Mid-19th Century Solid Cork Loon Decoy w/Wooden Head & Hobnail Eyes

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Seller: signatureitem ✉️ (842) 100%, Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 225778033494 Mid-19th Century Solid Cork Loon Decoy w/Wooden Head & Hobnail Eyes. Up for your consideration is a mid-19th century loon decoy made from real cork with a gauze covering painted black over it to camouflage the cork underneath it, it has a hand fashioned wooden head painted black with a yellow hand-painted beak, and for eyes it has two hobnails hammered into it and hobnails are small nails with round heads on them used mainly, during the 19th-cewntury, for the soles of shoes or boots to keep them from wearing out. Today, loon decoys are scarce as loons are on the endangered species list and cannot be hunted anymore by duck hunters for sport. Most of the remaining loon in the US are located right here in my home state of Minnesota where they are protected from harm. Each lake that spawns' loons in Minnesota and else ware only has two to four families of loons in them and Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. So, you can see why there is such a large number of loons in MN. The loon in this listing is obviously hand made. If you look closely at his head it appears to be hand whittled with a pocket knife, his eyes are hobnails and one of the eyes has a bent hobnail in it as the maker of this marvelous creature didn't have a good aim with his hammer, the head is painted black just like a real loon, the body is made from cork which is found just under the bark of the cork oak tree that grows all over North American including Minnesota too. The body has been wrapped in a tightly knit gauze and then painted over in black matte paint. Cork from the cork oak tree is a semi porous material that has a high buoyancy rate making cork float on the surface of the water as floating decoys attract other loons. This loon decoy is extremely rare for three reasons one the loon can no longer be hunted for sport as it is endangered, two cork is no longer used in the making of duck decoys instead materials like painted plastic and fiber board are used in the making of them, and three duck hunters do not make hand-fashioned decoys either they buy them instead. While researching this piece I found that there are clubs and whole societies that specialize in the collection of decoys at auction sites like Christie's and Sotheby's too. The loon decoy measures approximately.5 1/2" tall X 12" long X 5" wide, and it is in good antique condition showing some wear in front near the bottom and at the tail feathers from constant use. There is some grey painting underneath the decoy that says "WAB USA" and I don't know what these markings mean. Good luck! Any questions? Email me right away! Pleased see my other treasures on my EBAY site by clicking on "SELLER'S OTHER ITEMS." Don't hesitate to make a 'reasonable' offer as my pricing is flexible too.
  • Condition: Used
  • Condition: THIS WODD AND CORK LOON DECOY SHOWS SOME WEAR FROM CONSTANT USE AS IT IS NEARLY 150 YEARS OLD'
  • Brand: Unbranded
  • Game Type: Loon
  • Type: Decoy
  • Color: Multicolor
  • Material: Cork & Wood

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