and wing outlines and crossed and raised wingtips. Measuring 25" from tip of bill to tip of tail, it is signed "Charles Allen, Bordentown, N. J.", possibly by Allen, and dated 1940 on the base of the decoy. There are several tight cracks in the neck, an age split running the length of the back and a small split in the breast. The original leather line tie and pad weight remain.
Price: $725.00
D0900: Vintage Stick-Up Mallard Decoy, Long Island, New York
Mallard drake decoy by an unknown carver from Long Island, New York, circa 3rd quarter, 20th century. The glass-eyed decoy is in excellent original polychrome paint with a some chipping and minor wear. The cedar body is laminated in three horizontal plies with carved wing outlines. It measures 20" in length, 6" in width and 4 1/2" in depth.
Price: $150.00
D0895: Excellent Mason Premier Mallard Hen With Stamp
Excellent Premier grade mallard hen by the Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1920-1924. The little-used glass-eyed decoy is in vibrant and well-detailed original swirled feather paint with very little wear. It retains the rarely-found blue Mason Premier stamp on the bottom. The hen measures almost 17.5" in length, 6" in width and stands 7.5" tall at the head. It is unusual in that it is solid-bodied as opposed to the more normal hollow construction. There are several small paint rubs and a moderate age split longitudinally along the center line of the decoy.
Price: $2975.00
D0884: Wayne Shaddock Ontario Black Duck Decoy
Excellent solid-bodied, glass-eyed black duck with a slightly turned head by Wayne Shaddock (1942-2001), Belleville and Trenton, Ontario, circa 1960s. The decoy is in near mint original paint other than a narrow stripe of touch up (sealer or varnish?) to two thin age cracks on the left side of the decoy. It has carved primaries, a fluted tail and carved side pockets and is marked on the bottom with Wayne's early "W" brand made with a heated piece of wire. The head is especially well detailed with carved mandibles, nostrils and nail and a unique and attractive feather paint. The decoy measures 15" in length, 4-1/2' in width and stands 5-1/2' tall at the head. Shaddock began carving as a teenager, making working and decorative decoys over a combined span of 35 years. He was proud of having birds in Buckingham Palace and in the collection of King Hussain of Jordan.
Price: $595.00
D0840: Early Maine Red-Breasted Merganser Decoy
Superb red-breasted merganser decoy by an unknown Maine carver, circa 1st quarter, 20th century. A very folky long-necked carving with original steel bill and three-piece laminated body. The stylized original polychrome paint remains bold with light to moderate wear. It measures 19" in length from the tip of the bill to the tip of the tail but only 3 1/2" in width. It stands 9" high at the crest, but the body is only 2 1/2" deep. The neck and head are 3/4" thick with the base of the neck mortised into the first layer of the body. The decoy is "blind", without glass, paint or tack eyes.
Price: $1995.00
D0836: Thousand Islands Black Duck Decoy, Circa 1960s
Very fine magnum solid-bodied black duck from New York's Thousand Islands region. In near-mint condition with intricately detailed feather paint, this monster measures 20" in length, 8" in width and stands 7.5" tall at the head, not including the keel. There is a tight crack in the neck, held securely in place by the dowel used to secure the head to the body. Although the maker of this decoy is presently unknown, it shares some characteristics with those of Woodville's Ken Harris. The initials "MR", which were marked into the bottom before the decoy was painted using the threaded post of a screw to impress the letters into the wood, could offer a clue as to the maker. Don E. Wolfe (1912-1990), Cape Vincent, NY, has also been suggested as a possible maker. Born in Rochester, NY, his carving career began in 1947 when he moved to Cedar Point State Park outside Cape Vincent where he worked with the park commission in maintenance and construction. Working during the slow winter periods, Wolfe carved about two dozen decoys each year through the 1960s.
Price: $350.00
D0138: Reg Culver Broadbill Drake Decoy, 1st Q, 20th C
Outstanding broadbill drake by Reg Culver of Stratford, CT, circa mid-1st quarter, 20th century. The decoy is hollow-carved with glass eyes, original paint with a fine patina and exceptional combed paint on the back. It has a few small dings and scrapes, but is overall a fine decoy. When Ben Holmes died in 1912, Culver, who was working for Roz Bliss at the time, purchased 70 unfinished broadbill bodies from Holmes' widow. This was one of that group. Culver completed the construction of those decoys with heads of his own design. The use of the Holmes bodies led to confusion and false attribution of many Culver broadbills to Holmes, including this one. It is inscribed on the bottom, "This is a Ben Holmes decoy, 9/17/1966, Tom Marshall". Although Marshall was considered by many to be "the" expert on Connecticut decoys, this is a Culver. It is pictured and properly identified on page 94, Connecticut Decoys by Henry Chitwood. Culver's heads differ from Holmes' in that they are flat on top with low, bulging cheeks and thinner necks. Subsequent bodies made by Culver were blockier and less graceful than those started by Holmes. Many collectors consider Reg Culver's broadbills to be Stratford's finest.
Price: $2950.00
