I love old duck decoys and I'm captivated by their history and uniqueness. I was amazed when I read the following story....

On January 23, 2000, bidders flocked to Sotheby’s in New York City to compete at the auction of the finest private collection of North American waterfowl decoys in the world. In a standing-room-only salesroom, hundreds of passionate collectors witnessed the sale of the distinguished collection of Dr. James M. McCleery, which became the world’s highest-grossing auction of decoys with a staggering total of $10,965,935. The two-day event set a world record for the most expensive decoy ever sold at auction when a sleeping Canada goose by renowned carver Elmer Crowell of East Harwich, Massachusetts, c. 1917, went for a staggering $684,500. Other highlights of the auction included a long-billed curlew by William Bowman that sold for $464,500, a wood duck drake by the Mason Decoy Factory that fetched $354,500, and a ruddy turnstone by Lothrop Holmes of Kingston, Massachusetts, that sold for the stunning price of $470,000. ~ http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/bird-hunting/fun-facts-about-duck-decoys/

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