Guyette and Schmidt, Inc Decoy Auction Firm

St. Charles, Illinois - Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. conducted their annual spring decoy auction on April 26 & 27 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 $5,021,131. The sale pushed Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. total sales to over $100,000,000. The crowd was large and the prices were high with 11 decoys selling for over $100,000 and 88 lots sold for over $10,000. The $7,821 average price per selling lot was the highest ever for Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. In all statistical categories the auction was only second to the January 2000 sale of the Dr. James McCleery collection, which was a joint effort between Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. and Sotheby’s.

One of the most interesting aspects of this auction was that it contained many quality decoys that had sold at auction previously and therefore presented a great look at how the decoy auction market is evolving. Once again a great decoy, a curlew by William Bowman, which sold at the Jim McCleery auction in 2000 for $87,750 brought a huge return selling this time around for $313,000. Other examples were a Crowell dust jacket style black bellied plover, purchased for $55,000 in 1986, brought $291,000. A Crowell dust jacket style upright plover, purchased in 1991 for $22,000, brought $137,000. A Crowell feeding semi palmated plover purchased for $22,000 in 1991 brought $214,000.

Other highlights from the sale include a dowitcher by William Bowman that sold for $137,000. A John Williams ruddy duck established a world record for the carver when it sold for $159,000. It sold for $39,600 in 1990. A Walter Brady Canada goose that sold for $55,000 in 1990 sold at this auction for $126,000 and a Nathan Cobb curlew that sold for $31,000 in 1991 brought $258,000 at this sale. An Ira Hudson yellowlegs sold over estimate at $80,500 and had sold in 1990 for $23,650.

A world auction record for an Illinois River decoy was established when a sleeping mallard hen by Charles Perdew sold well over estimate at $252,000. World record auction prices were established for many decoy makers including: John Dilley, Charles Perdew, Jim Holly, John Williams, Walter Brady, John Schweikart, Elisha Burr, Oscar Alford, Walter Peltzer, Frank Reeves, William Chrysler, Robert Morse, Michael Vallero, Hank Caton, and Orrin Hiltz.

The auction price key will be online around May 7th. The preview for our July 27th & 28th auction at the Seaport Hotel in Boston should be online later this week. We will be accepting consignments for that sale until June 8th.

The prices below include the buyer's premium. Click here to view more July 2005 auction highlights.

Dust Jacket style plover by Elmer Crowell Semi palmated plover by Elmer Crowell

Yellowlegs by Ira Hudson Peep by Lou Barkelow

Golden plover by Elisha Burr Brant by Elmer Crowell

Dowitcher by William Bowman Yellowlegs by George Boyd

Golden plover by John Dilley Mallard hen by Charles Perdew

Teal by Tom Chambers Pintail by Ben Schmidt

Black bellied plover by Elmer Crowell Running curlew by Nathan Cobb

Eskimo curlew by William Bowman Pair of canvasbacks by John Schweikart

Tern by Obediah Verity Canada goose by John Ramsay

Merganser drake by Orrin Hiltz Redhead hen by the Mason Decoy Factory

Bluewing teal by Robert Elliston Pintail drake by the Ward Brothers

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