Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC (copleyart.com), the nation’s premier decoy and sporting art auction house known for its accurate descriptions and verified results, realized $5.9 million in their recent Winter Sale. It marked the highest total for any auction in the company’s twenty-year history. The February 20–21 live-streamed auction saw an unprecedented number of bidders spread across decoys, paintings, bronzes, prints, and folk art. New buyers, established collectors, and institutions were fully engaged over the two-day auction. Extending Copley’s strong track record, the 635-lot sale was over 95% sold by lot. Commenting on the landmark sale after the auction, Copley owner Stephen O’Brien Jr. states, “Our specialists truly are the best at what they do, which gives our clients a tremendous amount of confidence with their buying and selling decisions. The auction game continues to evolve and the Copley team is committed to being innovative leaders. The platforms of Copley Live, Live Auctioneers, and Bidsquare give us access to millions of online bidders. These platforms allow our specialists to broadcast their research and findings to the world.”
On a more personal level, O’Brien continues, “As a fourth-generation sportsman, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had a father and an uncle who introduced me to fishing, hunting, birding, conservation, the beauty of the great outdoors, and especially art at a young age! Along with many of my clients, we look at these works of art as windows into our souls. They bring us back to memorable days in the field spent with our friends and loved ones, and they get us thinking about planning trips and getting out on the water and into the field.”
Paintings
The auction was led by The Robert S. Doochin Collection of Sporting, Wildlife, and Western Art, which proved to be in high demand, shattering multiple world records and achieving many notable sales. The top painting lot of the sale was The Pond Cover, a magnificent oil by Aiden Lassell Ripley (1896–1969), which set a new world record at auction for the artist when it sold for $192,000, well above its $60,000–$90,000 estimate. Exhibiting careful attention to detail and notable depth of field, this oil almost set the world record for Ripley when Copley last sold the work in 2015 for $90,000. Setter, Pointer, and Quail by early American artist Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (1819–1905) shot over its $50,000–$80,000 estimate to $126,000, which was the highest auction price for any Tait dog painting in over thirty years.
Not This Trip, Old Pal by Arthur Davenport Fuller rang in at $33,000, more than doubling the world record for the artist at auction.
Other canine paintings also showed considerable strength, including Good and Bad Luck by John Martin Tracy (1843–1893), which sold for $132,000. This whimsical oil of woodcock hunting realized the highest auction price for a Tracy since 2009. A heartfelt painting depicting a soldier and his English setter titled Not This Trip, Old Pal rang in at $33,000, more than doubling the world record for the artist, Arthur Davenport Fuller (1889–1966), at auction. The All-American image appeared in both Hercules Powder Co. advertising and on World War I and II bond posters. “Bob Doochin’s exceptional collection spanned the breadth of American sporting, wildlife, and Western art. His keen eye and diligence in sourcing fine paintings that capture the sporting lifestyle were rewarded by the outstanding results we saw, with buyers snapping up the works with vigor,” writes Copley fine art specialist Leah Tharpe.
As the go-to firm for works by A. B. Frost (1851–1928), Copley bolstered its resume and has now sold the top three paintings by the celebrated American illustrator. In this sale, Bay Snipe Shooting, a highly detailed watercolor of shorebird hunting from the Doochin collection, shot to $120,000—$45,000 more than when it last sold at Copley in 2017.
Frank W. Benson’s Two Duck Hunters rolled to $156,000, one of the top prices ever recorded for the artist’s watercolors.
Copley’s strong track record representing the finest Frank W. Benson (1862–1951) paintings was once again on display, as the two watercolors in this sale soared to impressive heights. The bright and colorful Flying Woodcock reached $96,000, past its estimate of $20,000–$30,000, and Two Duck Hunters rolled to $156,000 on an estimate of $60,000–$90,000, realizing one of the top prices ever achieved for a Benson watercolor. Copley has now sold three of the top four Benson watercolors ever offered at auction.
Lynn Bogue Hunt’s woodcock, titled October Strut, sold for $79,950, above its $10,000–$20,000 estimate.
Among many other notable results from the painting sale, a bright oil by Lynn Bogue Hunt (1878–1960) of a woodcock, titled October Strut, shot to $79,950, well over its $10,000–$20,000 estimate. A fine watercolor of three hunting dogs by Edmund Osthaus (1858–1928) landed above its $30,000–$50,000 estimate at $78,000, a portrait of a black lab in action, titled Marsh Dog, by Eldridge Hardie (1940–2021) sold for $20,910, outstripping its $3,000–$5,000 estimate, and a small Roland Clark (1874–1957) oil on celluloid work of a flying woodcock went for $13,530, more than ten times its $1,200 high estimate. A watercolor titled Leaping Brook Trout by William Schaldach (1896–1952) leapt to $8,400, setting a new record for a fish painting by the artist.
Ralph Cahoon’s painting titled Brant Point Mermaids reached $51,000, above its $20,000–$30,000 estimate.
Nantucket Works
Historical Nantucket works continue to garner national attention, with a painting titled Brant Point Mermaids by Ralph Cahoon (1910–1982) reaching $51,000, well above its $20,000–$30,000 estimate. This trend extended into decoys, with two Nantucket golden plover hailing from the Henry Bishop Collection each more than doubling their high estimates—the Webster selling for $39,000 and the Folger reaching $33,000.
The Webster golden plover from Nantucket, originally out of the Donal C. O’Brien Jr. and Henry Bishop Collections, more than doubled its high estimate—selling for $39,000.
Another golden plover decoy from the Folger family went over its high estimate, landing at $28,800. “I spent much of my summer youth fishing on Nantucket. Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks were spent duck hunting and thus I have a tremendous affinity for anything island related. I used to fish Brant Point at night and hunted many of the places the Folgers and Websters shot, so to see these works receive attention is especially gratifying,” writes O’Brien.
Decoys and Carvings
Stephen O’Brien Jr. Fine Arts and Copley have long been the top sellers of works by the “Father of American Bird Carving.” This auction was no different with exceptional carvings by A. Elmer Crowell (1862–1952) opening the sale with a bang. A miniature preening Canada goose recently discovered locked away in an old lighthouse keeper’s home in Chatham, Massachusetts, soared to over $19,500, more than doubling its high estimate. A decorative golden plover achieved $93,000, more than doubling its $40,000 high estimate. The kingfisher with a perch climbed to $45,000, more than doubling its average estimate, and a blue-winged teal pair splashed down at $75,000, tripling their average estimate. Copley decoy specialist Colin McNair explains, “We specialize in works by Elmer Crowell for a very good reason. Many, myself included, consider Elmer Crowell to be the most influential and important decoy maker of all time. His work began garnering attention 125 years ago and the demand has never stopped. Crowell’s preeminence among decoy collecting circles speaks volumes—twenty-two out of the top fifty decoys ever sold at auction are by Crowell. To put this in perspective, the next closest makers are Lothrop Holmes, the unknown dovetail goose maker, and the Mason Decoy Factory, each with three results among the top fifty.”
The Shang Wheeler preening black duck reached $84,000, exceeding its $30,000–$50,000 estimate.
Important works by another famous carver, Connecticut’s highly vaunted Charles “Shang” Wheeler (1872–1949), were claimed by top collectors. A preening black duck reached $84,000, above its $30,000–$50,000 estimate. This particular black duck was notable for itsPerdew arching head with flowing lines and negative space, as most of the maker’s preeners display low-lying, tucked-head, or sleeping postures.
A recently discovered, coiled, seven-foot-long wooden rattlesnake by Shang Wheeler saw bidding from across North America before it struck $51,000, easily winding past its $12,000–$18,000 estimate.
Copley also introduced the collecting world to yet another chapter of “Shang’s” fame, that of a rattlesnake whisperer. His recently discovered, coiled, seven-foot-long, wooden rattlesnake saw bidding from across North America before it struck $51,000, easily cresting its $12,000–$18,000 estimate.
The Masterworks preening pintail hen decoy by Charles and Edna Perdew, one of only two known est. $40,000–$60,000, achieved $66,000, above its high estimate.
The Masterworks preening pintail hen decoy by Charles and Edna Perdew, one of only two known, achieved $66,000, above its high estimate, reflecting the steady demand for top Illinois River works. Peoria’s Bert Graves (1880–1956) was well represented, with a preening mallard hen landing squarely within estimate at $30,000, and the Masterworks Graves teal pair surpassing its high estimate to reach $19,200.
The Robert Metcalf Collection garnered strong interest with intense bidding for the Charles H. Perdew call, which climbed to $9,225, more than doubling its $3,500 high estimate.
Session I of duck calls from the Robert Metcalf Collection garnered strong interest with intense bidding for the Charles H. Perdew (1874–1963) call, which climbed to $9,225, more than doubling its $3,500 high estimate. A call by James T. Beckhart (1864–1922) achieved $9,840, landing squarely within estimate.
Mark McNair’s swan commanded $60,000, doubling its high estimate and setting a new world record for the maker. McNair’s popularity among top collectors continues to grow, this marked the fifth auction in a row that the maker’s work has achieved a new height.
The firm’s contemporary carvings once again delivered dynamic results and multiple breakout performances. Mark McNair’s swan commanded $60,000, doubling its high estimate and setting what is believed to be a world record for a decoy by any living carver. A broad pool of Copley’s new and veteran bidders have now set records for McNair carvings in the firm’s five most recent cataloged auctions.
A rare preening ruddy duck by Jim Schmiedlin did not escape collectors’ attention, landing at $39,000 against a $4,000–$5,000 estimate.
Carvings by Jim Schmiedlin (1945–2015) continue to be collectors’ favorites. In this sale, a Canada goose realized $51,000, leaning into its $50,000–$70,000 estimate. This approached the $60,000 Schmiedlin world record set by Copley in the Winter Sale 2021 for a closely related goose. A rare preening ruddy duck by the maker did not escape collector’s attention, landing at $39,000 against a $4,000–$5,000 estimate.
Mike Borrett’s fun and innovative carvings continued skyward with his trophy tarpon carving est. $3,000–$5,000 leaping to $21,600, over its $3,000–$5,000 estimate and establishing a new world record for the artist.
Mike Borrett’s fun and innovative carvings continued skyward with his trophy tarpon carving leaping to $21,600, well over its $3,000–$5,000 estimate, and establishing a new world record for the artist. The inventive and popular works by Frank Finney continued their march as the “Training Cats” mechanical box bested its $15,000–$20,000 estimate and realized $43,050 after sustained bidding. Finney’s beaver mechanical bank game nearly doubled its $15,000 high estimate, ringing in at $28,290.
Cameron McIntyre’s pintail decoy brought $10,500, while his hanging black duck and gadwall achieved $15,990, both outflanking their $5,000–$8,000 estimates, reflecting continued momentum for contemporary interpretations of classic waterfowl forms. Oliver “Tuts” Lawson’s gadwall pair launched above its $14,000–$18,000 estimate to $21,600, a record for his waterfowl carvings.
Flags, Canoes, and Fishing Collectibles
Copley continues to be a top seller of fishing collectibles and artwork. One year ago, the firm set the world record for any fishing rod at auction when Ernest Hemingway’s Bimini King sold for $57,000. Six months later, the company sold Lynn Bogue Hunt’s painting of Hemingway’s boat, Pilar, with a leaping marlin in the foreground for $126,000. In this auction, it was Ernest Hemingway’s marlin flag flown atop Pilar that sparked major interest. Bidding surpassed the high estimate before the auction even began, with the pennant eventually rising to $209,100 and establishing one of the top prices ever achieved for a Hemingway collectible. After the auction O’Brien relayed, “Imagine the stories it could tell! With Pilar essentially locked up in a museum in Cuba, this vestige of Hemingway’s beloved boat represents one of the most iconic American fishing artifacts known to exist.”
The iconic Old Town Salesman Sample Canoe quadrupled its previous auction result, selling for $123,000, a new world record for any canoe model.
Another noteworthy result was the early, orange-colored Old Town Salesman Sample Canoe. One of the finest canoe models known, the iconic piece quadrupled its previous auction result, selling for $123,000. Not only did it soar past its estimate of $18,000–$24,000, this canoe more than doubled the previous world-record price for any model canoe. The top fishing reel in the auction was the Hardy “Alma” reel owned by Zane Grey, which brought $18,000.
Other fishing collectibles in this sale included carvings by Ira Hudson, Mike Borrett, Colin McNair, and Ellen McCaleb. Fishing paintings by top artists, such as Mike Stidham, Brett James Smith, Chet Reneson, Luke Frazier, Mark Susinno, and William Schaldach, all showed active bidding.
Bronzes
Walter Matia’s life-size Southern Pines Pointer sold for $24,600, and his 2026 Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Artist of the Year bronze, A River Runs Through It, sold above its estimate for $11,070. 50% of the proceeds from this sale go towards BTT’s efforts to study and conserve bonefish, tarpon, and permit. A charming little elephant by French animalier artist Antoine-Louis Barye (1795–1875) brought $2,460 on an $800–$1,200 estimate.
Prints
Works on paper also saw strong demand, including etchings by classic sporting artists. Schaldach’s small, sweet, detailed Grouse Head brought $1,722, and two of Aiden Ripley’s etchings sold for $2,583: Woodcock Shooting and Point on Quail. Frank Benson’s Pintails Passing landed at $3,075, and Roland Clark’s Green Wing brought $1,353. “These prints represent good value and are a great way for collectors to own works by the biggest names in American sporting art,” reflects Tharpe.
Copley provided the convenience of online bidding through the sporting art industry’s first app, Copley Live, as well as Bidsquare and Live Auctioneers. All prices include a 20% buyer’s premium and an additional 3% or 5% for online purchases. All record painting prices cite AskArt.com.
Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC is currently accepting consignments for their Sporting Sale in July 2026. Consignments will be accepted until April 15 or until full. “If you have any art or collectibles that are duck, quail, pheasant, fish, bear, moose, or elk related, reach out to one of our specialists today. We have noticed a surge of clients looking for the best of the best!” O’Brien notes. For a free confidential auction estimate, call 617.536.0030 or email info@copleyart.com.