On July 10 and 11, Copley Fine Art Auctions held its 20th-annual Sporting Sale. Consisting of 637 lots, the sale surpassed its $2.6 million high estimate, achieved a 95% sell-through rate, and once again set many new world records. Categories represented in the sale were paintings, prints, folk art, American antique and contemporary decoys, decorative carvings, bronze sculpture, and fishing collectibles. Bidders participated via phone, absentee bids, Copley Live, and two other online platforms, Bidsquare and Live Auctioneers.
If you had asked Copley owner Stephen O’Brien Jr. what his expectations were leading up to the firm’s July 10th and 11th auction, his answer would have been measured: “To be perfectly honest, we didn’t really have the biggest line-up, but what our team put together was solid and the market more than responded. I can’t remember an auction that fired so well on all cylinders, whether it was decoys, paintings, bronzes, fishing related, you name it. Our team does a great job vetting quality objects and these results speak for themselves” O’Brien may even be putting it mildly. On the painting front, world records fell for top sporting artists David Hagerbaumer, William Goadby Lawrence, and James Sessions, along with several other talented, but lesser known, wildlife painters. Carvings also saw records broken for Bob White, Mark McNair, Lloyd Johnson, Phillipe Sirois, Mike Borrett, and Mark Holland and Cindy Lewis. World records also nearly fell for Lynn Bogue Hunt and Frank Finney, who just missed their high-water marks by one or two bids.
Decoys and Decoratives
The top decoy lot was the Purnell-Hudson Merganser Pair by Ira Hudson, which landed at $144,000. The Starr Osgood Merganser Hen by Capt. Charles C. Osgood was the second highest, selling for $78,000.
In the sale, discoveries from the Lawrence A. Carton Jr. Collection garnered a good deal of attention. Bidders enthusiastically vied for the Mackey-Carton Cobb Goose, carrying the important Virginia work to $80,400. Carvings from the Jeff and Joyce Hay Collection also created a buzz, with all but one of the 101 lots finding buyers. The top lot of the collection, the “Ohio Decoys” Mallard, shot past its $6/10,000 estimate before settling at $12,600.
Contemporary carvers’ best works were on display and the market spoke, with the Stavis “High-Tri” Merganser Pair by Mark McNair achieving more than five times its high estimate when it reached $45,600, setting a new world record for the maker. Frank Finney carvings continued to be in high demand with the maker’s Life After Death Woodpecker Tree Mechanical Bank more than doubling its $25,000 low estimate when it reached $58,425. Works by Robert “Bob” White also continued to attract bidders; an early black duck by the Tullytown, PA, maker achieved $19,200, more than doubling its $7,000 high estimate and establishing a new world record. Likewise, a gadwall by Jim Schmiedlin shot over its high estimate on its way to $8,400. Mark Holland and Cindy Lewis’ pair of life-size kestrels spread their wings and flew to $4,500, believed to be a new high for the two artists’ work at auction.
“Contemporary decoys and carvings continue their run of becoming an important part of the broader decoy collecting field, with records continuing to fall for the top makers of the last half century,“ notes Copley Decoy Specialist Colin McNair. “As a group, they are generally in very good condition, typically more affordable, and collectors can form bonds with these living artists.”
The Mackey Johnson Wood Duck Pair by Lloyd Johnson shot above its $6,500 high estimate, alighting at $11,400, a world record for the maker. Kinney & Harlow’s Duck-Head Call climbed to $9,225, the top price for the category
Paintings were led by exceptional sporting art. The Lynn Bogue Hunt oil entitled The “Pilar” Fights a Blue Marlin Off Cuba North Coast, Ernest Hemingway came within $500 of setting a new world record when it launched to $126,000, more than five times its low estimate. The firm has now sold this artist’s top two works.
Copley has continued to lead the way as a top seller of Frank W. Benson’s art with Flying Grouse; the watercolor hammered just shy of doubling its high estimate at $49,200. The top Benson etching was Woodcock, which jumped to $3,600. Le Cran Serré – Moisie River by Ogden Pleissner found success; the vivid watercolor, depicting fly fishing for Atlantic salmon at one of the most famous pools on the renowned Moisie River, crested its high estimate on its way to $72,000. An oil on canvas by Massachusetts painter George Browne, titled Pasture Edging – Ruffed Grouse, brought $30,750, jumping its $24,000 high estimate.
Other wildlife art included perennial Copley favorite Ewoud deGroot’s swan, which shot through its $8/12,000 estimate on its way to $30,000. Additionally, David Hagerbaumer’s watercolor of a covey of flushing quail raced to $18,450 on a $5/10,000 estimate, a new high-water mark for the artist, continuing Copley’s unmatched record in offering choice works by David Hagerbaumer.
Deuces are Wild, a bronze of two turkeys, by renowned sculptor Walter Matia achieved $16,800 and his doves entitled Peace Be With You climbed to $6,600.
Discerning collectors of fishing art showed up in force at this year’s Sporting Sale. In addition to the top Hunt work which leapt over its high estimate to $126,000, a fly fishing watercolor by James Sessions achieved $10,800, more than doubling its high estimate and setting a new record for the artist. Southern fishing paintings continued to perform well for two master fish artists: William Goadby Lawrence’s oil shot to $25,200, setting a new world record for the artist. Interestingly, the subject of the oil, the Atlantic sailfish, holds the record for the highest speed of any marine animal. Mike Stidham’s oil of bonefish on the flats reached $9,600, and his oil depicting permit proved less elusive than the real fish, landing at $9,000.
Copley once again performed well with canes and gunning collectibles. A lot of two upland bird canes captivated collectors and surged past the $500 high estimate to land at $4,500. The top shellbox, manufactured by the Austin Cartridge Co. (1895-1907), blasted to $3,600, far above its $6/900 estimate.
Copley continues to be the undisputed leader in the sporting art market. In this sale William Goadby Lawrence and James Sessions were added to its growing stable of artists for whom the firm has set world records. This list now includes Ogden Pleissner, Aiden Lassell Ripley, A. B. Frost, Edmund Osthaus, Francis Lee Jaques, David Hagerbaumer, Lynn Bogue Hunt, G. Muss-Arnolt, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and William Goadby Lawrence, as well as modern masters Thomas Aquinas Daly, Mike Stidham, Chet Reneson, and Ewoud de Groot, among others.
Copley Fine Art Specialist Leah Tharpe reports, “We saw strong demand across almost all segments of sporting art, with active bidding driving sale prices of many works well above their estimates. Our results are truly a reflection of the current market for wildlife paintings and sculpture.”
Fishing
Copley continues to be a major player in the fishing collectibles market; in addition to the Hunt marlin, a H. M. Royal Fin-Nor 15/0 reel rang in at $17,220. The top fish decoy lot was a double-gilled example by Oscar Peterson, which reached $11,070. A rare mahi-mahi carving by Mike Borrett performed well, clearing its high estimate, reaching $3,900, and setting a new world record for a fish by the artist. A large brook trout by Phillippe Sirois (1892-1979) not only leapt over the high estimate to $12,300, but also set a new record for the artist, another sign that demand for fishing collectibles remains strong. Two swordfish bill swords climbed to $2,250, likely a high-water mark for this artform.
The top fish decoy was a Very Rare Large Bass by Oscar W. Peterson (1887-1951), $11,070.
“This past winter, Copley set the world records with Ernest Hemingway’s Bimini King rod and Zane Grey’s J. A. Coxe reel. Our recent success with H. M. Royal’s Fin-Nor reel, the Sirois brook trout, the Oscar Peterson bass, the Seth Wyman Steward canoe paddles, and many of our fishing paintings demonstrates that Copley is the go-to place to sell top-of-the-line fishing collectibles,” reports Copley Fishing Tackle and Watch Specialist Ben Davenport.
“In my thirty years in the Sporting art field, I have never seen more interest. The number of new buyers coming in is rather staggering. At one point there were so many bids coming in that our pace slowed to less than thirty lots an hour and people were complaining. Having to slow down to accommodate an unprecedented number of bidders is an auction firm’s and consignors’ dream. Complaints like that, I can live with,” sums up Copley owner Stephen O’Brien Jr.
Robert “Bob” White, Early Black Duck, $19,200, new world record for the carver.
Copley continues to separate itself from the rest of the field by offering buyers and sellers peace of mind through its free and accurate database and verified prices on all of its online platforms, including Copley Live, Bidsquare, Live Auctioneers, and AskArt.com.
In this sale, Copley provided the convenience of phone, absentee, and online bidding. A full list of prices realized from Copley’s Sporting Sale 2025 is available on www.copleyart.com. All prices include a 20% buyer’s premium and an additional 3% for Copley Live and Bidsquare and 5% for Live Auctioneers. All record prices cite AskArt.com, Decoy Magazine, or TackleFind.
Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC is currently accepting consignments for its upcoming auctions. For a free confidential auction estimate, call Decoy Specialist Colin S. McNair, Fine Art Specialist Leah Tharpe, and Copley Fishing Tackle and Watch Specialist Ben Davenport at 617.536.0030 or email info@copleyart.com.
William Goadby Lawrence (1913-2002), Leaping Sailfish, oil on canvas, 20 by 24 in., $25,200, new world record for the artist.
Augustus “Gus” Aaron Wilson (1864-1950), The McCleery Wilson Scoter, approached its hgh estimate, landing at $45,000.
Frank Finney, Life After Death, Woodpecker Tree Mechanical Bank, $58,425.
Lloyd Johnson (1910-1965),The Mackey Johnson Wood Duck Pair, $11,400, new world record for the maker.
The top Ohio decoy out of the Jeff and Joyce Hay Collection was The “Ohio Decoys” Mallard, $12,600.
The top duck call was the Kinney & Harlow at $9,225.