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- Editor’s
Note:
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- This
column is a regular feature in the Wayback Times in which my
husband takes interesting people out to lunch … and sends
me the bill.
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- (It's
a tough job, but someone has to do it!)
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- Send
us an e-mail if you have someone in mind for one of Peter Neilly's
interviews over lunch.
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- Peter Neilly is Out
to Lunch
- Breaking bread with
interesting people
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- Out to Lunch!
with Peter Neilly
- My Out to Lunch guest today
is noted decoy expert Steven Lloyd. Steven heads the National
Decoy Information Centre and is widely recognized as "Canada's
No. 1 historic waterfowl decoy researcher." He has been
profiled in Outdoor Canada Magazine, the Toronto Star, Harrowsmith
Magazine, Global News, CTV and CBC TV, as well as PBS. I first
met Steve at a Hastings Historical Society meeting where he was
giving a complimentary identification clinic and presentation
on the history of decoys and decoy collecting. Steve has chosen
Caddy's Beef and Seafood House in Corbyville, Ontario, for our
lunch. It is pouring rain outside - perfect weather for ducks,
or a discussion on ducks.
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- Steven Lloyd
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- Peter: I know decoys have been used throughout the world
to lure birds for thousands of years, but when were the current
form of carved wooden decoys introduced that now lure in so many
collectors?
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- Steven: The mid 1800s to the early 1900s were the glory
years of carved wooden decoys in North America. Thousands of
decoys were being made, not only by individual carvers but also
in factories like the Mason, Dodge, Victor, and Peterborough
decoy companies. Ducks were being hunted not just for sport,
but also to sell at markets. Back then many of these outdoorsmen
prided themselves on hitting three or more ducks per shot on
a regular basis. Then, unfortunately for the waterfowl, there
came the invention of the punt gun. It was like a small canon
that was bolted to the duck boat and could shoot dozens of birds
per shot. The hunters would go into town and sell their day's
hunt often by the pair. Ducks were shipped in barrels by rail
to larger centers. In those days it was common in all of the
upscale restaurants to serve wild duck dinners or, in some areas,
geese, swans and even shorebirds. People shot anything that walked,
talked or squawked.
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- Peter: Your decoy demonstration at the Hastings Historical
Society was very well received by the full house that showed
up with decoys for appraisal. I was impressed by the quality
of many of the birds brought in. I recognized a few Warins and
was sitting next to the lady who arrived with the pair of merganser
decoys that you appraised at $20,000. They were beautiful birds
and your appraisal created quite a stir in the audience.
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- Steven: They were an exceptional pair of decoys from
the Frenchman's Bay area, east of Toronto, carved by Walter Avis.
Merganser decoys are more rare simply because merganser ducks
did not taste very good and most hunters didn't go after them.
Apparently, they also gave off a terribly strong fishy smell
when being cooked in the house. Because of this, fewer merganser
decoys were carved resulting in increased value to collectors.
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- Peter: What was it that got you started in researching
and collecting decoys?
- Steven: I was 20 and just back
from college in Peterborough. At the start of hunting season,
I went back to my parents house and asked my dad if I could borrow
some of his decoys and to my surprise he said: "No. There
are a whole lot of things involved in not living at home anymore
and my decoys are one of them". So I went looking for ads
in the papers and found a gentleman in Trenton who was looking
to sell his decoy and hunting equipment. When I arrived at his
house, he took me to his garage where he had decoys stacked like
cord wood on all three walls. In today's market, their value
would be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Back then he wanted
$2 each. I was just looking for decoys to hunt with and I couldn't
afford the $500 or $600 it would take to buy them all, so I just
bought five for $10. On my way home, I had to go to the mall
in Belleville to pick up my mom. There was an antique show in
the mall and I noticed a dealer who had decoys for sale. They
were $10 each and in terrible shape compared to mine. He ended
up paying me $30 for three of my decoys. I was thrilled. Thirty
dollars was a lot of money then. I was probably only making a
few bucks an hour at my job. I realized there was value in those
old decoys and decided to call the man in Trenton back and of
course he had sold them all to two antique dealers. Anyway, I
started buying up decoys through ads in the local papers and
just through talking to people and making contacts, ended up
with over 100 decoys, most of which cost around $2 each.
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- Peter: How did you gain the knowledge on what to buy
and which decoys were worth keeping?
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- Steven: There weren't many books published in those days
that I could use to research decoys, but I read everything that
was available. By doing decoy displays at shows and listening
to other people talk about their own decoys, I was able to learn
more and more and I'm still learning. I remember doing a show
at the Ameliasburgh Museum and being interviewed by the Toronto
Star. At the time, it made me feel like a real big shot. I actually
had a total stranger walk up to me at that show and give me a
decoy he had owned for many years. I will always remember how
that made me feel and it's that feeling and the passion that
I have for sharing what I have learned over these past 35 years
that keeps me going. I don't charge for my appraisals and I enjoy
giving back. I enjoy helping as many people as possible evaluate
their old wooden decoys and educate folks about the history and
value of their birds. I have probably studied over 100,000 old
decoys in the past 35 years.
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- Peter: What is responsible for the huge increases in
the value of decoys in today's market? I keep hearing of record-breaking
prices at many auctions.
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- Steven: A lot of things affect the value of decoys. There
are so many different markets for decoys. There are antique shows,
antique shops, individuals that collect for both pleasure and
as an investment, and there are people that just want a decoy
for decoration in their home. They don't care about the history
or its value as long as the colour of its head matches their
decor. I have also heard hundreds of stories of valuable decoys
being lost or thrown out because people just didn't know their
value. But any appraisal can never be exact. You can't say a
certain decoy is worth exactly $185 because if it ends up at
an auction and two or more people really want it, the end price
could be several times the appraisal. If a decoy has been promoted
at shows or in a decoy book, the price can be elevated dramatically.
I think the record price for a Canadian decoy sold at auction
is over $200,000.
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- Peter: Do you have a favorite decoy carver?
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- Steven: I like a lot of the Belleville-area birds, probably
because I've spent most of my life in the area. Bill Crysler
and Harry Hitchon birds are just two of my favorites, but any
well-carved hollow decoys catch my interest. I don't need to
own any particular birds, I just enjoy seeing different decoys.
I'm basically addicted to decoys. The Toronto area once had the
best decoys. The waterfront in Toronto didn't have high-rise
condos then. It was dotted with boathouses and sheds and that's
where George Warin carved his decoys, He also built the rowing
skulls that Ned Hanlan used to win the Olympic medal for Canada.
Warin also carved the decoys that King George V hunted with when
visiting Canada. Those decoys still surface from time to time
at auctions.
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- Peter: I have noticed when you appraise decoys, you
sometimes identify the area it was from right away and then,
after a closer look, the carver. What is it in a decoy that tells
you where it was made?
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- Steven: I've looked at thousands of decoys and after
a while you notice certain carving styles that are similar in
certain areas. Carvers from the same location would influence
each other's styles. If I went blind tomorrow, I cold still recognize
a Toronto decoy just by touch. Prince Edward County decoys were
nice looking and sought after by collectors, but many had funky,
unusual heads. About 50% of the birds from the lake Erie region
were carved without tails. They had big round butts and were
known as turtle shells or bobtails. Local carvers sometimes copied
each other.
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- Peter: You don't charge people for your appraisals.
Why not?
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- Steven: I enjoy giving back for all I have been given
in life and it often only takes a few minutes. People can find
the history and value of their birds by simply e-mailing me a
picture. My payment is countless new friends. I do receive fees
from the larger museums. I don't do this to buy decoys for myself.
I enjoy helping educate people about their decoys and I am constantly
learning as well. If someone wants to sell a valuable decoy,
I can sometimes direct them to the major decoy auction companies
where they could receive a better price for their birds, or I
know of collectors that are looking for specific decoys. But
I always stress to people "get a second opinion" or
even a third if you don't feel comfortable.
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- Peter: That's always good advice. Thanks for meeting
with me for lunch, Steve, on such a "fowl" day. Sorry,
I just had to say it. As usual, Sandy gets the bill for lunch.
- Steven Lloyd can be reached
at the National Decoy Information Center, 1-613-922-7000, or
e-mail him your pictures to Decoyinformation@aol.com.
His web site is at www.decoyinfo.com
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