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Guyette & Deeter bag major decoy collection for May 29-30 sale

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
decoy collection
Ferdinand Homme working mallard drake in a tucked head resting pose, excellent original paint, circa 1930. Estimate: $80,000-$100,000. Guyette & Deeter image

ST. MICHAELS, Md. – Guyette & Deeter Inc. will auction the collection of legendary decoy collector Dr. Lloyd T. Griffith on May 29-30. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

Dr. Griffith started collecting the early 1960s and continued for more than 50 years. He attended many of the early Bourne auctions including the sales of the William J. Mackey Jr. collection where he purchased several of the items that remained in his collection until now.

Guyette & Deeter Inc.’s two-day auction, which consists of nearly 600 lots, will feature the Griffith collection.

An incredibly executed working mallard drake in a tucked head resting pose by Ferdinand Homme of Stoughton, Wisconsin, is expected to lead Day 1 of the sale (above). Carved circa 1930, it is considered one of the finest working decoys ever made in the state of Wisconsin and is expected to sell for $80,000-$120,000. It appeared as the featured bird on the cover of the book Decoys by Linda and Gene Kangas, which was published in 1992.

The most anticipated decoy on Day 2 is a 2-foot-long hollow carved swan by Charles Birch of Willis Wharf, Virginia. This decoy, which was never rigged, retains its original paint in near-mint condition. It has been deaccessioned from the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore.

decoy collection
Important hollow carved swan of Charles Birch (Virginia, 1867-1956), 24in long x 19in high. Estimate: $125,000-$175,000. Guyette & Deeter image

Additional highlights include:

– A running robin snipe carved by Nathan Cobb Jr. of Cobb Island, Virginia, during the third quarter of the 19th century.

decoy collection
Nathan Cobb Jr. running robin snipe, 10 ½ in long, circa 1850-1875. Estimate: $75,000-$95,000. Guyette & Deeter image

– A large and plump willet by William Bowman of Lawrence, Long Island, New York, carved in the last quarter 19th century. The 11½-inch-long decoy appeared on the cover of the March-April 1982 issue of Decoy Hunter Magazine. It has its original paint with good patina and only slight wear.

decoy collection
Large willet by William Bowman last quarter 19th century. Estimate: $100,000-$150,000. Guyette & Deeter image

– Rare golden plover from the Webster Rig, Nantucket, Massachusetts, third quarter 19th century, 10 ¾ inches long.

decoy collection
Golden plover, Nantucket, Massachusetts, third quarter 19th century, original paint with minor wear. Estimate; $40,000-$40,000. Guyette & Deeter image

Guyette & Deeter Inc.’s May 2020 auction will begin on Friday, May 29, at 11 a.m. Eastern time and continue on Saturday, May 30, at 11 a.m.

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decoy collection