charles perdew decoys, any idea on value or year?

[jerryk]

Hi all,

I came across these today , original paint some neck cracks. The lines were wrapped tight in the area where the cracks are. One had what i guess is a lead weight. any help would be great , i see some sell on ebay but the prices varied so im not really sure , thanks in advance

[frogpatch]

Yipes! What a great find! You need to take these to a professional decoy appraiser. In 2001 a similar pair, but in mint condition, was appraised on Antiques Roadshow between $10,000 to $20,000. Prices have only gone up. Yours were working decoys which adds character but I do not know how it affects value. Do not try to clean or repair them. A professional conservator is needed. If they were mine and I was not selling them I would be proud to display them as is. Are you from Illinois where he was from? He had a very long career and is very famous as you probably already know. Can you tell that I am jealous? I live only miles from New Jersey sneak box territory. I have been hoping to find an old wood decoy just once in my long picking career. 40 years and no decoy yet. Lucky you.
You can contact the Perdew Museum at info@charlesperdew.com for information.

[jerryk]

thank you patch, yeah it was a very interesting find, I did see that road show article , I am actually in NJ i found these at a thrift store yesterday and when i saw them i grabbed them and purchased them. I dont know where to begin on finding an appraiser on these but sending an email to the museum is a good start. Thank you so much for the info

[sugarcube5419]

what did you pay?

[jerryk]

I paid 15 dollars for the pair

[KC]

Wow~   Great find!

I only know of this one that will do an appraisal for free using the photos you send!  Worth a try - what do you think frogpatch?

http://guyetteanddeeter.com/

They even list decoy shows, and one was in New Jersey today!

[jerryk]

Thanks KC i will try that, sadly i reached out to someone who offered 100 dollars , when initially they said it was a good deal for the money spent, i showed no real interest but the person kept me on the phone trying to convince me to sell it to them.

[sugarcube5419]

Wow~   Great find!

I only know of this one that will do an appraisal for free using the photos you send!  Worth a try - what do you think frogpatch?

http://guyetteanddeeter.com/

They even list decoy shows, and one was in New Jersey today!

real nice of you KC-good info

[mart]

Don`t dare sell those decoys till you get a professional appraisal !!  And I do not mean the corner antique shop !!   Great find !!

[jerryk]

Thanks mart , i wont take this to some mom and pop place. I'll be looking for someone who can give me an accurate price. The charles museum wanted them but refuse to give me a number and for me to come up with one 

[mart]

Excellent !! Let us know what they say !!

[thecatjh]

I wish I was in USA
All I hear about is these Thrift stores and you all find some great bargains
We used to have same success here in our Charity stores but influx of TV shows re antiques and ebay have meant either the price on sale is double value or the managers of the stores nab them for themselves before they hit shelfs

This is a great find and never do we see these in UK unless in Auction house , talking of which - do you guys know of the-saleroom.com ? This is amazing sight with full details of all the UK auctions about to take place - many you can bid live or view catalogues etc - searched duck decoys and see results

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/search-results?searchTerm=duck decoy

hope useful and if you want any more info on the-saleroom just let me know I use it to bid all the time , won some amazing lots last week without even being there

cheers

[KC]

Whoa....the prices that some things are going for....wow!  Too bad I would have to pay shipping!  )

[jerryk]

Thanks everyone for the help , they were appraised between 6 to 7 thousand, i was pretty amazed for some thrift store find

[thecatjh]

wow 6-7k that's superb damn UK lol
whatever you do.... do not bring them here for sale.... our auction houses will go 30-50gbp lol
well done great find