Antique Duck Decoys

By: Joshua McNiel

Duck decoys have been used for thousands of years. Hunters made
their decoys using bulrush, cattail, reed, and what ever they
could use that would float. They molded these items into a
sculpture of a bird floating in the water, and decorated some of
them with real feathers of the type of bird they were going to
hunt. In North America, decoys have been found that dated back
2,000 years, where they are now displayed at the Smithsonian
Museum. Other decoys have been found in Egypt that was even
older. Originally, duck decoys were not considered to be an art
at all; they were created as a tool to help the hunter attract
his prey more efficiently.

Antique duck decoy collections have been around since the early
1900's when Joel Barber, a New York architect first published
his book, "Wild Fowl Decoys". Since then, antique decoys have
become so popular that many magazines have been published, many
organizations have been formed and specialty books have been
written.

If you are interested in collecting antique duck decoys, whether
it is for their beauty, the folk art, or the investment that you
will have from acquiring these magnificent replicas, there are
certain things you need to know.

In the 1800's, duck decoys were made with glass eyes, and were
painted with dull, exact details of the sort of duck that the
hunter was trying to stalk. They used anchors to hold the decoy
upright and a pull string to make one or two of the decoys move
in the water.

Some of the earlier duck decoy manufacturers put the company
logo on the bottom of each decoy that was made. Even if you
found an old decoy, you should always check the condition it is
in before it can be determined as an antique. If it has dents,
or bad gashes in it, this will determine its value. There are
many duck decoy manufacturers today that carry some of the
finest decoys ever made. These include movers that swim around
in a circle using battery operated systems, and shakers that
just make waves in the water. Together in a flock like
resemblance, one can hardly tell that they are fake. The
standard size of a decoy is about 15 inches, and can be made
from foam, plastic, cork, and wood.

There are many websites on the internet that make it possible to
buy antique duck decoys. It would be a good idea, before you
start buying antiques, you should purchase one of the many
antique duck price lists that are available from one of these
websites. You should research all that you can to be
knowledgeable enough to know what the value of each antique duck
decoy is as well as the history of it.

If you are looking for antique duck decoys, you might start
searching the local yard sales, flee markets, your local antique
stores, a neighbors barn, and of course you can purchase them
from private collectors. When buying from flee markets and yard
sales, remember to check the bottom for a manufacturer's stamp,
and take into account the ware and damage that it has been
through, after all these years.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

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