Duck Decoys by Modern Carvers

Asian Imports

There are several different style decoys that have been imported into the USA & Canada from China and Tiawan. At this point, I'm only going to show one or two particular groups of imports that are often mislabled as antique or vintage.

In fact, these were produced in Asia on carving duplicators, hand filed and sanded, then handpainted. These were imported by the tens of thousands into the USA & Canada beginning in the late 1970's through the late 1980's.

Many department stores carried these brands including K-Mart, Two Guys, Homco, Grants, Sears & Roebucks, and many assorted gift store chains just to name a few.

All were copied and then mass produced from originals that were acquired in the USA. They are easily identified by the 6 or 7 basic forms, and certain other characteristics. A dead give-away are the similar Oriental style paint schemes, in particular, the triangular shaped wing tip accents. (See examples).

It is common to see several of these Asian imports listed on eBay and other auction sites at any given time (some are described as antique or vintage - so watch out). In my opinion, antique decoys would be made prior to 1940-ish. They come in 3 general sizes, full size, 3/4 size, and miniature. These also have plastic eyes - not glass.

At the time of this writing (8/2007) - the fair market value of any of these style decoys would range between $6.00 and $15.00. I would not advise paying more than $15.00 for one, even in mint condition.

Another similarity is the primary wing tips carving definition with the diamond shaped center relief carving. (See example). Also, these decoys tend to be much narrower than the standard width for a hunting bird, making them very unstable in the water and unsuitable for practical purposes.