Antique Duck Decoy Values: Working Decoys, Factory Makers, and Reproductions

Most old duck decoys found at estate sales are mid-century working decoys worth $30–$150. Factory decoys from Mason, Dodge, Stevens, and Wildfowler with original paint can bring several hundred dollars to a few thousand, and decoys by famous carvers sell at specialty auctions for far more. The two biggest factors are who made it and whether the paint is original. Decoys are also a favorite gift for hunters and a staple of cabin and lodge decor, so they sell best from October through mid-December.

Working Decoys vs. Decorative Decoys

A working decoy was made to float in front of a blind and fool real ducks. It has a weighted bottom or keel, often a line tie or staple for an anchor cord, and honest wear: shot marks, worn paint on the head and back, and repairs to the bill. A decorative decoy was made for a shelf. It is often lighter, has crisp paint, no weight, and may have a flat, felt-covered or stamped bottom. Decorative decoys from gift shops and catalogs are by far the most common kind you will find, and they mostly sell as decor.

How to Identify an Old Decoy

Turn it over

The bottom tells you the most. Look for a maker's stamp, a factory paper label, a lead weight, and brands or initials. Hunters burned or carved their names or initials into their decoys (called owner brands or rig brands), and a known brand can add value. A modern country-of-origin sticker or a stamped catalog number points to a newer decorative piece.

Look at the eyes and head

• Glass eyes: common on better factory and carver decoys.
• Tack eyes: used on many working decoys and some factory lines.
• Painted eyes: common on simple working decoys and cheaper factory birds.
• Head attachment: most old wooden decoys have a separately carved head doweled or nailed on; check for repairs at the neck.

Know the materials

Wood (cedar, white pine, cork bodies with wood heads) is the traditional material. Papier-mâché factory decoys from the mid-1900s and early plastic decoys from makers such as Carry-Lite are collected too, at lower prices. Canvas-covered and balsa decoys turn up in some regions.

Factory Makers Worth Knowing

• Mason Decoy Factory (Detroit, about 1896–1924): the best-known factory name. Made in several grades, from Premier and Challenge at the top to Detroit and Standard grades.
• Dodge and Stevens: other early factory makers whose decoys are collected.
• Wildfowler Decoys (founded 1939 in Old Saybrook, Connecticut): well-made mid-century factory birds, often stamped on the bottom.
• Herter's: the Minnesota catalog company sold wood, cork, and later plastic decoys for decades.
• Victor (Animal Trap Company): wooden and papier-mâché decoys sold in large numbers.
• Carry-Lite and other plastic makers: mid-century and later plastic working decoys.

Regional carvers such as the Ward brothers of Crisfield, Maryland, Elmer Crowell of Cape Cod, and many Illinois River, Chesapeake, and Delaware River makers are a separate, expert-driven market. A Crowell pair famously sold for more than $1 million apiece in 2007. If a decoy might be by a known carver, get it in front of a specialist auction house before setting a price.

What Drives the Price

• Original paint: the single biggest factor. A repaint, even a good one, can cut value 50–80% on a collector decoy.
• Species: mallards, bluebills, and black ducks are common. Wood ducks, pintails, mergansers, brant, and shorebirds bring more.
• Maker and grade: a Mason Premier is worth many times a Mason Standard.
• Condition: honest hunting wear is expected; cracks through the body, replaced heads, and broken bills lower value.
• Region: decoys often sell best near where they were made and used.

Provenance helps too. A note, photo, or hunting license that ties a rig of decoys to a particular hunter, club, or marsh gives buyers a story and can lift the price. Keep any paperwork that comes with decoys from an estate, and write down where they came from while the family is still there to ask.

Tagging and Displaying Decoys in a Booth

Most booth shoppers cannot tell a 1950s working decoy from a 1990s catalog piece, so the tag needs to do it for them. Write the type (working or decorative), species, maker if known, approximate decade, and material on every tag: “Working mallard drake, 1950s, cedar body, glass eyes, original paint.” That one line justifies a $95 price next to a $20 gift-shop bird. Show the bottom when it has a brand or factory stamp by setting the decoy on a small stand, and keep the better birds off the floor, where they get kicked and handled.

Duck Decoy Prices (2026 Sold Ranges)

Decorative and modern

• Gift-shop and imported decorative decoys: $10–$35
• Signed contemporary decorative carvings: $40–$250, depending on the carver
• Miniature carved decoys: $15–$60

Working decoys

• Plastic working decoys, older (Carry-Lite and similar): $10–$35
• Papier-mâché factory decoys: $25–$75
• Unknown-maker wooden working decoys, mid-century: $40–$150
• Herter's wooden or cork decoys: $50–$200
• Wildfowler, original paint: $125–$450
• Mason Standard or Detroit grade, original paint: $300–$1,200
• Mason Challenge or Premier grade, original paint: $1,000 and up
• Rig of 6–12 old working decoys, mixed: $200–$800

Related sporting items

• Wooden duck and goose calls, older: $20–$150; collectible makers far higher
• Federal Duck Stamp prints, signed and numbered: $40–$250
• Hunting license buttons and old sporting ammunition boxes: $10–$75+

When and Where Decoys Sell Best

Waterfowl season and the holidays overlap, which makes October through mid-December the strongest stretch for decoys. Buyers fall into two groups: hunters and collectors, who care about maker and paint, and decorators, who want an old-looking bird for a mantel, bookshelf, or cabin. In a booth, group decoys with wooden lures, old creels, enamelware, and plaid wool blankets to build a lodge look that sells gifts. A pair of $45 working decoys on a mantel display will move faster than the same birds on a floor shelf.

Better factory and carver decoys sell to a national audience at sporting auctions and online. Do not mark collector decoys down in December; demand comes back every fall.

Reproductions and Common Mistakes

• Aged reproductions: many decoys are made to look old, with artificial crackle, distressed paint, and fake shot marks. Look for even, overall wear that does not match where a real decoy would rub (the head, back, and tail), saw marks from modern tools, and clean wood under “old” paint.
• Fake factory stamps: Mason and other famous names have been faked. Compare the paint style and carving to known examples, and be cautious of a cheap “Mason” at a flea market.
• Repainting or cleaning: never repaint, varnish, or scrub an old decoy. Dust it and leave the wear.
• Pricing decorative birds like antiques: a catalog decoy from the 1990s is a $20 decoration, even if it looks old.

Not sure if you have a working decoy or a gift-shop bird? Snap a photo with PocketPrice and get a price calibrated to your local buyers. Our primitives and folk art price guide and vintage fishing lure guide cover the rest of the sporting shelf.