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Updated May 2, 2012


Back home from the MDCA decoy Show at Pheasant Run Resort, St Charles, Illinois. Had a busy week! Like most collectors we set up displays in our room for room-to-room trading sessions Monday through Thursday. Wednesday night we attended Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter auction preview and cocktail party. The highlight of this preview for us is the Oscar Peterson Grouse plague...What a Great piece! It sold the next day for $107,000 plus the buyer's premium. Like I said it is a great piece. The auction that run two days had it's ups and downs but overall netted $2,400,000. Not bad in this economy!

The decoy show was open to the public Friday afternoon and evening and continued Friday from 9am to 3pm. The turn out was good and there was lots to see. Aside from 300 some display tables, the MDCA board sponsored a exhibition of Classic New York antique working decoys: Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter previewed offering for their next auction held in New Hampshire in July: The contemporary decoy carvers conducted several carving and painting demonstrations and the Duck Call Carving and Collecting Association held their contemporary call making competitions.

Click on Cameron picture for slideshow. At the Midwest Decoy Collectors Decoy Show this Spring, the contemporary carvers association presented several demonstrations on contemporary carving carving and painting techniques. Throughout the day some of the finest artisans from this group shared their talent and techniques with show goers including two young carvers who produce their decoys in the time honored tradition of the master working decoy carvers of olde Marty Hanson and Cameron McIntyre. Pictured with Marty and Cameron is Goeff Vine, Waunakee, Wisconsin noted for his contemporary Delaware River style decoys. Pat Meneely, Minneapolis, Minnesota presented a decoy painting techniques demonstration.

The real excitement of the MDCA show came when Peter Marsh came looking for Joe to do an appraisal for an older couple who had brought in a duck call for the free appraisal offer by the MDCA board. I was stunned when I arrived a few moments before Joe and saw Roger Ludwig holding a carved Beckhart. Wasn't sure of its value but knew this was something special. To learn the rest of the story as it appeared in the Chicago Sun Times(May 5,2012)in Dale Bowman's sports column click on Joe's picture with Joe Whitley's daughter and her husband. Click on hands for detail close ups of the call.




Would like to remind everyone that Joe Tonelli offers a brokering service to decoy collectors. If you are looking for a certain piece to round off your collection or just getting started, Joe has been dealing in waterfowling decoys and gamecalls for 50 years and is always willing to pay cash for one decoy or an entire collection. He handles waterfowl and fish decoys, gamecalls, tackle, cover art, and related folk art. Also as Midwest representative of Guyette & Schmidt Decoy Inc, Joe is qualified to do insurance and estate appraisals. He can be reached at 605-481-2811 or 815-664-4580. Joe is pictured here in our great room and with Alan Haid examining full-sized decorative running curlew by A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952), that he purchased for Jim Cook for $247,250 in 2011.
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Got lots of good feedback on the virtual tour of our collection. Hope everyone has a chance to view it under our collections link above. I decided it was time to add something new to this site, so Invite you to check out E Decoy Photo Gallery This page will be devoted to images of great decoys. Believe this a good way to share our collection with new collectors. I invite other collectors to send me slide shows of their favorite decoys to share with us here. Many of the older, No let's say seasoned, collectors have wonderful birds in their collections that rarely leave their shelves. It is important to show new collectors good images so they can learn...and I'm sure all collectors enjoy looking at great decoys!
My first slide show features Charlie Perdew crow decoys simply because I had images on file. In between decoy shows, I will add more slideshows. I use open office presentations for my slideshow. If you want to stop the show at any time simply scroll to the bottom of image. A control panel will appear allowing you to stop, go back or forward at any time. Click on crow below to start first gallery slideshow



Just a quick reminder my collectibles books are available here and make great gifts. Each has a broad selection of sporting collectibles featured in high quality full color photography. Use my Books link for information on all of my books on hunting and fishing collectibles. There is a printable order form for all my books under BOOKS link. I always have books on hand and will personalize one for you. Remember books make great gifts. Surprise your sportsman with a copy. Even if he isn't a collector, he will still enjoy it! Sorry I'm not set up to accept credit cards; paypal, personal check or money order will do.

SO ORDER YOURS TODAY!!!

The History of the MDCA This will be an ongoing series of articles beginning in the beginning with the first show held in Ottawa Illinois, May 7 1966. I have gathered together lots of photos and information from this show that I think you will find interesting



Email:donna@edecoy.org

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