Easton, Maryland – On July 24^th & 25^th, Guyette and Deeter of St. Michaels, will hold their annual Summer Decoy and Sporting Art Auction at the Country School on Goldsborough St in Easton. The two-day auction will be preceded by an opening reception viewing party on Thursday, July 23^rd from 5PM – 7PM. All are welcome to come view the important offerings, learn about decoys from one of our specialists, and register to bid, should one choose to participate.

The Summer auction will feature Session II of the Jim and Diane Cook collection. Session I of the Cook collection was sold at Guyette and Deeter’s record breaking $10,000,000 April auction, where two of the Cook’s decoys sold for $1,260,000 and $1,140,000 respectively. The first time in history that a decoy has sold for $1,000,000 or more.

Leading the July offerings are an excellent wood duck and redhead by Elmer Crowell, as well as an important long tail duck by Joseph Lincoln, all estimated to sell between $120,000 and $180,000. After residing in the Cook collection for many decades, decoys from many of North America’s most sought-after carvers will be sold to the highest bidder at the July event.

For local collectors, an outstanding offering of Maryland decoys in different price points will cross the auction block. Many quality decoys by the Ward Brothers and Olive Lawson of Crisfield, Ed Parsons of Oxford, Ed Phillips of Cambridge, as well as many Upper Bay carvers will be offered in the $1,000 – $4,000 range. 

If decoys aren’t your thing, Guyette and Deeter auctions always have a nice selection of folk art, including weathervanes, trade signs, fish plaques, carved walking sticks and other early Americana. Original oil paintings and watercolors can also be found in the firm’s offerings, and the July sale will feature an important and possibly unique rail hunting scene by Ogden Pleissner, one of America’s great sporting artists, with a $30,000 – $50,000 estimate.

The company’s office and gallery in St. Michaels is open to the public and has an ever-changing inventory of items to view. They also offer free appraisals with no obligation to sell. To preview the July offerings at the Guyette and Deeter gallery or to order the July Auction catalog, call the office at 410-745-0485.