Markel Eskra is pictured among his offerings that include a circa 1874 “tinnie” yellowlegs from Strater & Sohier in Boston, and a rare “tinnie” golden plover in fall plumage, patented 1874. Atkinson, N.H.
Review & Onsite Photos by Andrea Valluzzo
WESTPORT, MASS. — Tapping into a flourishing New England decoys market, the Atlantic Coast Decoy Collector Show presented nearly 40 tables of decoys and related material from two dozen exhibitors at White’s of Westport October 17. The show was designed to interest new and veteran collectors, and there were birds to be had for less than $100 and others upwards of $5,000.
This was the sophomore iteration of the show, and one of the show’s co-promoters, Tim Sieger, jokingly said, “It’s only the second year that we put this show on, and I would say it was 100 percent better than last year.”
The show has grown since its debut last fall, and there is room to grow even more. Nearly 100 people came through the doors, Sieger confirmed, and there were just more than two dozen vendors, several of which who set up multiple tables.
The decoy identification table they set up for verbal appraisals of items people brought into the show was a popular feature, he added. “We did appraisals on ten or 11 decoys, and of them, about five of them were worth over $5,000 each.”
Tim Sieger, one of the show’s promoters, holds up this finely carved and painted owl. Bridgehampton, N.Y.
“It’s such a great show; we see our friends and the camaraderie among collectors is there,” he said, adding that this really shows off the enduring appeal of New England decoys and the market for collectors. “It is kind of a niche market for that specific area, but you do have some people that cross over and they buy other items from different areas and we are hoping to expand on that.”
In his own booth, Sieger offered a broadbill drake by Pennsylvania carver Jim Schmiedlin, a rare tack-eye black duck from the Mason Decoy Company in Detroit that had mint factory paint and condition with only minor wear, a blue winged teal drake, also Mason, that was a good example of a “single blue wing patch” teal in fine original paint and condition. Also on offer were a circa 1920s George Boyd yellowlegs shorebird decoy that was expertly carved and painted by one of New England’s premier carvers. Another standout yellowlegs was a circa 1920s-30s example by Elmer Crowell depicted in an alert pose, ex collection Joseph French.
The decoy collecting field is a tight-knit community and many of these dealers will be seeing each other at other shows. Instead of seeing other shows as competition, the promoters here were eager to increase awareness for decoys overall. Sieger was eager to put in a plug for the second annual New England Decoy & Carving Show that will take place June 11-12 in Falmouth, Mass., presented by the New England Decoy Collectors & Carvers Association.
Ironically, as we were walking around the show, we came across representatives from that association who were eager to talk about their show but didn’t want to take the focus away from this show. Byron Bruffee of Medomak Gallery (Warren, Maine) and his brother, Daniel, who is president of the recently-formed decoy association, are busy planning for their second show. They grew up in this field, as their father Byron E. Bruffee (1942-2013) was a decoy maker. Daniel also continues the family tradition as a decoy carver.
Byron Bruffee of Medomak Gallery (Warren, Maine) holds up a female canvasback made by Clarence Miller of Canada, and which won first place at a national show in Babylon, N.Y.
“The show in June was our inaugural edition,” Daniel Bruffee said. “We try to support everyone here in New England, and we are here today at Atlantic because a lot of these guys go to our show. Anything bringing back the culture of decoy carving, its history and the knowledge to promote that is what we all do.”
Dealers took care to bring a good selection and curated their booths to showcase quality and variety. In the booth of Raven’s Way Antiques, offerings ran the gamut from a circa 1946 merganser by Arthur S. Muller Water Mill, N.Y., (1921-2022) that was a fine post-WWII hunting decoy from Long Island, to a pleasing bluebill hen by Reggie Bloom (Ontario, Canada, 1916-2005), circa third quarter Twentieth Century, retaining original paint with minor gunning wear. Also on offer was a golden plover by the Coffin family of Nantucket, circa 1870s-80s.
Joseph Jannsen, who exhibits at several decoy shows in the region from Long Island, N.Y., to New Jersey, said he likes attending this event because it is only one of a few held in the Northeast, and it is relatively easy to get to from Long Island. “My most notable sale was to a couple who purchased three contemporary shorebirds from a local Massachusetts maker,” he said. “I was also representing Decoy Magazine at the show and sold 14 back issues mostly focused on decoy carvers from New England.”
“I am pleased with the sales I made and was able to buy/swap/trade some items as well,” said Hilaire Cote. “I sold a pair of merganser decoys and a crow decoy, to name a couple of sales. The center of attraction to my booth was a full-size great horned owl decoy that sparked some interest and conversation.”
Attracting much interest in the booth of Hilaire Cote was this this life-sized great-horned owl that took him about two weeks to make. North Stonington, Conn.
Cote continued, “I enjoy the entire atmosphere of the show, such as being able to interact with the public and other decoy collectors. The art of the decoy is true American folk art going as far back in time as the Native American use of decoys.”
While shorebirds and hunting decoys are the mainstay at this show, there were also exotic birds and other animal carvings on offer. For example, there was a pair of penguins standing about two feet tall that were carved by famous Boston-Gloucester carver Charles Hart and used to be displayed on his front porch. Exhibitor Casey W. Smolla had known of this pair for 20 or 30 years and finally got his hands on it recently and made them a focal point in his booth. “They sat there [on his porch] at least 60-70 years and went to a family member [after Hart died] and ended up in a basement in Essex. They were finally rescued.”
The show will return here next fall on October 16. For information, call Tom Reiley at 860-324-4001, Jim Jankowski at 631-721-6914 or Tim Sieger at 516-384-0728.
