how to tell if cork decoys are collectors

David Allen

Active member
I just picked up a dozen cork decoys. They appear to be LL Bean / Soule decoys. I bought them as working decoys but they guy that sold them to me said that some were well over 50 years old.

Some need paint, others tail boards, a couple need head repair. Before I go to work on these, how do I tell if any of these are collector pieces?

Thanks
 
others may have different onions - but i expect most "factory" decoys need to be in very good to excellent condition to be at all collectable
 
David~


For any decoys with a "pedigree", I always double-check with the owners before I re-paint them. But, most have only modest collectible value unless they are in very good condition and original paint. Dale Dalrymple at Dale's Decoy Den sells collectible Bean's birds. It might be worth scanning his site and maybe sending him some photos.


https://www.dalesdecoyden.com/



Otherwise, I do like putting old gunning gear - boats and decoys etc - back into useful condition - and then knowing they will go on to enjoy many more hunts.


All the best,


SJS





 
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To Steve's point. LL Bean made thousands of decoys. They are nice gunners for sure. Some might be rare for Beans as in only a couple of thousand made. Much like Herter's they will not command a lot of dollar value in your lifetime. I would just hunt with them unless you really have one you like in original condition. I bought a nice early pristine Brant from Dale that I wouldn't dream of repainting. I have 10 LL Bean mallards that I gun with that I repainted as blackducks. If they need tail board repair and head repair they aren't collectible. Your choice.
Joe
 
Gunner they will be. I bought a dozen with carrying bag and weights for $250. Because I bought them as gunners I might have been a bit disappointed if I had had a collector in the mix.
 
You did well at $20 a piece ? With all due credit to Steve, he did a really detailed refurb on LL Bean blocks that is the bible for gunners. I followed it on my rig. You cant go wrong.

https://stevenjaysanford.com/re-painting-l-l-bean-coastal-blacks-and-mallards/



Joe
 
Joe, were the Bean tailboards Masonite? Hopefully, you can still access tempered Masonite. I switched over to wood when the lumberyards here went with untempered. The big problem with that stuff is bagging dekes. The slightest bump or bang starts turning the tailboards to fuzz.
 
I did change some of the low head LL Beans to heads I carved to vary the look and make the spread more realistic appearing.

Joe
 
I soak the Masonite with thinned spar varnish so it penetrates. I have used cedar that I cut when the kerf was big. I used to use luan door skin for tails but over time they delaminated. Local Home Depot had tempered Masonite that I recently purchased.

Joe
 
David Allen said:
Gunner they will be. I bought a dozen with carrying bag and weights for $250. Because I bought them as gunners I might have been a bit disappointed if I had had a collector in the mix.

Good deal. I am clearly not paying enough attention to Craigs list and Uncle Henry's.
 
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