Crowell decoys topped Copley’s record-setting $3 million sale. Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC, the nation’s premier decoy and sporting art auction house, realized more than $3 million at its Sporting Sale 2019 on July 25 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The auction, which consisted of 547 lots, was a solid 88 percent sold. The top three decoy lots were the Harmon “Dust Jacket” Plover Trio by A. Elmer Crowell of East Harwich, Massachusetts. The trio brought a combined $1.14 million.
The turned-head plover sold for $396,000; the feeding model reached $420,000 and the final plover soared past its $180/240,000 estimate to land at $324,000.
The decoys were offered in association with Ted and Judy Harmon’s Decoys Unlimited, Inc. The auction results further demonstrated that Crowell’s “dust jacket” plover, and his feeding model in particular, are among the most sought-after carvings in the decoy world. Attesting to their popularity, 11 of the top 100 decoys ever sold at auction have been Crowell “dust jacket” style plovers, with the maker landing 30 of the top 100 spots.
Copley’s well-known recipe for achieving record results: single-owner collections, conservative estimates and fresh-to-market quality, drove the auction’s total to the highest level realized for any decoy and sporting art sale this year. The 479 sold lots averaged more than $6,300 each. During the past decade, Copley’s emphasis on quality has helped place more birds on this list than the rest of the field combined. Copley provided the convenience of online bidding through Bidsquare, as well as the sporting art industry’s first app, Copley Live. A full list of official prices realized from the sale is available at copleyart.com.
Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC, is now preparing for its Winter Sale 2020, which returns to Charleston, South Carolina on February 14-15. The auction will once again be held in conjunction with the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, which regularly sees more than 40,000 participants every year.
Sporting Classics is currently working with Lloyd Newberry on a book covering some of the most spectacular decoy collections and their carvers. It will be a must-have book for anyone who appreciates the combination of craftsmanship and art.
