Decoy Auction - selling prices back in March2020

Tom

Interesting. I noticed Jim Schmiedlin decoys commanded some of the highest prices. Can anyone comment on what factors influence a decoys value? I have some thoughts on the matter but would love to see a discussion from those who collect or at least follow along.

Eric
 

Eric,


As far as Mr. Schmiedlin's decoys. He was in a league all his own.

Even before he left us, way to soon, his decoys brought mighty sums.

He was in that very rare % of artists, that get to see their work well appreciated while still alive.

A major accomplishment in itself.




STYLE & AUTHENTICITY rule the roost as far as Decoy value IMO.



Just like everything else, study and knowledge play key roles, but errors can still occur.

Simply put some folks buy what they like, others what they think they like.



This discussion can get pretty deep, it will be interesting to read where it will go...



my 2 cents
VP
 
Eric:

I've been involved with the decoy collecting hobby for 30 years or so, mostly small time on a limited budget. I continue to enjoy the hobby immensely, attending several local Midwest decoy collector shows (buy-sell-trade) with hotel room to room trading and table displays.

A quick history: 1934- Joel Barber published a book about decoys. As most of us know, in the 1940's, lightweight, realistic, plastic decoys replaced wooden decoys. Many wooden decoys were lost, discarded,or destroyed. 1950's- a small group of enthusiasts, duck hunters/sportsmen, folk art people, collected, traded and sold the old wooden birds, often for small sums of money. 1960's- Hal Sorenson (Iowa) published a small magazine (Decoy Collectors Guide) with history,photos,advertisements and then, things started to evolve with collectors. Photos and history of decoys/carvers of their regions were submitted and shared, clubs-meetings were started and informal gatherings happened at hotels. Late 1960's- auctioneer Richard Bourne of Massachusetts started auctions dedicated to duck decoys, which was unheard of at that time, and media attention flourished. Prices at auction slowly rose.

Fast forward to the 1980's-90's-2000's. As the economy flourished, auction prices rose. A collector magazine (Decoy Magazine) started featuring analysis of the history and increase of auction sale prices, similar to stock analysis, and then the collector profile changed, as decoys were seen as an investment which could turn a nice profit on resale. Many auction houses became involved, decoys were viewed as merchandise with the main objective being profit, as auction houses charged both consignors and buyers a percentage(10-25%) of sale price. Mega wealthy businessmen, doctors, lawyers, politicians and even movie stars started buying/selling decoys at auction. Record price for a single decoy at auction : $856,000 sold in 2007.

Which brings us to your question, What factors influence a decoy's value? It can be a highly subjective question addressed with stubbornly held personal bias. Typically, there are multiple sets of criteria : 1-Maker/Carver, 2-Region/Flyway, 3-Species, 4-Condition/Original paint, 5-Age/Scarcity, 6-Design/materials, 7- strength of Maker attribution or what I like to call fashion or buyer interest, and 8 - strength of the economy.

The majority of birds sold at auction are old-antique (pre 1960). Recent decorative decoys, although much more realistic, detailed and sophisticated are not in great demand.There's a small group of contemporary carvers who consistently achieve auction sale prices in the several thousands of dollars : Mark McNair, Cameron McIntyre, Frank Finney, Bill Gibian, Keith Mueller and Jim Schmiedlin.

There is a bit of snobbery and arrogance in the hobby. There's a group of seasoned, ultra rich collectors who are aggressive and determined to outbid their competition at auction. Certainly, not my reality. Throughout the years I've made so many friends with this hobby, who like me, just collect for personal enjoyment. To steal a quote from one of my friends, " I've never met a decoy, I didn't like "


Ken Zaborski
 
Ken

Thanks for your insights. I wonder how many collectible decoys are out there undiscovered, tucked away in a barn or old hunting cabin attic that are long forgotten. Even if they are found identifying the carver can't be trivial. Obviously most of what would be collectible today were discarded many years ago before they were known to have any real value. Question, are most of the auctions today for decoys that were already in someone's collection? Meaning the same pool of decoys is being swapped around, or are there "new" decoys that say the descendants of the carver are finally turning loose on the market? This past hunting season I hunted with the great great nephew of Cigar Daisy and he told me most of Cigar's decoys had been sold with just a few in the family and the prices were too high for him to ever have a rig of his own. A lot of the Carver's probably had no idea their work would be valued like it is today.

Eric
 
I have noticed the price increases over the years on older decoys go up and up. I think the increases came from the younger generation that got into collecting and were doing well in the markets. It became a bidding war to collect. Then you had the contemporary carvers putting out beautiful birds and the newer generation buying them up.
I've seen local decorative birds that sold for $2-3000 being auctioned for $4-500. The market went down and decor changed also. The decor changed and went from wood to glass and chrome, decoy market dropped. I think it is slowly starting to raise, but the larger collectors are the older generations [SxS's and wooden stocks].
 
I think there are many yet undiscovered decoys and decoy collections. Several years ago I walked into an antique shop in Kissimmee, Fl and spotted a tack eye Mason Black duck in what appears to be original paint. It was one of those shops that rent booth space to individual sellers. As I recall it was about $20 later that I was heading to the car with the Mason firmly in my hands.
 
Eric Patterson said:
Ken

Thanks for your insights. I wonder how many collectible decoys are out there undiscovered, tucked away in a barn or old hunting cabin attic that are long forgotten. Even if they are found identifying the carver can't be trivial. Obviously most of what would be collectible today were discarded many years ago before they were known to have any real value. Question, are most of the auctions today for decoys that were already in someone's collection? Meaning the same pool of decoys is being swapped around, or are there "new" decoys that say the descendants of the carver are finally turning loose on the market? This past hunting season I hunted with the great great nephew of Cigar Daisy and he told me most of Cigar's decoys had been sold with just a few in the family and the prices were too high for him to ever have a rig of his own. A lot of the Carver's probably had no idea their work would be valued like it is today.

Eric

Eric, by and large and the majority of old Decoys sold at auction come from the same pool of previously discovered work.

There are however new discoveries every year. And they generally generate quite the buzz, as well as some skepticism. I have found a couple myself.

Over the years Decoys that were ?too good to be true ?have often been determined to be exactly that.

So most recent discoveries are subject to x-ray analysis, paint testing and other techniques to determine validity.
 
Jode

Thanks for your insights. In call collecting forgeries have been an issue as well. One of the most famous of all call maker's stamp was given to a modern call maker who happened to train under the famous maker. Years later calls were showing up and believed to be forgeries and it was difficult to prove because the stamp was too accurate to dispute and the calls were so close, yet there was heavy suspicion. I met the accused (I have no opinion on if he forged the calls) and it changed him when the accusations started flying. He locked up his shop and stopped sharing his collection with others. He went from the kind of guy who was happy to meet other hunters to somewhat of a recluse. Given the money at stake, whether it be decoys or calls, I guess forgeries and the outfall is part of the game now.

Eric
 

For every art genre to flourish, it must enact and withstand intense scrutiny. Even then very costly mistakes happen.

Buyer Beware.

Decoy appreciation/collecting is very recent, compared to most other art forms.

When and if, it can get to the 200 - 300 year mark, and much scholarship applied many lessons will be learned.

At present supply is greater than demand. The ebb and flow of all material things.
 
Vince

One has to wonder, if the sport of duckhunting keeps shrinking, as trends suggest, if the 200-300 year mark is achievable. If not then tomorrow's collectors will be art connoisseurs, not hunters, the later of which I expect constitutes a big piece of the collectors out there.

Eric
 

Eric,

None hunters and art collectors have played a major role in decoy collecting, and decoy prices for many years.

THE ART OF THE DECOY American Bird Carvings by Adele Earnest is still a good read.


Many of today's decoy collectors are/or were waterfowl hunters, but few of them of high end decoys.

Could be to elevate the genre, the waterfowl hunters/decoy collectors will be left behind. Who knows?

If that is the case, the rich history of American Waterfowling and Conservation are even more important than they have been.


Vince
 
Back
Top