Antique decoys

[SCCO9803]

I bought a box of five antique duck decoys at an a auction yesterday. Four of them are mallards and one is a blue bill. They are made of wood and the heads can be pulled off of dowels. They apear to be turned on a lathe as they have 1/4 half circle grooves aroung the entire bodies. I'm looking to see if anyone can tell me if a company might have made them or what time frame they could have possibly been from. Or if anybody can give me any info as to who might know. Thanks!

[SCCO9803]

Three of them are flat on the bottom, with leveling weights nailed to the bottoms. One of them is hollowed out, and the other has two hollowed out tubes opening at the rear and going up towards the head.

[SCCO9803]

That is exactly what they are. They are identical to the drake and hen mallard that are for sale on hsolist, under "vintage wood victor decoys." Are these the ones from the 30's-40's? Is there anywhere else to go on the web to find out more about them?

[Guest]

Yea, I thought they were Victors.

Depending on the condition, they are valued anywhere from $50-$150...but again it all depends on what someone is willing to pay.

Victors are a fairly common deke, there are a lot of them around and you see quite a number of them on hsolist as well as in antique shops. Once again, their value all depends on the condition.

There are a number of books out there that tell about them and the Victor company.

[Guest]

Although, those are some of the earliest versions of the Victors with the semi-rounded bottom. I would guess more like 20's and 30's vintage, and a little more money depending on the paint and condition of the wood.

I would also refrain from taking off or turning the heads too much. Also, do not re-glue them since that will take away from their value. Anything you do to restore them will.

[SCCO9803]

Herman,
Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it. I'll definitley be buying one of those books, I'll try Barnes and Noble. It's safe to say you'll have competition in the decoy collecting world now, I'm hooked! :-) Thanks again, It's always nice when people offer up their knowledge.

[Guest]

There are many factories that had decoys very similar to that of Victors,Hudson for example, and are typically lumped together as Victors. I found a lathe turned beauty last summer in a shop and it was a competitive grade Evans. Kind of need to see pictures to know. There is an excellent book by Ken Trayer called North American Factory Decoys. May not find it at the "book stores" I have seen it on hsolist or you can post up if you want info on how to find it!

[Guest]

I collect them, as does Bemduckboy.

If you have pics, email me and I'll be able to tell ya.

Just guessing from what you have posted, my guess is that they are Victor decoys from around the late 30's early 40's.

If you get time, check out hsolist and look to see if anything looks like what you have, you can get a pretty good idea of their worth as well.

Email me with any other questions.

T

P.S.-
Do they have flat or rounded bottoms, or are they hollowed out. That will narrow things down.

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[This message has been edited by Tom Herman (edited 05-17-2004).]

[Guest]

Duckboy,
About time you chimed in on this one!

Hey, call me Wed night if you get the chance.

[SCCO9803]

Thanks again guys, I really appreciate all the info and help. My mother in law is a librarian so I'm going to have her track down that book for me. This is a really neat thing, I look at these decoys and think of the history that comes with each one. I think of what hunts these decoys may been through 60 years ago. Very interesting to me, atleast. Thanks again guys!

[This message has been edited by SCCO9803 (edited 05-18-2004).]

[Guest]

Just out of curiosity, how much did you get the lot for?

[Moose-Hunter]

Howdy folks....

If you ever find yourself with dekes you'd like to sell, drop me an email. I'm no collector at all, I'm just in need of a few for my "cabin" styled basement project. Something cheap. I'm just looking something older that looks neat. moosehunter (at) earthlink (dot) net....

Thanks......

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M-H (aka: Dan)

[SCCO9803]

Not to be difficult but I'd rather not say exactly how much I paid for them, other than I feel I got a good deal on them. I'm not too interested in monetary value, I just really like to think of the story each one tells. Where else do you guys find them for sale? Garage sales, flea markets, auctions, etc.?

[SCCO9803]

Tom and Duckboy, I'll try and get some digital photos of them over Memorial weekend and I'll send them to you. Then you guys can maybe help me with more of what I have. Thanks guys!

[Guest]

Thats cool.
Duckboy does a lot of selling and buying and selling and upgrading while I just collect. I dont think I've ever sold anything I've purchased, just like to collect the stuff.
Consider yourself lucky if you ever find a realy old deke at a garage sale. I get mine mostly off of hsolist and antique shops, but you really need to be careful since prices are often over inflated. I've seen worn plastic Flambeu dekes being sold as "vintage antiques" in shops for over $50...and these are ones that are still on the market today!! Lots of rip-offs out there. But you can get some good deals as well. I usually stay away from auctions since many times it is advertised that there are dekes there and it brings out some collectors that have more money to play with than I do.