Ira Hudson, Red Breasted Merganser Hen, ca. 1920

  • Ira Hudson (1873 - 1949), Chincoteague, VA.

    A very rare early special order by Hudson, used by some hunters for spring sport shooting since red breasted mergansers were hard to hit and hard to cook. The decoy is in all original paint, including the vivid red bill and tack eyes, a scarce color on Chincoteague which Ira obtained from the local fire department. The thin body, long paddle tail and carved teeth are a tour-de-force even for Hudson.

    The beak was restored, leaving the line where the beak meets the head straighter than other Hudson decoys.

Will Heverin & John “Daddy” Holly, Canvasbacks, Late 1800s

  • Left: Will Heverin, high head canvasback, no year

    Right: John “Daddy” Holly, canvasback, 1819-1892

    John “Daddy” Holly (1819-1892) lived in Havre de Grace, MD. Many of his decoys were made before 1850. Therefore, all of his decoys had iron ballast weights. Originator of the Hartford County style of decoys.

    Will Heverin (1880-1951) carved decoys on the Cecil County side of the Susquehanna River.

Arthur Cobb, Bluebill, 1885-1895

  • Arthur Cobb (1836-1890), Cobb Island, VA.

    Hollow carved bluebill with raised, down sloping neck seat and carved eyes. Early in use repaint with moderate wear.

Ward Bros., “Shooting Stool” Canvasback Pair, 1966

  • Finest known “shooting stool” canvasback decoy pair by the Ward Brothers, Crisfield, MD. Dated 1966, signed and marked “shooting stool” on bottom of each. Made for and ex-collection of Dr. Kramer. Hot branded MK on bottom. Signed on bottom “Made by Steve, Painted by Lem.” All original paint and condition.

Harry M. Shourds, Hooded Merganser, 1890-1943

Ward Brothers, Bluebill

Lem Ward, Black Duck, 1939

Unknown

Rich Smoker, Hooded Merganser, 2020

Mason Decoy Factory, Yellowlegs, 1896-1924

Rich Smoker, Rosy-billed Pochard, 2021

Joe King, Canada Goose, ca. 1880

John “Daddy” Holly, Bluebill, Early 1800s

  • John “Daddy” Holly (1818-1892), Havre de Grace, MD. He was considered the Father of the Havre de Grace Carving school.

James T. Holly, Black Duck, Early 1900s

  • James T. Holly (1855-1935), Havre de Grace, MD.

    Moderate gunning wear. Slight slope forward Where head is attached to body. Upswept tail.

Elkanah Cobb, Redhead

  • Elkanah Cobb (1757–1837), Cobb Island, VA.

    Hollow carved redhead with inlet neck seat, glass eyes, and relief wing tip carving. 'E.B. Cobb' branded on the underside. Original paint with minor flaking and wear.

    The story of Cobb Island and its decoys is legendary. Their work has been included in every important decoy reference dating back to the groundbreaking writings of Joel Barber in 1934 and Eugene Connect in 1947.

Jesse Heisler, Pintail Drake, ca. 1915

  • Jesse Heisler (1891-1943), Burlington, NJ.

    An all original Delaware River decoy with a hollow three-piece rounded body, tack eyes and a high head. The form closely follows the lead of pioneer John English of Florence, NJ, but has an upward curve to the carved primaries. Heisler was a top commercial maker of Delaware decoys and hunting boats, primarily marsh species but also bluebills, canvasbacks and a few geese. Pintails declined from the 1920s as the marches were dredged to facilitate navigation.

James T. Holly, Bluebill, ca. 1890

Eli Doughty, Brant

Harry V. Shourds, Goldeneye Drake, Late 1800s

Ira Hudson, Black Duck, ca. 1900-1935

Rich Smoker, Red Breasted Merganser, 2008

Ira Hudson, Yellowlegs, Early 1900s

Eugene Birdsall, Brant, ca. 1920s

Unknown, Canada Goose

Mason Decoy Factory, Mallard Pair, Late 1800s

  • Mason Decoy Factory (1896-1924)

James T. Holly, Black Duck, Late 1800s

  • James T. Holly (1855-1935), Havre de Grace, MD.

    Branded “wigeon”. Slight slope forward where head is attached to the body. Upswept tail.

A. Elmer Crowell, Redhead Pair

  • A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952), East Harwich, MA.

    Right: Early redhead hen. Pre brand model with slightly turned head and relief tail feather carving. “Q” branded on the underside for the Quandy collection. Original paint with minor to moderate wear.

    Left: Redhead drake. Excellent redhead with slightly upturned head. Oval brand. Never rigged or weighted. Original paint with almost no wear.

Doug Jester, Black Duck, ca. 1932-1935

  • Doug Jester (1876-1961), Chincoteague, VA. Jester used the same style on most of his decoys. All of his decoys are solid carved and unsanded.

Ira Hudson, Bufflehead Drake, 1900-1920

Walter Brady/Eli Doughty, Brant, 1860-1900

Ward Brothers, Canvasback, 1948

Harry V. Shourds, Black Duck, 1881-1920

Harry V. Shourds, Yellowlegs, 1861-1920

Charles Clark, Yellowlegs, 1890s-1920s

Dave “Umbrella” Watson, Canada Goose, 1900-1920

Mason Decoy Factory, Redhead Drake, ca. 1920

  • Harry M. Shourds (1890-1943), Ocean City, NJ.

    Extremely rare hooded merganser with extended crest. Hollow carved with inlet lead weight on underside. Mix of original paint and early in use repaint. Most of the bill is a professional replacement.

  • James T. Holly (1855-1935), Havre de Grace, MD.

    Near-mint original paint. Weight removed but otherwise in excellent structural conditions with no repairs.

  • Ira Hudson (1873-1949), Chincoteague, VA.

    Rare. Found fastened to the wall in a local restaurant. Repaint on white.

  • Ward Brothers, Crisfield, MD. Paint surface restored by Lem Ward (1897–1984).

  • Eli Doughty (1844-1923), Hog Island, VA.

    Sculptural solid body brant with relief wingtip carving and slightly turned head. Very early in use repaint with moderate gunning wear.

  • Very early and rare classic Brant by Walter Brady (1860-1945), Oyster, VA. Old repaint with no repairs. Probably less than six known.

    There is an open debate about whether these birds are made from Walter Brady or Eli Doughty (1844-1923) of Hogg Island, VA. The Brady rig Brant were thought to be hunted over by President Grover Cleveland who was a frequent hunter on the Shore for several years.

  • Lem T. Ward (1896-1984), Crisfield, MD. Black duck decoy, branded “Dr. Blackwell”.

    Lem and his brother, Steve, learned to carve working duck decoys from their father, who also trained them as barbers. All Ward decoys have flat bottoms and the bodies range from heart shaped to oval. The Wards were known for their outstanding artistic ability and used unique painting techniques, including stippling. Their painting has been called “impressionistic”, as each decoy was unique with its own feathering scheme.

  • Harry V. Shourds (1861-1920) Tuckerton, NJ.

    Goldeye drake. Hollow carved with raised neck seat and inlayed lead weight. Original paint iwth moderate flaking and wear.

  • Ward Brothers, Crisfield, MD. Paint surface restored by Lem Ward. Bill reworked and tail chip reattached at the same time.

  • Rare “JC Kruger rig” black duck by Ira Hudson (1876-1949), Chincoteague Island, VA. Has “JCK” scribed in pad weight. Has all original paint with very little wear for the age and useage. No repairs or touch ups of any kind.

  • Harry V. Shourds (1861-1920) Tuckerton, NJ.

    Hollow carved black duck with scratch feather paint detail and tack eyes. Original paint with minor to moderate wear. Early repair to crack in neck.

  • Harry V. Shourds (1861-1920) Tuckerton, NJ.

    Early yellowlegs. Fat body style. “JF” stamped in the underside. Original paint with very minor wear. Bill is a professional replacement.

  • Ira Hudson (1873 - 1949), Chincoteague, VA.

    Yellowlegs. Scratch feather paint detail. Original paint with moderate wear. Bill is a later replacement.

  • Early and scarce Yellowlegs decoy by Charles Clark, Chincoteague Island, VA circa 1890-1920. Ex-George Ross Starr collection. Excellent all original paint. Splined bill is original which is rare on a Clark shorebird, especially in original paint. Solid carved balsa body. Has a few shot scars and old blood stain on the belly area.

  • Rich Smoker (1952- ), Marion, MD. Rosy-billed pochard.

    Born into a family of outdoorsmen in 1952, Smoker carved his first decoys with his father on the banks of the Susquehanna River in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, his hometown. As Smoker’s love of carving grew, he began taking trips to Maryland, where he learned from many masters, including Lem and Steve Ward. Smoker is the recipient of more than 500 ribbons and 100 best-in-show recognitions. He is a two-time winner of the Ward World Championship as well as a 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow.

  • Bay Head, NJ. Old repaint.

  • Dave “Umbrella” Watson (1851-1938), Chincoteague Island, VA.

    Very strong paint which is mostly original with possible “gunning touch up” in areas, unable to fully tell as not obvious and too old to show with the black light. Surface is very clean, strong and dry finish, the paint work is classic Watson. Full size with glass eyes.

  • Carved by Joe King (1835-1913), Manahakin, NJ, circa 1880. Rare and historic brand from the rig of Elkanah Cobb (1852-1936).

Peter Behringer & Susan Bastress

Peter and Susan live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Peter began collecting decoys in the 1970s after attending the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, MD and learning about the carvers, and through them the history of the Chesapeake Bay in the 19th and 20th centuries. Susan and Peter’s focus was initially on Chesapeake Bay carvers and has expanded to include carvers up and down the eastern seaboard.