Page 10 - september-23

WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay
WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay

by Jessica Kosinski

We are happy to welcome our new writer for “What’s Selling on eBay”: Jessica Kosinski. If her name sounds familiar, it should. Jess has been the writer for the
Journal’s “Antiques Peek” since 2015 and is a freelance writer, blogger, and collector. Check out her blog at https://medium.com/@jkos_writing

$1,074 (Bids 104, Bidders 7) Vintage Blue-Winged Teal Wood Duck $940 (Bids 77, Bidders 23) Antique 15” German Bisque Head Doll
Decoy, Hand Painted, glass eyes. Vintage Blue-Winged Teal Wood Kestner 143 On Jointed Comp Body Adorable! What a wonderful find
Duck Decoy, Hand Painted, glass eyes, 12” long, 6” tall, some damage we have here, the highly sought-after mold 143 by Kestner. Just look at
around the neck – this is actually a Mitchell LaFrance Hen Mallard. that face – so, so, so cute! No hairlines noted in her bisque head (we did
JK: Duck decoys are tools used for light her head to check); look at those darling working brown glass sleep
hunting. They are designed to eyes; open mouth with upper teeth; a dimple in her chin; her sweet head
attract the attention of real birds. is attached to an antique German fully jointed composition doll body;
Hunters can then hunt the birds, all fingers and toes accounted for; noted normal wear noted from aging
usually from what are called duck and usage; noted hands have been repainted; she is dressed as you see in
blinds. Those are concealed areas the pictures.
that give them good vantage points
from which to watch and target the JK: Kestner bisque head dolls are quite popular on eBay lately. Several
birds. Multiple duck decoys by have sold in the last few months for prices ranging from a few hundred
various makers have sold recently dollars to more than $2,000. This doll is just one example.
on eBay for more than $1,000 and Kestner was a German company based in the Waltershausen,
even resulted in bidding wars. Thuringia region. It first began producing dolls in the late 1800s and
The specific decoy auc- continued to do so for more than 90 years. Johann Daniel Kestner ran the
tion above is for a Mitchell company originally, then his grandson, Adolf took it over. After Adolph
LaFrance decoy. He was a died in 1918, the company continued on under new management for two
legendary duck decoy maker more decades. Its doll production was essentially halted by the onset of
based in New Orleans, World War II.
Louisiana (NOLA). His Many different types of dolls were
duck decoys were in high produced by the company over
demand right away due to the years, and as times and materials
his detailed level of crafts- changed, production changed, too. For
manship. The same was true example, many of its earliest dolls had
of fellow NOLA decoy china (porcelain) heads. Although, its
makers Charles “Numa” Joefrau bisque head dolls tend to be among the
and George Fredericks, Jr. most popular among collectors today.
Mitchell LaFrance decoys and Kestner did produce two broad
other wooden decoys were (and categories of bisque dolls. The first type
still are) often preferred by hunters was the bisque head doll – the type that
over plastic and other types of was sold in the auction above. The bisque
decoys. That is primarily because heads were typically placed on what were
wooden decoys sit in the water called composite bodies. Composition was
similarly to real ducks. In other a common name for dolls that were made
words, they sink a little bit rather using composites (blends) of various
than floating directly on the top of components. Often, but not always,
the water. doll makers for all different companies
There is a long tradition of carving duck decoys in Louisiana and many used items like glue and sawdust to make
other areas. For example, in my home state of Massachusetts, there was a composite doll bodies.
famous master carver named Elmer Crowell. He passed away in 1952, but The other type of bisque doll Kestner
his decoys have only increased in popularity. In fact, two sold in 2007 for was known for producing was the
one million dollars each. all-bisque doll. Kestner all-bisque dolls
Crowell’s decoys may come with the highest price tags, but all sorts of have recently sold on eBay for prices
duck decoys are in high demand right now among both collectors wishing ranging widely from $20 to in excess
to display them and hunters who actually use them. That’s what makes of $1,000. Some of the many factors
them interesting. You can find decoys for as little as $20 or so each for use collectors use to determine values that may
in the field. On the other hand, decoys crafted by big names like LaFrance account for that wide price range include
can surpass $1,000 each, easily. Those high-ticket decoys are the ones most rarity, size, general condition, materials/
sought after by serious collectors. composition, and clothing.
If you want to collect decoys, be aware most early decoys are not signed.
Study the people who made them to learn to spot works by certain makers. Jessica Kosinski has been a freelance researcher and writer since 2001. She developed a passion for
For example, some designed their decoys with slightly elongated necks or 1980s pre-1980s TV and films as a kid, and she has never grown out of it. Recently, she turned
other noticeable physical features. Others used specific marks or symbols that passion into a retro TV and film blog. Follow along with her at medium.com/@jkos_writing,
as she dives deep into the characters, actors, quirks, and trivia that brought us some of the greatest
carved into their works instead of actual signatures. films and shows in TV history and also discusses some of the more obscure films and shows most of
us may have forgotten.

8 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles