Wow! What an Exceptional Red Breasted Merganser Duck Decoy in the Style of Joe King Parkertown, NJ
Description
What a great find! This rare and exceptional Red-Breasted Merganser Duck likely originated in the Parkertown, NJ region. It certainly has that Parkertown styling to it including a form similar to the works of Joe King. In addition to being a very rare merganser decoy, this decoy has an exceptional surface with only light gunning wear and exceptional structuralcondition. It has an inletted lead bottom weight that measures 2 1/4\" long and 3/4\" wide and the bottom is also fitted with an old leather line tie held in place by a single rusty nail. The body is made two piece and hollow and is held together with nails, some of which are evident on the bottom. The seam of the decoy is very tight and \"clear\" meaning there is no overpaint inside the old seams. The King influence can be seen in the shoulder of the decoys where in ice shelf ordigit is present. This drakes measures ~ 16 1/4\" tip-to-tip, 4 1/2\" wide, and 6 1/2\" tall. There is evidence of a light brand on the bottom next to the weight, but I can read what it says.
Condition Report
I have inspected this decoy heavily and everything I am seeing says that the body looks to be nearly 100% original paint. There may be some touch up to the red breast paint, but I think it is also original given how all of the lines overlay correctly and the seam cracking shows that the painting was done before it slightlyseparated. The head though is a little puzzling. Whileeverything lines up as it should, it does appear that the head may betouched up to some degree, but is in fact original given how paintintersections and seams all match. The head is fitted with fitting rusty tack eyes. Inspect the photo and make your own decision. I don\'t see any obvious repairs to the decoy head , so it must just have be a repaint. In any event, this is a very nice and rare decoy species.
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
While I can\'t make a firm attribution, it does certainly have the style of a Parkertown, NJ decoy. Thedivot in the shoulders is a typical Joe King attribute, but is also found on other decoy makers work from theregion. In looking through books the paint scheme is verysimilarto the works of Rhodes Truex of Atlantic City, NJ though the form is different. Regardless of thewhom, and I am sure someone else can likely identify the maker, this is a super-fine decoy in a very collectible species form one of the most historic decoy regions of the US.
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.
On Aug-24-15 at 05:28:13 PDT, seller added the following information:
UPDATE: Thanks to a diligent er with more knowledge of the region than myself, I have some additional info. This decoy was made by Bruce Beiber from Cape May, NJ. That explains the bottom brand as I originally thought it may read Beiber, and no, I don\'t think he is related to Justin.....
