Rare Redhead by C.W. (Bill) Chrysler Solid Decoy w/ Great Scratch Paint and Excellent Form
Description
If there was a T.V. show for duck decoy carvers, Bill Chrysler\'s show would be called \"The Prince of Belleville.\" Ok, bad attempts at humor aside, Bill Chrysler is regarded as the finestdecoy carver to come from the Belleville area despite many very fine decoy carvers originating in the region. His work inspired many carvers and nearly very black duck to come out of the region since certainly has plenty of Chrysler influence. His decoys are enigmatic with great form, great paint, and simple class. Thisdecoy was purchased from Guyette and Deeter and is certainly a great example of Bill\'s work in a very rare species, a redhead. You simply don\'t see many redheads made by Chrysler as most of his work showcased is black ducks, goldeneye, and bluebills. This decoy has certainlyseems its use on the water but it is still a fine working example of Chrysler\'s work that will be sold for far less than the typical multi-thousands of dollars his birds command. It comes complete with an interesting circular inset lead weight and two high quality yellow glass eyes.
Condition Report
In nearly all original paint except for some touch upspecifically to the bill and potentially a light wash to the head. The head has become slightlyseparated form the body and the necks shows evidence of an old neck check above the joint. The bill has also been cracked down and reset. The bill has exceptional detail including both an upper and lower nail and great nostrils along with mandible and bill root carving. The scratch paint on the back is worn, but superb. Two knots have fallen out of the decoy. One by the tail and one near the bottom of the decoy. Itcertainlyisn\'t perfect, but for a true working decoy that has survived many season withoutsignificanttouch up to the paint it is a great example of aChrysler decoy likely at a fair price.
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
A \"big-gun\" in the Ontario decoy community, Chrysler isregarded at the same level of Wells, Ward, Warin, and Chambers without hesitation. His decoys exhibit superior class and form and it is easy to see that Chrysler was a master at his craft. From wood to paint, Chrysler turnedsimple blocks of wood intorealisticworks of gunning decoy art. A painter and boat builder by trade, go figure, Chrysler ( 1870-1940\'s) also was a market gunner in the early 1900\'s. He made and sold his decoys from 1910-1930 but his influence has lasted for many generations since. There are attributes of his stylein nearly every Belleville Ontario decoy made since he began carving and it is easy to see why, his birds were excellent. While he made many hollow decoys, Chrysler also made some solid birdsincorporatinga very fine head into every decoy he made.One of his signatures was a nail that was carved above and below the bill as seen on this decoys and while some of his decoys were stamped C or CWC, many were not. You don\'t have to look far to find information about Chrysler,simply open any Ontario decoy book and thumb through the pages until you find his name or see a super-fine black duck decoy that draws your attentions.
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.
