DECOY AUCTION MARKET ON REBOUND Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. conducted their 26th annual spring decoy auction on April 28 & 29 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois. The auction was held in conjunction with the National An
News-Antique.com - May 05,2011 - St. Charles, Illinois - Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. conducted their 26th annual spring decoy auction on April 28 & 29 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois. The auction was held in conjunction with the National Antique Decoy & Sporting Collectibles Show and grossed $2.1 million, within estimate. The sale pushed Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. total auction sales to over $127,000,000. The crowd was quite large with 290 registered bidders in the audience and another 286 people bidding by phone, absentee or online. Bidding battles for key decoys erupted continually as many items sold for 3 or 4 times their estimates. Prices were around mid-estimate with 41 lots selling for over $10,000 each and two items selling for over $100,000 each.
Top lot in the sale was a rare swan by Charles Birch (Willis Wharf, Virginia). It sold over estimate for $186,500, a world auction record for Birch. Virginia decoys were strong at the sale with a blackduck by Nathan Cobb, Jr. (Cobb Island) selling for twice its estimate at $53,475, a blackduck by Ike Philips (Smith Island) selling for $12,075, and a brant by Charles Birch bringing $11,500. Illinois River decoys brought strong prices with a pair of bluewing teal by Robert Elliston selling for $103,500, a canvasback by Charles Perdew for $24,725, a pair of mallards by Charles Perdew for $18,975 and a brant by Bert Graves selling at $13,800. Mason Factory decoys brought high prices with a swan selling for $38,525 and an early pair of Premier Grade mallards going over estimate at $23,000. Two shorebird decoys by John Dilley sold for $22,425 for a turnstone and $19,550 for a yellowlegs.
Guyette & Schmidt, Inc., established in 1984, is the world’s largest decoy auction firm with over $127,000,000 in decoy sales. They hold three auctions per year. Since 1989, Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. has dominated the decoy auction field, leading by large margins in most of the statistical categories (see “Decoy Magazine”), by which auction houses are measured. In January 2000, Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. in a one-time partnership with Sotheby’s, sold the decoy collection of Dr. James McCleery for $11,000,000. In January 2007 Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. in conjunction with Christie’s sold a merganser hen by Lothrop Holmes for a world record auction price of $856,000. Guyette and Schmidt Inc.’s next decoy sale will be held July 19 & 20, 2011 at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Consignments for the sale will be accepted until June 1st or until full.
Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. provides free decoy appraisals to anyone sending a decoy photo and stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Guyette & Schmidt, Inc., PO Box 1170, St. Michaels, MD 21663. Phone: 410-745-0485, fax: 410-745-0487, email: decoys@guyetteandschmidt.com. Jon Deeter: 440-543-1416, email: jdeeter@guyetteandschmidt.com. Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. also operates an online shopping site, www.decoysforsale.com, which features decoys in the $200 - $1000 price range and sporting collectables books. Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. has also opened a retail gallery at 4 School Street in
