Exceptional c.1930 Hard-To-Find Mike Pavlovich Drake Canvasback in Original Paint/Condition
Description
Made solid and over-sized, this drake Canvasbacks is an exceptional gunning decoy made by a protege of "One-Arm" Kellie, Mike Pavlovich. Pavlovich used a very specific style and paint scheme to separate his decoys form other down-river decoys of the region but also incorporated many traits of other decoy carvers into his own pieces of work. For example, the black mask commonly found on Wells and Ken Anger drake cans out of Ontario Canada. Pavlovich was an exceptional, and often overlooked, carver from the mid-period of the 20th century and his use of a highly detailed head along with subtle paint patterns make his decoys a sought after collectible that simply doesn't come around too often. The head of Pavlovich decoys are truly exceptional. Along with high-quality glass eyes, a very nicely carved bill-root with long extended nostrils and a beautiful crown. This particular decoys measures 16 1/2" from tip of the beak to the end of the tail, 7 1/2" wide, and 8" tall not including the 1 1/2" keel. The keel is original and comes complete with a swivel line tie attached to the bottom with a hog ring clip and a tapered lead weight attached to the bottom of the keel to help the decoy self right. This style of line tie is common to the region of Michigan and is sometimes referred to as a "Schmidt-Style" referring to the carver Ben Schmidt whom used them on all of his decoys. To add a bit of history to this decoy it has an "Evans" brand in the bottom that likely refers to the rig-owner. A tag attached to this decoy provides some provenance stating that it was used at the Pointe Mouillee Hunt Club in the 1930's. This is likely where the "Evans" brand originated form as it was common for hunt clubs to brand decoys with the names of their owners to ensure rig weren't mixed up. If you are a Michigan collector, this is a certainly a nice original decoy to add to your collection by a maker that didn't produce nearly as many decoys as other carvers in the region.
Condition Report
100% original in both condition and paint, something you don't see very often. The paint has some light, and typical, gunning wear specifically on the sharp edges and neck. There are some shot scars that signify the gunning use and the neck joint is loose at the connection between the head and the body. The high head is otherwise in fantastic condition complete with the original high-quality glass eyes. I would like to note that there is one small spot on the decoy that I struggled to determine if it was a scuff or a very light touch up to the paint. My final call is that it was simply a wear spot to the decoy that caused an appearance of color change, but I wanted to point it out. Please see all twelve photos for the best description of condition. There are a few very tight wood checks present that occurred as the wood has dried over time. No splits, just checks.
I have done my best to document this decoy through both the text above and the photographs. Please look over all the photos and if you have any questions or request any additional images, please just ask before offerding. I will do my best to accommodate any and all requests. The decoy you are seeing is the exact one you will be getting, therefore, there should be no surprises if you have taken the time to scroll through all the photos and read the text. While I do not generally take returns, I will accept a return if there is something blatant that I missed or failed to disclose. This doesn't happen often, in fact it never has to date, as I am generally diligent with my assessment of the decoy and provide detailed photographs, but something could get missed. I am human after all. Unless the decoy is listed in 100% original paint, expect some old hunter touch-up. Almost every single decoy I have for sale was in fact a working decoy part of a larger rig and subject to typical gunning wear including rubs that were typically touched-up between hunting seasons as a way to pass the time during the off-season. Some of these decoys are more than 100 years old and over the course of many hunting seasons it is bound to happen. Overall, I am easy to work with and more than willing to be helpful in any way possible.
Carver's Name/History
Unfortunately there is not much information our there on Mike Pavlovich aside from that he resided in Estral Beach, Michigan and he carved decoys right alongside "One-Arm" Kellie (1883-1955) at Kellie's shop in Monroe, Michigan. His decoys are hard to obtain, especially in original condition, and this one would certainly look great in any decoy collection. Thanks for looking and good luck offerding!
Shipping Information
Each decoy will be carefully packed to ensure no damage occurs in transit, under normal handling practices of course. I strive to ship all items within two business days, but sometimes life gets in the way and it may take an additional day to get the package shipped out to you. I don't want the decoy to arrive damaged and neither do you, so if I am short on packaging please understand that the third day, which occurs less than 2% of the time, is most likely due to having to purchase additional peanuts, bubble wrap, or a more adequately sized box. I will also gladly combine shipping typically for less than half of normal postage on the lowest priced shipping charge when two purchases are made, and shipped, at the same time. My shipping charges are as close to actual as I can adequately gauge. I don't like to use the shipping calculator as it is often incorrect. Be assured that I am not making money on shipping as supplies like tape, boxes, peanuts, and etc. all quickly add up. In fact, in most cases I am losing $ on shipping, but that is just part of the sellers experience. For international shipments buyers can use 's Global Shipping Program or contact me for a quote. The choice is yours. In most cases I always ship USPS, but in certain scenarios where a package is heavy or being shipped to the west-coast, UPS may be used. All shipping charges are for the lower 48 states only, shipping to Hawaii or Alaska will incur additional charges.
Terms
Most of my decoys are for sale as a high-buyer gets it in a straight-laced no-reserve sale. I say most because as you see some decoys will have a modest/fair-market reserve. For the most part I am simply cleaning out my current collection and whittling it down to what I want to keep. Call it down-sizing if you will. So to that, I am not interested in taking a major hit and I am OK with keeping them for my own collection. I will also from time to time have a few fixed-price listing for items that I feel are better suited for potentially a singular buyer. I am easy to get along with. If a decoy doesn't meet reserve, let's talk. I am also always looking for select Ontario-carved decoys, so keep in touch.
*NOTE: As with most sporting collectibles, along with being a great addition to a game room or home decor, vintage decoys have shown to be a sound investment that seldom decrease in value. Each decoy is truly a One-Of-A-Kind item as no two hand-carved decoys are exactly alike and with so few available decoys from each carver, as time passes, they will surely only increase in value
*Be sure to add my to your favorite sellers/searches. I have many more decoys to add from all regions including the Chesapeake Bay, Ontario, Quebec, Michigan, New York, Illinois, the St. Lawrence River, region and the Maritimes in the coming days/weeks from various makers from Ben Schmidt to George Warin to Anger and will always hold shipments to combine shipping.
