Gale Family Original paint BlackBellied Plover. Thee were a few different Gales who carved but most of the shore birds look similiar and their paint pattern is very reconizable. As with many Gales it is large , about 11 inches,  with a great super dry paint that  I believe is all original. Nothing fancy but practical and sturdy. You can see the wear on the decoy which was probably made around 1910 the bill may not be original but in a shorebird it is not that important. The Gales were from the Tuckerton area of South Jersey and Brigantine Island near Atlantic City. According to Jimmie Gale in Brigantine they were larely baymen and market hunters. A great Jersey Shorebird for a reasonable price.

$600.00

A Beiber original Preening Yellowleg in great condition. Branded by a known maker with has a great look and nice old finish

$250.00

I think this a Wildfowler copy of a Mason Curlew perhaps Saybrook. It is devoid of paint but you can see where the old paint had been applied. The patina on it is the nicest I have seen of any old bird. It features an iron bill with glass eyes and just a dynamite finish.The body is 12 inches long and 9 inches high a great piece of folk art.

$825.00

David Ward Essex Conn. Ward's carvings are fast becoming the hottest items available today and his shorebirds are outstanding. This Eskimo Curlew is magnificent, in total original paint with a great look and finish that is super appealing. It is a larger bird, about 13" from tip of the tail to the tip of the bill.Raised  wing carving and tail feathers and the hollowness set this apart.You won't find one any better, Ward is the grandson of Ted Mulligan founder of Wildfowler decoys and has just began a limiting carving schedule.

$1275.00

David Ward of Essex Conn. This carving of a Sanderling keeps in the tradition of themagnificent work being turned out   on  a limited basis by an older carver whohas just renewed his career. The Sanderling is hollow and is 8 inches from bill to tail. A wonderful piece in mint original paint

$875.00

Here is a magnificent pair matched of sanderlings from Mass. coast /Cape Cod  in total original paint.They are in super condition and especially hard to find in matched pairs like this actually super difficult. The bills are original and if you look on page 42 of Mackeys book you will find a yellowleg by this same maker. I am sure they can be id'd but they are unknown to me . This is the first tme I have tried to sell them and they would be a focal paint of any collection a terrific pair of shorebirds.

$7500.00 for the pair

Reggie Birch Chincoteague Va Reggie is found in Loy Harrells book on 60 best Contemporary Carvers. This great bird is finished in Reggie's archaic finish which is hgighly sought after by collectors. Total original

$350.00

Russ Allen Oceanville New Jersey One of the best folk artists in the state today. A dynamic small shorebird probably lesser yellowleg with an unbelievable old finish. About 8 inches and just great and also very rare. Russ doesn't get a chance to carve as much as he would like since he is a full time restorer.

$325.00

A super Black Belied Plover by a member of the Leeds Family from Leeds Point NJ. It is in terrific condition and original paint. The Leeds family is very large and includes carvers like Dan Lake Leeds, Neely Leeds Jeriamiah Leeds and others. Some people would call this a Golden Plover but they were rare in Jersey so it is most likely a Black Belied in full plumage. It is a large bird about 10 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. I feel the bill has been replaced a long time ago although it could be original  and as many Jersey plovers is "blind", no eyes.  A great shorebird at a very affordable price.

$1500.00

Harry Vinuckson Shourds 1861-1920 the master of New Jersey Decoys. Here are a Greater Yellowlegs (10 1/2inches)and a Lesser Yellowlegs (9 1/2 inches) in total original paint. Shourds decoys are the most sought after Jersey shorebirds and to find them in original paint is a super rarity. The bottom bird a Greater Yellowlegs, is an exceptional decoy with a great  patina ,original bill no flaws whatso ever except for the very appealing crackling on the breast. To add to the provenance is the fact it came from the collection of Joe French and has his name written in black lite pen on the breast. One of the finest Yell owlegs I have seen. The Lesser Yellowlegs on top is also a great example of a Shourds. It too is in original paint but has a coating of shellac or varnish on top to preserve it. The bill is also originial  with some small wear on the tail  and the bird shows more usage in the field. Both birds were probably made 1890-1910 and are the finest kind of folk art don't miss out on these wonderfull and rare decoys.

Lesser Yellowlegs $4000.00   Greater Yellowlegs  $7000.00 An H V Shourd's Robin Snipe just sold at Jon Frank's auction for 12,000.00 this good Yellowleg is a bargain

George Strunk  Glendora NJ. One of Strunks rarest carvings, a shorebird This is a super Lesser Yellowleg  with wonderful feather paint with a raised carved tail and chip carved base with George's signature. The back of this bird has some of the nicest feathering done by anyone I have ever seen. Strunk carvings are very hard to get and these shorebirds are among the toughest. A great piece

$800.00

A wonderful Joe King, Parkertown NJ, Black Bellied Plover in winter plumage. This bird has been hunted hard but still is in good structural conditon. The gray winter plumage paint is there with some origianl showing but is worn well which is to be expected since King died in 1913 and this bird was made in the 1880's (by the fatter style) The bill looks to be

the original one, if not it was done long ago and I can't tell. Its a great nice fat plover aprx 3 inches and 9 inches from tail to the bill tip. A great decoy priced modestly

$2400.00

Fabulous matching pair of Shorebirds by an unknown carver from the Longport area of New Jersey. They are in dry original paint with one of the bills orignal and the other an old replacement.  These birds are new to the market and have not been fooled with at all except for the old bill replacement. There have been a few of these Longport Birds sold at Guyette and Schmidt but I feel these are better birds. Great Shorebirds are hard to get today.

$3900.00  for the pair

Here is a wonderful old John Horn New Gretna Greater Yellowleg  made around 1900 in great original paint.It is about 10 inches long with a warm mellow patina. There is a slight age crack on the other sideabout 2 inches long which were found on most of Horns birds and it does not detract at all. The Bill is splined and may or may not be original its tought to tell for me but if not it was done a long time ago. A great buy by a recogized maker who has had a Turnstone sell for over 10,000.00

$925.00

A trio of Hurley Conklin shorebirds prebrand. They are all original and in super condition and rare since he antiqued these  which was unusal. The are all mounted on one board You can buy them for$250.00 apiece or $600.00 for all three.

This is a wonderfull Cape Cod plover. A super carving very diminutive and possesses a great old finish. I don't know the name of the maker but it is very Crowell looking. Judging from the paint it appears to be from the 40's a great piece

$625.00

Bil Harris Brigantine N J  circa 1910 A true Brigantine "Bullhead" Plover. Harris was the most proflific of the plover makers from the Absecon area and his birds are very distinctive especially  this one with the step tail I think the bill is original and the black was over done as were many, white is original and the bird is10 1/2 ' long and has a light old coat of shellac over it.   A  nice shorebird for the money

$2450.00

This is one of the neatest shorebirds I have offered for sale. It appears in Sommers Headley's book (upper right hand picture) as a Ruddy Turnstone from Crisfield done by the Dize family. Turnstones from Maryland are rare and to get one pictured in the book is very hard to find. The Dize family were Oyster dealers I have a trade card that comes with the decoy . A great finish and a very plump bird with the original bill and paint. This is the only working turnstone I have seen from the Eastern shore a headline bird in any collection. More pics on request

$6500.00

Crisfield Maryland Curlew, vintage in the 30's which recently surfaced from a old house in Beach Haven New Jerseyalong with some Rollie Horner, Harry Mitchell Shourds and Llloyd Parker decoys all very nice.   It was probably carved by Pied Jones, a black oysterman from Crisfield, whose father made decoys very closely resembling Lloyd Tylers. This is the nicest curlew I have seen from Crisfield including Tylers (maybe not Wards) but it is in dry old scratch paint  and is in total original condition.  There is a very light coating of shellac only on the breast. It is aprx a foot long and is just a great piece of folk art, one of the nicest to come along for awhile.

$1350.00

One of the so called Longport birds noted in Fleckenstein's book on Shorebirds. Some of these have been sold recently in Guyette and Schmidt 's auctions and have brought a considerable amount (more than this price). The bird is in original paint and done very nicely , it appears to be an old replacment bill. The decoy is about 10 1/2 inches long and features hat pin eyes. The paint is nice and dry and flat with a raised tail and features two holes for different stick positions. This is a great N J shorebird espcially for the money don't miss this one.

$2850.00

Another John Horn New Gretna Shorebird  about 8 inches long, maybe a lesser Yellowleg or Robin Snipe in Winter plumage. It has a grooved eye and is in worn but original paint. The bill looks as if it is replaced but it fits nicely. A great Jersy shorebird made around 1900

$575.00

Here are a trio of yellowlegs  made by an unknown maker from the Longport area of New Jersey. They are all in original paint and in wonderful condition especially for being around 100 years old. The middle bird must have been carved at a later date or for some sort of primitive competion between carvers since it shows a little more sanding and sleekness. This area of the Jersey coast(just south of Atlantic City) has been the home of some of the nicest shorebird carvings to emerge from Jersey. I have seen 3 or 4 more of thse birds by the same carver and they are all the same paint and style.

Enjoy thse birds

$2000.00     for all three and the heavy steel stand made for them