You Won't Believe How Much These Are Worth! Collection Fever Episode 2 - Ron G. Butler Duck Decoys

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Hello and welcome to Collection Fever.
I’m Chad. Today we are going to be focusing on an amazing collection of Carved Decoys, collected by the late Ron G. Butler. Let’s get into it.
Duck Decoys are historically carved from wood, often painted to resemble various kinds of waterfowl. Some carvers examples, like Elmer Crowell and Lothrop Holmes have reached legendary status, selling well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. They are wonderful pieces of folk art and there is a price point for all collectors; the beginning collector and the serious collectors that will pay more than a house for a highly sought after bird.
We recently were given the opportunity to bring over 130 carved duck decoys to market. These decoys were collected by Ron G. Butler during his lifetime. Ron was a veteran in the U.S. Army, he was awarded the Purple Heart and received the Air Medal for completing more than twenty-five aerial missions. He loved the outdoors, he was a sportsman, and he traveled the country adding decoys to his collection as he went.
We are going to talk about a few of the carvers represented in this collection; Richard “Fresh Air Dick” Janson, The Mason Decoy Factory and Wildfowler Decoys.
Wildfowler Decoys began in 1939 in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. All Wildfowler decoys are made of wood or balsa and have glass eyes. Most are stamped on the bottom identifying where they were produced. Wildfowler Decoys are excellent examples of working decoys with exceptional paint schemes. Green-Wing Teal Point Pleasant NJ
Mason Decoy Factory, The most famous of all factory-made decoys are Mason's which operated in Detroit, Michigan, from 1896 to 1924. They Produced five grades of decoys: Premier, Challenge, and 3 Standards.
Premiere Grade Canvasback Drake Mallard has glass eyes.
Standard Grade Blue-wing Teal Drake with Painted eyes.
Richard “Fresh Air Dick” Janson (1872-1951) was given that nickname because of his habit of sleeping on the deck of the boat. His best work is represented in the decoys he made between 1920 and the mid 1930’s.
Mallard Pair with glass eyes are a fine example of his work and the top lot in the auction.
I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about carved decoys and that this inspires you to start collecting today.
Thanks for watching Collection Fever.
AUCTION UPDATE
Hello, Let’s take a look at the top five lots in the auction and their prices realized.
This Black Duck By Mason Decoy Factory is a Challenge Grade with glass eyes, it SOLD FOR $515
Next is this Mallard Drake By Perdew BTB Painted By Edna Perdew with glass eyes, it SOLD FOR $520
Let’s talk about how condition affects value.
These are both Blue-wing Teal Drakes by Mason Decoy Factory, both have Painted Eyes. These would have been nearly identical from the factory and would have had a white crescent just in front of the eyes, it would have been a little thicker than this example. That means this bird has been touched up, it SOLD FOR $545. This bird has original paint with no touch-up and the crescent is worn off, it SOLD FOR $710
Last but not least was this highly sought after pair of Mallards by Richard “Fresh Air Dick” Janson, they have glass eyes. They have been varnished at some point in their lives. Although that does affect value, they still commanded a fantastic price and SOLD FOR $12,100!!
Keep an eye out for these wonderful folk art objects at estate and garage sales, or participate in a local auction. Enjoy the hunt and Thanks for watching Collection Fever!