var itemNumber = window.ItemID ? window.ItemID : -1; function passpara(){return + itemNumber + \'&baseurl=\'+escape((function(){var d = return d })());}
gjoldan Store
function passparaSC(){return \'&baseurl=\'+ escape((function(){var d = return d })()) + RARE EARLY \"SUPERB ORIG PAINT\" c1941 WILDFOWLER \"RARE GOLDENEYE\" Wood Duck Decoy a.imagelink {color:#efe2ae;} a:hover.imagelink {color:#efe2ae;} a:visited.imagelink {color:#000000;} a.imagelink img.saleimage { border: 2px solid #efe2ae; } a:visited.imagelink img.saleimage { border: 2px solid #000000; } Description

EDWARD HENRY \"TED\" MULLIKEN: (6/2/1896 -to- 7/30/1964)

• FOUNDER ~WILDFOWLER DECOY FACTORY 1939-1957; (Old Saybrook, Connecticut)

(above): c1940\'S Ted Mulliken in Sink-Box in Outer Banks, North Carolina! (note: Wildfowler Diver Duck and Canada Goose Decoys)

(above): Ted Mulliken in Later Years with his Wife Carmen!

(above): c1940\'S Pre-WWII, WILDFOWLER FACTORY; Old Saybrook, Connecticut! (note: Thompson Machine Gun Weathervane; During WWII Wildfowler made these Gun Stocks)

RARE, VERY EARLY, SUPERB 100% ORIGINAL CONDITION; c1940-41 WILDFOWLER FACTORY \"SUPERIOR Model\"; \"HEN GOLDENEYE\" Wood Duck Decoy; Old Saybrook Connecticut

• \"One of the Pre-WWII and Earlier Decoys Made at the Original Factory\"
• Exceptional 100% Original Paint & Perfectly Carved in and Located Factory Glass Eyes!!
• Dense Balsa Body & White Birch Hardwood Head!!
• Excellent Factory Original 5/8\" x 1\" Cedar Keel and Original, Very Early Factory Lead Ballast Weight!!

ORIGINAL & EARLY Spindle Cut Inletted Head Shelf, Spindle Cut Bill/Head Separation!!

• Outstanding Stippled and Finely Brushed Feather Detail Paint!!

This is a Perfectly Symmetrically Carved & Painted Vintage Wildfowler \"Old Saybrook\" Factory Gunning Decoy!

• THIS DECOY HAS EXCEPTIONAL BACK, SIDE AND WING DETAIL PAINT including PERFECT SPECULUMS and LONG, SWEEPING PRIMARIES!!!!

THE EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL DRAKE GOLDENEYE RIG-MATE to this HEN is ALSO ON if you are LOOKING FOR AN AWESOME PAIR OF VINTAGE & RARE GUNNING-MATES!!!!

• Both Decoys Measure a Very Large 13-5/8\" long x 6-3/8\" wide x a very stately 7-1/2\" tall and each weighs a rig-manageable 1-lb 12-ozs. That is FANTASTIC & Makes for a PERFECT PAIR!!!

That Makes for an Awesome pair of Very Unique Gunning Decoys that are the Same Size and Weight and From the Same Early decoy factory!! That Makes for a Superb Pair that Have Been Together Since they Were Made and Have Clearly Been in the Protection of Climate and Light-Controlled Collections For Their Entire Existence!!

SHIPPING INCLUDES INSURANCE

This 75+ year old decoy was carved and painted at the original Wildfowler, Inc. Factory in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. This Awesome Hen Goldeneye is in Awesome 100% Original Condition with light in-use rubbing to the edges and scattered, hard-to-see, very tiny dents that are very typical of any balsa bodied birds. This decoy was quite possibly made by company founder Edward \"Ted\" Mulliken and it has a wonderful hand paint Job with awesome feather paint detailing which was not always typical of many of these very early birds. This Hen Goldeneye is one of the earlier Wildfowler decoys made. It has a Very nicely carved in inletted head seat and bill/head separation that were done by lowering spindle bits into position. This very early decoy was undoubtedly carved on the original lathe Mulliken used (it was an old shoe lathe) which was able to carve one body or 2 heads at once, but had some limitations to the shape of these early decoys. The first mass-produced balsa or pine body/white birch head decoys to be verified were made in 1939 for a customer in Kansas. This decoy has a dense balsa body and white birch head which replaced other woods used on heads because of its proven durability and carvability. They lowered router bits with a drill press to create the head shelf which was only available in one height on these earliest decoys. A spindle bit was also used to carve the separation between the bill and head, plus in many cases a nail, which was smooth and nicely carved in. These carved in details were due to the inherent quality and carvability of the white birch they settled on using. This bird was also one of the first decoys to employ a glued dowel to mount the head, which they experimented with in ranges from an inch to through-body (like this decoy) and straight neck sides to hold the glue better and hold the head in place. That is why during this period of Pre-World War II birds, all of the decoys were straight, forward-facing posed heads. By forming the elongated head seat and elongated neck to slide into it perfectly, it prevented swiveling and was Mulliken\'s answer as opposed to finishing nails hit downward through the neck base and into the flat shelf. This decoy is very symmetrical, which is common for lathe formed birds, and the final carving and sanding also gave it precise form. The final finishing touch on these early birds was a clean and somewhat complex, but well blended paint job. Very nice original glass eyes are mounted and carved in perfectly as well as located with precision on the decoy\'s head. This bird is in exceptional 100% original condition for a decoy that looks to have been hunted over for a season or less and it has light edge rubbing and no shot holes.

THE EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL DRAKE GOLDENEYE RIG-MATE to this HEN is ALSO ON if you are LOOKING FOR AN AWESOME PAIR OF VINTAGE & RARE GUNNING-MATES!!!!

Both Decoys Measure a Very Large 13-5/8\" long x 6-3/8\" wide x a very stately 7-1/2\" tall and each weighs a rig-manageable 1-lb 12-ozs. That is FANTASTIC & Makes for a PERFECT PAIR!!!

That Makes for an Awesome pair of Very Unique Gunning Decoys that are the Same Size and Weight and From the Same Early decoy factory!! That Makes for a Superb Pair that Have Been Together Since they Were Made and Have Clearly Been in the Protection of Climate and Light-Controlled Collections For Their Entire Existence!!

This decoy does not have the bottom stamp but that was not uncommon as the earliest birds had none at all or an occasional round \"Saybrook\" stamp. These decoys were available with or without factory keels and lead weights, but this decoy and the mate has both perfectly intact when they were made almost a century ago. This bird is as solid as the day it was made and would make a hard-to-find and unique addition to any collection of famous-maker duck decoys and shorebirds. If you would like additional photos or have any questions feel free to email me. Thanks for looking.

In The Photo Section of this Listing, the First Photo is of this Awesome Hen Goldeneye duck decoy up for sale. The Next 5 photos are of this Hen together with the Superb Drake Rig-Mate that is also on . The Last 16 photos are again of this Hen Goldeneye decoy By Itself!!

(below): The Original Wildfowler factory in Old Saybrook, Connecticut operated from 1939, until it was destroyed by fire on February 3, 1957.



(below): Ted Mulliken (1896-1964), Carving in His Later Years!!



(below): Announcement in the Jan/Feb/Mar 1965 issue of Decoy Collector\'s Guide; Announcing the Passing of Wildfowler founder Ted Mulliken.

(below): The Photos below are of other very early Wildfowler decoys. Some are also from earliest periods with early inletted heads, some with balsa or pine bodies and birch heads!