CHESAPEAKE OLD DECOYS More old
decoys for sale Holly, Graham, Barnes, Heverin
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See Map of Chesapeake bay hereOld Decoys grading
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akimage@gci.net+,
Excellent, Very Good +, Very Good, Good
Sam Barnes 1857-1926 - Havre de Grace, MD (circa early 20th century) Excellent
+. Has Guyette and Schmidt auction tag. PROVENANCE : GLM brand (Was Howard
Hughes really in Glen L. Martins shoes ?) Early Aircraft luminaries like
Boeing and Douglas, started their careers at Martins Middle river, Maryland
factory) Now Lockheed Martin, the nations largest defense and space contractor.
Sam Barnes was to the 20th century as John Holly was to the 19th in shaping what
was to come considering style and design of Havre de Grace school decoys.
Original weight and rigging. Light weight streamlined block. Professional
removal of old over paint. A truly fine and lovely decoy.
SOLD
(see
photo of Glen L. Martin with one of Americas favorite Presidents, Franklin D.
Roosevelt)
Herb
Barnes Havre de Grace, MD. (circa 1st quarter of 20th century) Excellent +. Herb
Barnes was the son of seminal carver Sam Barnes who produced a limited number of
Canvasback decoys. Another son John made a Horses head style decoy head
that can be seen on the Jim Holly decoy below. Decoy carving on the
Susquehanna was often a family affair with body's and heads often farmed out to
family members and other carvers for finishing or in trade.
This decoy is very old thin gunning over paint that looks like only 1 coat.
These are scarce decoys and a great addition for a Barnes collection.
Perfect structural and very sound overall condition
SOLD
Madison Mitchell 1901-1992 - Havre de Grace, MD (circa
1930 - 1940) Excellent. Mitchell learned a lot of his craft from Sam
Barnes and continued the elongated decoy model trend attributed to Barnes.
Before 1930 Mitchell's were all hand chopped, so this decoy rides the dividing
line between being hand-chopped or lathe turned ? If lathe turned, the
decoy is probably off a Sam Barnes pattern as that is what Mitchell used in the
early 30's. More narrow and less deep than later Mitchell's.
Partial original paint with some gunning re-paint on white. Has interesting
brand as above. Has the classic Mitchell neck crack repaired. A very lightweight
block for a Mitchell. Perfect Structurally. All original hardware.
Later Mitchell's are all too common, this one has real antique and folk art
appeal.
SOLD
Columbus "Lum" Fletcher 1867-1942 - Havre
de Grace, MD (circa 1900) Excellent. Has Guyette and Schmidt auction tag. Lum
Fletcher was a contemporary of Sam Barnes and both carved a similar modern
elongated style of working decoy. This hand chopped decoy has a real folk art
look and is almost all original paint, with some thin spots, with some gunning
paint remaining. Original leather line tie. The delineations between the
black breast, black tail and body sections are original, not whimsical
inaccurate re-paint SOLD
Jim Holly 1855-1935 - Havre de Grace,
MD (circa 1890) Very Good. Son of John "Daddy" Holly. Boat builder
and decoy maker. Early Barnes "Horses Head" model with head probably made by Sam
or John Barnes. Sam Barnes was a close friend of Jim Holly and they
collaborated in later years making decoys. Both were members of the
Susquehanna flats "duck police". Jim was a professional boat builder and
fine design qualities are inherent in his decoys. Original weight and
rigging. Heavy block. Excellent structural condition. Old war
horse Holly with great inherent form. Many Barnes heads were sold all over
the flats to other makers and does not detract from the historic provenance of
such decoys. Likewise James Holly heads can be found on decoys such as
Taylor Boyd. Very old gunning over paint, some wing design on back.
SOLD
Jim Holly 1855-1935 Havre de Grace, MD (circa early
1900's) Excellent. Son of John "Daddy" Holly. Jim Holly was a boat builder and
designed a favored Susquehanna flats bushwack boat. His decoys share
similar design metrics as Sam Barnes decoys. 80% original paint, some
wing pattern visible on back. Very sound structural condition.
Original hardware. Compact medium weight block with a soft warm mellow
look. A really fine example of Upper-Chesapeake decoy art.
SOLD
Wally Algard 1883-1959 Charlestown, Md
(circa 1st quarter of 20th century) Very Good + Wally Algard made only
Canvasback decoys and his decoys have similar characteristics as Snakes
Heverin's decoys as the two carvers lived close to each other. In fact as
documented in Decoys of the Susquehanna Flats and their Makers by Richardson on
page 24 quite a few Algards had Heverin heads as original equipment. This
is one of them. Very classic Cecil county lines and form. A superb
compact decoy and an early example of Algard's work with great provenance of
decoy collaboration common to the flats between makers. A really nice Folk
Art piece.
SOLD
Will "Billy Snakes" Heverin 1860-1951
- Charlestown, MD (circa 1900) Excellent. Has Guyette and Schmidt auction tag.
PROVENANCE: From the collection of Henry Fleckenstine, "Decoys of the
Mid-Atlantic" Heverin was considered one of the best carvers on the East
side of the Susquehanna flats. Heverin's had a high Cecil county shelf to
support the head. Not many Heverins this nice on the market currently.
Original weight and leather line tie. Medium weight block with
nice warm look. Completely sound structural condition. Hand chopped, partial
original paint and 70% original, 30% very old gunning paint.
SOLD
Sam Barnes 1857-1926 - Havre de Grace, MD
(circa 1900) Excellent +. Barnes was a true Susquehanna original seminal carver
who brought a new twist and style to the Upper-Chesapeake. Barnes decoy design
was prototypical of the modern elongated 20th century Susquehanna decoy, later
expounded upon by Madison Mitchell and others. Original weight, staple/ring.
Medium weight block. Completely sound structural condition. A true Folk Art
classic. Hand chopped, original paint. Great wing pattern that is unique, hard
to find and very distinct for its age. This decoy is now part of a matched pair,
see MORE DECOYS.
SOLD
"Snakes" Heverin 1860-1951
Charlestown, Maryland - Cecil county. (circa first quarter of 20th century)
Excellent +. Heverin was one of the "Charlestown 5" which included the top
carvers of the Charlestown school of Susquehanna decoy makers. This Hen
sat at home painted, pretty and spoiled while the ol' Man went out on the flats
to get beat up and broken doing his job to lure Canvasback ducks and probably
died early because of it. Decoy is one coat of old gunning paint.
Perfect structural condition with lots of evidence of hand chopping as Snakes
hand chopped all of his decoys.
SOLD
Madison Mitchell 1901-1992 -
Havre de Grace, MD (circa early 40's - 50's) Excellent +. Mitchell helped bring
mass production to decoy making on the Susquehanna. Mitchell started to
use a Lathe to turn decoy bodies around 1930. A Sam Barnes pattern was
used for the first few years of production. Lathe turned decoys that had
uniform shapes compared to hand-chopped decoys. Many 20th century carvers
got their start in Madison's shop. Mitchell is considered the Dean of
modern Upper Chesapeake carvers. Completely sound structural Clean, almost
flawless decoy with original paint, weight and staple/ring. Medium/heavy
block. Has tail tack used to designate premium wood (can be seen in photo)
Classic Mitchell. SOLD
Bob McGaw 1879-1958 - Havre de Grace,
MD (circa 1930) Very Good +. Has Guyette and Schmidt auction tag. McGaw
perfected the Upper-Chesapeake working block. First to use a lathe, but went
back to hand-chopped blocks. Considered one of the best carvers on the
Susquehanna, pioneered the wide body style and dog bone tangle free weight.
A true innovator and classic Susquehanna flats carver and waterman. Dog
bone weight, original staple and ring. Thin old gunning over paint, wing pattern
slightly visible on back. Medium weight block. Completely sound structural
condition.
SOLD
Charlie Bryan - Middle River,
MD. (circa 1955) Very Good +. Rare Wide bill with nail on front of bill, (can be
seen in photo), Charlie is one of the last of the older school carvers. A
real working block bucking the trend of decorative decoys. Has a lot in common
with "Speed" Jointer decoys. Sound Structural condition. Very heavy
big block. A real Tank of a real work' in bird. A super deal with
our free shipping as this baby weighs a lot. Good old gunning paint (included
with this decoy is a autograph pen from Mr. Bryan from the 25th HdG Decoy
Festival, this is a nice blue and gold pen with Gold writing that says CHARLIE
BRYAN DECOYS, Middle River, Maryland)
SOLD
Charlie Bryan - Middle River, MD. (circa
mid 1950's) Excellent. Early Bryan as rig mate to above. Breast and head
seem to be gunning over paint. Bryan decoys seem to retain a rounder chine
section that harkens back to some early Susquehanna designs. Sound
structurally with original weigh and rigging. Breast and head seem to be gunning
over paint, white on back seems to be very thin gunning repaint. Really great
way to start an Upper -bay collection or add to and established one.
SOLD
John "Daddy" Holly 1819-1892 - Havre
de Grace, MD (circa 1870) Very Good. John Holly is credited with being among the
first to make decoys on the Susquehanna. Considered the father of Upper
Chesapeake decoy makers. Making decoys possibly as early as 1830, though none
remain.
If you like the old very dry gator crazed paint, this decoy is for you !
Has round weight, great Holly form and presence. Very old gunning repaint,
fairly thin cover, not a lot of coats ! Sound structural condition.
Original iron weight. Holly are getting hard to find anywhere, especially
at a price like this one. SOLD
John "Daddy" Holly 1819-1892 - Havre
de Grace, MD (circa 1880) Very Good +. Daddy Holly is considered the father of
Upper-Chesapeake decoy industry. Holly started the early Havre de Grace
school rounded short form of decoy design which later was supplanted by longer
designs.
PROVENANCE is famous LP brand, from one of the most well know market
sink-box gunners on the Susquehanna flats. Has Guyette and Schmidt auction tag.
60% original paint. Good structural condition.
see computer generated original paint scheme here
SOLD
Bob McGaw 1879-1958 -
Havre de Grace, MD (circa 1925)
Excellent. Very good condition for a real work' in block. Solid, good wear
patterns. Classic McGaw, probably the best make for actual gunning
conditions ever to float the flats. Wide body, innovative tangle free dog
bone five nail weight. Original staple and ring. Heavy wide decoy.
Sound structural condition. Mostly original paint.
SOLD
George "Wash" Barnes 1861-1915 -
Carpenters point, Cecil county, MD. (circa late 1800's) Excellent +. PROVENANCE
is very rare Barnes family hunting scow set out boat "Blomin Lilly" Brand. This
scow as used by the Barnes family for hunting on the Susquehanna flats.
Barnes decoys were made mostly for family use. Old gatored gunning paint but
has a nice look to it. Gatoring/Crazing is unusual fine grain with mellow
patina like finish. Sound structural condition. Great investment
decoy. Superb Medium weight block with a great form and feel. Great
Provenance and beautiful form in a fine Folk Art decoy.
SOLD
John Graham 1822-1912 - Charlestown,
MD (circa 1880-90) Excellent +. Graham was one of the very early carvers on the
Cecil county side of the flats. Born in 1822, John Graham had a long run as a
seminal carver on the Northeast side of the Susquehanna. Has the slight shelf
and nub tail of a classic Graham. Decoy is in very good condition.
Thin old gunning over paint on white body has later gunning over paint to head
and breast. Original leather line tie was replaced somewhere in the decoys
long history with a East/West staple and swivel. 3 shot can be seen
in photo embedded in neck. Horseshoe weight. For it's age this is one of
the best old Upper-Chesapeake decoys I have seen, it is perfect structurally.
Really nice compact lightweight decoy, perfect for the shelf.
SOLD
Paul Gibson 1902-1985 - Havre de
Grace, Md. (circa WWII) Very Good. PROVENANCE : Signed by Gibson. Has Guyette
and Schmidt auction tag. Gibson hand chopped decoys, but in the early 40's
started to use a lathe purchased from Madison Mitchell. This decoy saw
a lot of use on the Susquehanna flats and has worn areas of paint and some
re-paint remaining 60% original paint. Has much more of a nice warm Folk
art appeal than newer fresher paint Gibson's. All original rigging.
Medium weigh block. SOLD
Ben Dye 1827-1896 - Perryville, MD
(circa 1875) Excellent. PROVENANCE : Has rare and important NPW (Nelson Price
Whitaker) brand. Whitaker owned the
Principio Furnace iron works, a supplier of
decoy weights and Anchors. 85% original paint 15% re-paint. Ben Dye lived
near Perryville at Stump's point right on the flats. Dye Decoys varied in
size, head shape and paint schemes. This one has one of the classic Dye
shape and styles. Old Iron weight. Hand chopped block. Real solid body
structure. This decoy also has a Letter J surrounded by a triangle and then
another cryptic symbol then what seems a number 6. These symbols are molded into
the bottom weight. This may be a Masonic symbol ? Driftwood decoy stand
found on beach at Perryville, MD on Susquehanna flats. SOLD
Will "Billy Snakes" Heverin 1860-1951
Charlestown, MD (circa 1900) Excellent. PROVENANCE : Has important Grey's Inn
Point (G.I.PT) Gunning club that was owned by the DuPont family. Heverin
was a seminal carver of the Chestertown side of the flats who grew up at
Greenbank Farms near Carpenter's point. "Snakes" was a top producer who
could make up to 8 quality decoys from a "round" of log and his record stands at
13. Learned to carve from George "Wash" Barnes. Decoy is 80%
original paint. Decoy has a lot of worn original paint with some gunning
paint removal. Great solid from and structure.
SOLD
John Graham 1822-1912 Charlestown, MD
(circa 1870) Very Good. Straight from the HdG Decoy Festival.
Seller claims OP, but I'm not sure. If not original, then there is just
one coat of re-paint. Has early iron ballast weight. Interesting wing
pattern on back. Early Graham, one of the best carvers from the
Charlestown side of the Susquehanna flats. Anyway, a great buy and how about
that driftwood Decoy stand, one of a kind, right from the Northeast river near
Perryville. MD.
SOLD
Jim Currier 1886-1969 Havre de Grace,
MD. (circa 1940's) Very Good. Hand Chopped Hen block. Hen looking for a
matched mate, but no luck so far. Early heavy model that has a distinct
McGaw pattern look to it, with Roman nose bill. Solid construction Hen that saw
her share of use on the flats. One shot hole in neck that can be seen in
photo. All original hardware, paint and weight.
SOLD
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