The annual fall decoy and sporting art auction of Guyette & Deeter, Inc., grossed just under $1.5 million, with 25 lots each bringing more than $10,000. The November sale was held in conjunction with the Easton Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland.
Highlighting the auction was a green-winged teal carved by Elmer Cromwell. This rare decoy, which sold for $138,000, was originally acquired from Cromwell around 1915 by Dr. John Cunningham.
The Cunningham collection of decoys ranks among the three most significant collections of Cromwell’s work; the other two are John C. Phillips and Harry V. Long. All three were close friends of Cromwell, and all had a major impact on Cromwell’s success as a decoy carver and artisan. Cunningham’s collection included some of Cromwell’s earliest and best-painted birds.
Selling at $80,500 was an exceptional Bishop’s-head-style Canada goose by the Ward Brothers. Carved around 1929, the decoy is one of the finest examples of a style that includes a slightly turned and lifted head, as well as exceptional feather painting.
Increased demand for decorative carvings from the 1980s and ’90s continues to have an impact on Guyette & Deeter auctions. This sale featured examples by Tan Brunet, Jett Brunet, Pat Godin, and Dennis Schroeder, all of which brought strong results.
Guyette & Deeter’s guaranteed condition reports, provided for each item, and a trusted reputation for giving sound collecting advice have worked to create a comfortable environment for its clients. Guyette & Deeter’s goal is to provide advice that will encourage buyers to continue collecting into the future.
In 2017 Guyette & Deeter, Inc., continues to lead the decoy auction field, once again selling more decoys and sporting art than any other decoy auction house—a total of $7,094,028 including weekly online auctions.
Guyette & Deeter, Inc., holds four cataloged auctions per year:
- Charleston, South Carolina, in February at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition
- St. Charles, Illinois, in April
- Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in July
- Easton, Maryland, in November
The firm also conducts weekly online auctions at decoysforsale.com. The auction in Charleston, cosponsored by the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, is set for February 17.
Guyette & Deeter provides free appraisals to anyone sending a decoy photo and stamped, self-addressed envelope to:
Guyette & Deeter
PO Box 1170
St. Michaels, MD 21663
For Gary Guyette, email decoys@guyetteanddeeter.com or call (410) 745-0485. For Jon Deeter, email jdeeter@guyetteanddeeter.com or call (440) 610-1768.
Photo: Decorative Canada goose by the Ward Brothers, up for auction at the February 17, 2018, auction in Charleston. (Guyette & Deeter, Inc.)