Easton, Maryland – Held at the Country School on Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12, the St. Michaels auction company, Guyette and Deeter held their fifth and final major auction of the year. The event totaled $2.35 million in sales with 61 items bringing $10,000 or more.

The top two items of the auction were made by Crisfield, Maryland's favorite sons, Lem and Steve Ward. A rare and outstanding pintail hen at $84,000 and a sleeping mallard drake at $72,000. The mallard was made for the National Sportsman's Decoy Contest in 1948, where it won first prize and put the carving duo on the map.

An excellent selection of decoys from Havre de Grace, Maryland were offered, including an important, high-head model canvasback hen by Charles Nelson Barnard at $33,600 and its mate at $9,600. When early carvers made a rig of decoys for use, the number of drakes created outnumbered the hens by 4 or 5 to 1, making the hens harder to find and more valuable to collectors.

The sale also featured a quality selection of sporting art for collectors. "Duck Shooting: Chesapeake Bay," a large oil on canvas by James Brade Sword (1839-1915) sold for $37,200 and an oil on canvas by Edmund Henry Osthaus (1858-1928) of two English setters sold for $39,000.

The auction caps off a record year for the local company, who added two major Fine Sporting Arms sales to their 2023 schedule. With three auctions in Talbot County, two out-of-state auctions, and online-only sales held every week, the company saw a 50% increase in revenue over 2022.

The future looks bright for 2024 as well, as the company will be offering the important decoy collection of Alan and Elaine Haid in the April and July auctions. Starting their collection in 1967 the Haid's were staples at decoy collectors shows and auctions around the country. Many of the decoys from the Haid collection are extremely rare, with many being the only known examples of their kind.

Guyette & Deeter's next sale is their winter fine sporting arms sale that will be held February 10 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland.