Vintage hand-made & painted fishing decoy lure, catf (07/14/2009)...

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Vintage hand-made & painted fishing decoy lure, catfish

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Vintage hand-made & painted fishing decoy lure, catfish

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Sold Date: 07/14/2009
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

Everything is right on this vintage ice fishing lure/decoy in original patriotic paint scheme. This early original has nothing to hide; this is why many photos are available. Total length is almost 8 1/2"; heavy gauge metal dorsal fin tips are 4 1/4" apart, making this the widest point. Top fin sticks up just over an inch, and t are 5 sheetmetal fins in all; all is original, as well as the sunken yellow eyes. The six wires would be about 2" each if straightened. One photo shows the original lead plug in the underside for weight. This is the perfect piece for anyone collecting vintage fishing / spearing related items, great for a decorator with a primitive flair, or fabulous for a fan of catfish.

Several decoy pro's were very opinionated about this item. Most recently, Mr. Memories..., suggested that I look into Mikko 'fake' decoys, so I did. Although the shape is somewhat similar to a couple of these "Mikko's", t is no "shine spots" on the recessed areas of this item, no "tumble marks" on the protruding areas, no glue remnants w fin enters wood, and fin rust is dark rather than orange. T are no major chips to "give the illusion of age". Most importantly, these mikko knock-offs reportedly came around in the 1980's; this carving was on a shelf in my garage prior to those 80's. I got it from an old timer decades ago who insisted that another old gent gave it to him as a boy; enough people responded that his story was a fish tale, so I can no longer stand by it. However, even if he had just carved it in his basement the previous evening, it is at least as old as I've had it, and appeared well aged back then. While researching Mikko, I also found that many decoys carved between 1985-2000 are worth hundreds of dollars each. I do not know the craftsman of this piece. Please bid on this decoy for what you see in photos.