price of vintage decoys

Allen Peterson

Allen Peterson

Member
I am not a decoy collector but this past weekend I went to an auction in St Michaels Md. there were lots and lots of vintage decoys . the cheaper ones started at $2000. dollars and people were very aggressively bidding on them. The only thing I picked up was an old Duck gun not many 4 GA.s come up.Tolley.jpg
 
Last edited:
That DOES appear to be a shoulder-fired gun vs. a boat-mounted punt gun. Ouch!

Nice-looking piece of history. If that gun could talk I'm sure it would tell some stories.
 
That is very cool. Any more info on the gun?

How do you keep an eye out for guns like that?
 
I too would appreciate more information on that beautiful gun. What a treasure! Will you shoot it or will it simply be placed on display?
 
These Guns are scarce as hens teeth. I plan to shoot it. first I have to make a chamber cast. then get some brass hulls made. this gun came from a collectors estate who had a few of these. this gun was shoulder fired and not a punt gun. not the typical market hunters gun. More likely a well heeled sportsman for pass shooting.finding one is like scouting you gotta look where they want to be. I have been looking for over 10 years. the auction I got this at sold two Parker smallbores a 28ga and a .410 at over a hundred grand ea. American Guns brought good money. look at Guyette and Deeter to see what Guns and decoys sold for. Just about all the decoys in the sale started at two grand and many went a bunch higher. this is it for me NO more guns I'm done.Tolley.jpgduck guns.jpg
 
Last edited:



Years ago a gent that I hunted with and was a founding member of our DU chapter had a large Parker gun collection. When we hunted doves he would use the 28ga. He told me it was worth $1,000 per pound at that time. Hunting with him was always a lesson in sportsmanship and all things related to shotgunning. Sadly his home was broken into and much of the collection stolen.
 
Interesting prices on those smallbore Parkers.

A buddy of mine had a Parker (12 or 16gauge I am unsure which) with Damascus barrels that he never got around to getting appraised/test fired before he passed away in 2019. Interesting that a great uncle gave it to my friend. The uncle fellow apparently had a very extensive gun collection and took a lot of extended hunting trips that his wife apparently didn't approve of. So while the fellow was away on one of these trips his wife sold his entire gun collection except for what he had taken away to hunt with. Apparently the Parker was one (or maybe the only) gun that escaped the sale!
 
Allen et al~


Every time I see the "Vintage Decoys" in this post - I think not "antique decoys" - but rather the vintage gunning stool I've gunned over with my Dad and am now "collecting" so I can gun over them again. The years run from the 1940s into the 1960s. I learned early on that my public servant salary would not allow me to collect the truly antique birds I would covet - and still do - at shows. My taste is richer than my pockets are deep. Prices for decoys that appeal to my eye usually include 3 digits - and often 4 (all to the left of the decimal point....)



The "vintage decoys" I gather up cost between $10 and $50. By the time I find them, their collectible value had been diminished by either non-original paint or missing/broken pieces - or just low demand. Their appeal to me is both nostalgic - and the undeniable fact that they still serve as excellent gunning stool. I put them back in ready-to-hunt shape - for my own use.


For myself, I look for: Wildfowlers from either Old Saybrook or Quogue.


Wildfowler Canvasback - brand Quogue.JPG



Mostly I have a puddle duck rig - Mallards, Blacks and a pair of Pintails - balsa-bodied birds of the Superior Model.



sm Dow Wildfowler Mallard pair.JPG



But I have a couple of divers that will mostly live on the shelf. This Hen was a repair for a friend.



Wildfowler Canvasback Hen A.jpg



This Drake allowed me to practice my faux canvas stippling technique.


Wildfowler Canvasback - back and side details fwd.JPG





I like Herter's in either Balsa or foam (Durlon Foam with Tenite Heads). My Dad bought some of these Model 72 "Bluebills" in the '50s - and I bought a dozen in the '60s. I also found a dozen or so taken from some hapless gunner by shifting ice on Great South Bay. (And I've lost about that many the same way....) All of my foam birds get epoxy + fine sawdust skins and fresh paint.



D8.jpg



My Dad bought 6 Cans to go in his Broadbill rig in the early '50s. They have the flat bottoms and brass screw eyes.


WS - Model 72 Cans - SJS 3-13.jpg





I also picked up a few hollow Tenite birds only because I grew up seeing them in the catalog every year - and was inspired by this classic photo:


Herters No 58 page 8 Model 50 - INSET on post.jpg

These are Model 50s.


Herters Model 50 Pintail Pair - coated and painted by SJS.JPG





The Model 59 was intended as a less expensive model - but I prefer its lines, at least on Broadbill. This Drake and his Hen keep me company on a window shelf in our living room.



Model 59 BB Drake DONE - FULL rolled.JPG



I have 8 or 9 Model Canada Blacks and Mallards - almost ready-to-hunt. They are balsa-bodied and nicely over-size.


WB - Model Canadas.JPG



This Hen is a smaller model - whose name I cannot recall (without digging out my old catalogs).


DD4 - 16 Herters Hen Bluebill - DONE on bench.JPG



I also have 2 or 3 rigs of Herter's Model 63s - the life-size foam-bodied birds - Mallards, Blacks and other puddlers.


https://stevenjaysanford.com/pintail-rehabbing-herters-smaller-decoys/



And, I have refurbished bunches of LL Beans and others for a variety of friends and customers in recent years. Cork birds get well-sealed with spar varnish - followed by an oil base coat and a latex topcoat.





DD5 - 09 5 Whistlers on hearth.JPG



BTW: I shot my first Goose with a 28-gauge Parker GHE (borrowed from a friend of my Dad). My Dad later gave me its mate in 12 gauge. Because I hunted for many seasons on salt water - and with steel - I seldom used it. So, I sold the 12 after my Dad passed.


My cherished Winchester Model 12 was "born" in 1925. I plan to use it every day during its centennial year.


Red-legger and Model 12.jpg



All the best,


SJS




 
Steven, if there was a "Like" button on this page, I would have tapped it for this post. Although I may only duck hunt once or twice a year now, I think of it often. I am homesick for those days spent hunting with my favorite uncle and with my old friends who have moved away. Your response spoke volumes to me.

all the best,




Steve Sanford said:
Allen et al~


Every time I see the "Vintage Decoys" in this post - I think not "antique decoys" - but rather the vintage gunning stool I've gunned over with my Dad and am now "collecting" so I can gun over them again. The years run from the 1940s into the 1960s. I learned early on that my public servant salary would not allow me to collect the truly antique birds I would covet - and still do - at shows. My taste is richer than my pockets are deep. Prices for decoys that appeal to my eye usually include 3 digits - and often 4 (all to the left of the decimal point....)



The "vintage decoys" I gather up cost between $10 and $50. By the time I find them, their collectible value had been diminished by either non-original paint or missing/broken pieces - or just low demand. Their appeal to me is both nostalgic - and the undeniable fact that they still serve as excellent gunning stool. I put them back in ready-to-hunt shape - for my own use.


For myself, I look for: Wildfowlers from either Old Saybrook or Quogue.






Mostly I have a puddle duck rig - Mallards, Blacks and a pair of Pintails - balsa-bodied birds of the Superior Model.







But I have a couple of divers that will mostly live on the shelf. This Hen was a repair for a friend.







This Drake allowed me to practice my faux canvas stippling technique.








I like Herter's in either Balsa or foam (Durlon Foam with Tenite Heads). My Dad bought some of these Model 72 "Bluebills" in the '50s - and I bought a dozen in the '60s. I also found a dozen or so taken from some hapless gunner by shifting ice on Great South Bay. (And I've lost about that many the same way....) All of my foam birds get epoxy + fine sawdust skins and fresh paint.







My Dad bought 6 Cans to go in his Broadbill rig in the early '50s. They have the flat bottoms and brass screw eyes.








I also picked up a few hollow Tenite birds only because I grew up seeing them in the catalog every year - and was inspired by this classic photo:




These are Model 50s.








The Model 59 was intended as a less expensive model - but I prefer its lines, at least on Broadbill. This Drake and his Hen keep me company on a window shelf in our living room.







I have 8 or 9 Model Canada Blacks and Mallards - almost ready-to-hunt. They are balsa-bodied and nicely over-size.






This Hen is a smaller model - whose name I cannot recall (without digging out my old catalogs).






I also have 2 or 3 rigs of Herter's Model 63s - the life-size foam-bodied birds - Mallards, Blacks and other puddlers.


https://stevenjaysanford.com/...ters-smaller-decoys/



And, I have refurbished bunches of LL Beans and others for a variety of friends and customers in recent years. Cork birds get well-sealed with spar varnish - followed by an oil base coat and a latex topcoat.









BTW: I shot my first Goose with a 28-gauge Parker GHE (borrowed from a friend of my Dad). My Dad later gave me its mate in 12 gauge. Because I hunted for many seasons on salt water - and with steel - I seldom used it. So, I sold the 12 after my Dad passed.


My cherished Winchester Model 12 was "born" in 1925. I plan to use it every day during its centennial year.






All the best,


SJS



Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top