Original Listing Description

RARE, PRISTINE MINT, SUPERB, 27-YEAR OLD "SIGNED, DATED & HOT BRANDED" ALERT & TURN-HEADED "WELL HOLLOWED" DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER WOOD DUCK DECOY ~AMAZING 100% ORIGINAL PAINT DETAIL DOWN TO INDIVIDUAL FEATHERS, SUPERB CARVING DETAIL & CONDITION TO GUNNING DECOY by MASTER CARVER CHIP ALLSOPP of NEW JERSEY, ALSO ONE of the HOMES to WILDFOWLER ~STUNNING 100% ORIGINAL CONDITION ~BEAUTIFUL MELLOWED & AGED PATINA to the ARTIST OIL PAINT & EVEN RESIN BLEED TO A KNOT ADDS TO ITS AURA & APPEARANCE ~SUPERB CARVING to the HEAD, BILL, TAIL, BODY & HEAD CRESTS ~ORIGINAL RIGGING with WILDFOWLER LIKE KEEL with DRILLED FRONT & REAR LINE-TIES ~SUPERB BILL CARVING & PERFECTLY CARVED IN & LOCATED CORRECT RED GLASS TAXIDERMIST EYES ~DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER DECOYS FROM ANY AREA THIS NICE ARE RARE, SO HERE IS A CHANCE TO OWN AN AMAZING MERGANSER & STUNNING WOOD DUCK DECOY MADE BY ONE OF THE AREAS MOST RENOWNED DECOY CARVERS ~SUPERB DECOY THAT COMES FROM LIGHT & TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED COLLECTIONS! RARE MINT SUPERB HOLLOW MERGANSER ~SIGN & DATED 1997 CHIP ALSOPP Wood Duck Decoy RARE MINT SUPERB HOLLOW MERGANSER ~SIGN & DATED 1997 CHIP ALSOPP Wood Duck Decoy Click images to enlarge Description Captain "CHIP ALLSOPP" (Photos Below): REAL "DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS" in the WILD SO YOU CAN SEE HOW this DRAKE by "CHIP ALLSOPP" DECOY up for auction REPRESENTS the SPECIES VERY REALISTICALLY and is a PERFECTLY CARVED & PAINTED WOOD SPECIMEN of this UNIQUE WATERFOWL SPECIES!! - (photo below): A 1981 Photo from Henry Fleckenstein's Book, "American Factory Decoys" of the Crew that Operated "The Barnegat Bay Decoy Company" .... (LEFT to RIGHT): Art Birdsall, Owner Rick Brown, Tim Forsyth & "CHIP ALLSOPP: "The Barnegat Bay" Decoy Factory! "CAPTAIN" CHIP ALLSOPP Lives in Bay Head, New Jersey Chip has Spent Many Years in Point Pleasant and its Other Towns Such as Point Pleasant Beach, Bay Head & Loveland Town! ? (above photo): This MAP SHOWS "POINT PLEASANT", Where CHIP ALLSOPP & the CREW RAN the The BARNEGAT BAY DECOY COMPANY, The SECOND LOCATION of the "WILDFOWLER FACTORY ........ and WHERE A PLETHORA of OTHER FAMOUS & HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT CARVERS SPENT their LIVES MAKING DECOYS, HUNTING and ESTABLISHING the AREA as ONE of the COUNTRY'S MOST IMPORTANT WATERFOWLING AREAS for CARVING WOODEN BIRDS & GUNNING WILD ONES!? (photo below): "CHIP ALLSOPP" in the "BARNEGAT BAY DECOY COMPANY" Carving Shop. Shown Running the Duplicating Lathe in the Early 1980's: (photo below): After Barnegat Bay Decoy Co. Closed, Chip Allsopp Began Carving on his Own Again in the "Classic Delaware River & New Jersey Coast" Styles, Constructions & Forms that his Decoys Emulate!! (photo below): A Spectacular, Life-Sized, Chip Allsopp "Tundra or Whistling Swan" Signed & Dated 1994 Hollow Wood "Gunning" Decoy: (photo below): A Beautiful & Atypical Puddle Duck, Chip Allsopp "Drake Wood Duck"; Signed & Dated 1994, Hollow Wood "Gunning" Decoy: (photo below): A Very Majestic, Chip Allsopp "Blue Goose"; Hollow Wood "Gunning" Decoy: This Rare, "Pristine", Signed & Dated, Semi-Alert & Turned-Head, 27-Year Old, 1997 "Chip Allsopp" Drake Red-Breasted Merganser Hollow Wood Duck Decoy up for Auction: Chip Allsopp possessed a unique talent for carving at a young age and soon began making decoys to gun over. He Carved Before and After his Involvement with "The Barnegat Bay Decoy Company", and All are Fine Examples of Decoys from the Delaware River and New Jersey Coast Schools of Carving. Chip Allsopp and his Days as an Integral Member of the "Barnegat Bay Decoy Company" Team: In the Late 1970's, Rick Brown Founded "Barnegat Bay Decoys", which operated on the Old Wildfowler Factory site in Point Pleasant, NJ. In the Early 1980's, Barnegat Bay Decoys Achieved National Fame following an article by "Sports Afield" Magazine about the company. Chip Allsopp was Instrumental of the Crew as a Master Carver & Painter at the Company! When Charles Birdsall Sold his "Wildfowler" Decoy Operation at Point Pleasant, New Jersey, All of the Equipment & the Wildfowler Name was Bought by Amel & Karen Massa and Moved it to Babylon, New York. At the Same Time, Rick Brown Bought Charlie Birdsall's Home & Shop, then He Re-Tooled the Shop, and the Result was the Start of "THE BARNEGAT BAY DECOY COMPANY"!! Rick Brown's New Company Began & was Operated and Made Decoys in the Same Tradition as Wildfowler Made Decoys and at Times "Wildfowler" Factory Decoys were Some of the Most Sought After in the World!! (photos below): Art Birdsall, Rick Brown, Tim Forsyth & CHIP ALLSOPP: "The Barnegat Bay" Decoy Factory! (photos below): A Perfect Example of a "Barnegat Bay Decoy Company" Gunning Decoy ....... Stamped with the Company Logo! Newspapers around the United States began Writing Articles about "Rick Brown's Company" as Being the "The Last Decoy Factory" -and- and the "Barnegat Bay Decoy Company" was Soon Inundated with Orders. In 1982, the New Jersey Network (NJN) Shot a Documentary Titled: "In the Barnegat Tradition" which Featured Footage of the Factory, as Well as Interviews with Employees of the Company. Barnegat Bay Decoys had Built a Significant Reputation in the Decoy World .......... and Rick Employed Talented Local Carvers: CHIP ALLSOPP, Art Birdsall & Tim Forsyth. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - -- (photos below): Charlie Birdsall (photo above): Art Birdsall's Famous Uncle, Charlie Birdsall, Owned the Wildfowler Decoy Factory from 1961 to 1977 ..... and Charlie often Visited the Barnegat Bay Decoy Company Shop & Even Sold Some of His Own Decoys While in Town from Florida!! Charlie Birdsall, Art's Uncle, also Often Came to the Shop from his Home in Florida just to Hang Out in the Paint Shop. Lucky visitors were able to Purchase Charlie's Decoys which he Sold from the Trunk of his Car. While the the Barnegat Bay Decoy Company Closed it's Doors More than a Decade Ago, Rick Continues to Hand Carve the Competition Quality Decoys that have Earned him Hundreds of Ribbons for More than a Quarter of a Century. After the Barnegat Bay Decoy Factory Rick Brown Began his Own Carving Career: Chip Allsopp Hand-Carved all of his Own Decoys After The Barnegat Bay Decoy Company, Just Like this Superb Merganser up for auction. Chip Makes his Decoys of Air-Dried Jersey White Cedar, which is Hollowed Out & then Hand-Carved. Like a True Artist, Chip has an Eye for Color & Never Misses a Stroke, allowing Him to Paint and Replicate Intricate Wing & Other Feather Group Patterns. He Usually Signed and Dated his Decoys and his Awesome Decoys are the Result of Hard, Dedicated Work that has Earned Chip the Much Deserved Praise of his Peers and Collectors Alike. (photos below): PICTURES of OUTSTANDING DECOYS by BARNEGAT BAY DECOY COMPANY; RICK BROWN, "CHIP ALLSOPP", ART BIRDSALL & TIM FORSYTH ...... ALL MADE BY THESE HIGHLY REGARDED CARVERS of HOLLOW GUNNING DECOYS!! (photos below): PICTURES of OTHER OUTSTANDING DECOYS by BARNEGAT BAY DECOY COMPANY: AWESOME PAIR of WOOD DUCKS: SUPERB DRAKE BLUE-WINGED TEAL & DRAKE GREEN-WINGED TEAL DUCK DECOYS: This Rare, "Pristine", "Signed & Dated", Alert & Turned-Head, 1997 "CHIP ALLSOPP" Drake Wood Duck up for Auction: (photos below): This MINT & OUTSTANDING "SIGNED & DATED" 27-YEAR-OLD; WELL HOLLOWED ; DRAKE "RED-BREASTED" DECOY up for auction!! This Scarce-Species, Mint & Pristine, Fully-Rigged, "CHIP ALLSOPP" Drake Red-Breasted Merganser Decoy Perfectly Exemplifies his Best Style & Form and Maybe One of the Best Specimens of his Work that You'll Come Across ......... It is Just Gorgeous and Yet Sleek, Long & Wide: (photo below): RARE, 100% ORIGINAL and an AMAZING EXAMPLE of One of "CHIP ALLSOPP'S" RARE SPECIES, the "RED-BREASTED MERGANSER" ...... STUNNING FORM & MAGNIFICENT, PRECISELY PAINTED with "STUNNING VERY FINELY DETAILED, FEATHER-PAINT" ....... SPECTACULAR CARVING; ESPECIALLY the "WIND SWEPT" HEAD with REALISTIC BILL & PERFECT TRIPLE CRESTED MERGANSER HEAD ....... and the ATTACHMENT & TRANSITION WHERE the TWO HOLLOWED BODY HALVES WERE ATTACHED is an "ALMOST INVISIBLE-TO SEE" SEAM!! This DRAKE RED BREASTED MERGANSER'S that was ATTACHED with a SCREW from the INSIDE BEFORE the HALFS were ATTACHED .......... is Also as TIGHTLY ATTACHED to the WELL FORMED NECK SEAT & BODY and is AS CLOSE to INVISIBLE as YOU CAN GET!! (photos below): Just Look at the Stunning & Extremely Detailed Carving and Paint From Pointed Left Angles as Well as From the Opposite Right Angles!! PLUS: This DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER is a "VERY-WELL HOLLOWED" DECOY HAS SOME of the MOST BEAUTIFUL, PRECISE & FINELY FEATHER DETAILED PAINT YOU'LL SEE! (Below Photos): The BOTTOM of this RARE & EXOTIC "CAPTAIN CHIP ALLSOPP" DECOY was OUTFITTED with a PRECISELY CUT & LOCATED WILDFOWLER LIKE KEEL ....... and THIS PERFECT KEEL has ROUNDED ENDS with a FRONT & LEADING LINE-TIE and ONE in the REAR for a STRING or SINGLE TRAILING DECOY!! The BOTTOM of this AMAZING DECOY was "HAND-SIGNED & DATED 1997 ....... and ALSO a DEEPLY, HOT-BRANDED "CHIP"!! + (below photos): The HEAD of this RARE & PRISTINE "ALERT & TURNED HEAD" DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER from SEVERAL ANGLES and YOU CAN SEE the BILL that LOOKS LIKE a LIVE DUCK ........ and the HEAD is PERFECTLY CARVED with a SLEEK POSE that is CRESTED on the BACK of the HEAD with 3 EQUALLY SIZED & SPACED, FEATHER-TUFTS!! REMARKABLE INCISED HEAD/BILL SEPARATION with a PERFECT, LONG & THIN, "MERGANSER" BILL with PERFECT CARVED-IN NOSTRILS & PAINTED-0N MANDIBLES & NAIL is FAULTLESS & LIFE-LIKE ......... and it HAS a PERFECTLY ROUNDED, JUTTING-OUT, LOW TAIL that is PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL, JUST LIKE the ENTIRE DECOY IS!!! The ANATOMICALLY CORRECT BILL is SO REALISTIC it LOOKS ALMOST as LIFE-LIKE as a "STUDY BILL" that CARVERS, TAXIDERMISTS & HISTORIANS USE!! This "One-of-a-Kind" CHIP ALLSOPP "Drake Red-Breasted Merganser" Gunning Decoy has Perfect Balance, is Life-Sized and Weighs & Measures: 16-1/4" long. ..x..5-3/4" wide x. 7" tall ? And Weighs a Very Well Hollowed: ...1-lb. 10-oz. _ THAT is FANTASTIC & MAKES for a PERFECT, LIFE-SIZED "DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER" DECOY!! That Makes for an Awesome & Very Unique Gunning Decoy that are From the Same Man's Hands that was Integral in the Success of the Barnegat Bay Decoy Company!! This Spectacular Merganser Decoy Has Been in the Protection of a Climate and Light Controlled Collection or Collections Since the Day it Left Allsopp's Work Shop!! (Below Photos): This MERGANSER DECOY has the SAME SPECTACULAR SPECIES SPECIFIC FORM, WEIGHT and STYLE as SOME of the POINT PLEASANT WILDFOWLER DECOYS GREATEST DECOYS! INCREDIBLE PAINT GETS DOWN to the INDIVIDUAL FEATHER on MOST of the DECOY with PERFECT BLACK, GRAY & WHITE, BACK, WING, TAIL & SIDE FEATHERS .......... PERFECT "SPECIES & GENDER SPECIFIC CARVED & PAINTED" BILL and HEAD CREST with "STUNNING" FEATHER-BLENDED or CLEAN-EDGED "WET-on-WET and "WET-on-DRY" PAINT ........ and YOU CAN SEE "EVERY SINGLE PAINT BRUSH MARK" on THIS OUTSTANDING & FABULOUS DECOY!!! NOTE this MALE'S AWESOME, PRECISELY CARVED-IN & ACCURATELY LOCATED, "RED" SPECIES & GENDER CORRECT, GLASS TAXIDERMIST EYES!! ? This MINT, RARE and MARVELOUS "CHIP ALLSOPP" DRAKE "RED-BREASTED MERGANSER" DECOY up for auction: ? This DECOY is MINT, PRISTINE CONDITION ...... It DOESN'T HAVE a SINGLE CHIP, NICK, CHECK, DENT, CRACK or RUB of ANY KIND ...... It DOESN'T EVEN HAVE a SINGLE PAINT SMUDGE!!! _ Description of this STUNNING DRAKE "RED-BREASTED MERGANSER or FISH DUCK" DECOY Up For Auction: MINT, RARE, SPECTACULAR; 100% ORIGINAL; SIGNED & DATED; 1997 CAPTAIN CHIP ALLSOPP; VERY WELL "HOLLOWED" & 27-YEAR OLD; "DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER"; FULLY-RIGGED, WHITE CEDAR; WOOD "GUNNING" DECOY Bay Head, New Jersey (Point Pleasant) ? CHIP ALLSOPP CARVES using EASTERN WHITE CEDAR, which NATURALLY REPELS WATER and is EASY to WORK!! ? "MODEST YET LIFE-SIZED" DECOY in TRUE FASHION of the "FINEST" BARNEGAT BAY & WILDFOWLER COMPANY DECOYS!! Carved Life-Sized with Very Exquisite Carving Detail to Bill, Eggshell Hollowed Close to Middle of Two Body Halves & the Seam is Almost Impossible to See!! ? Just Outstanding & Incredible Wing, Head, Body & Tail Carving with Precise Symmetry!! Perfectly Carved-In and Located "RED" Taxidermist Glass Bird Eyes! An Outstanding "Captain Chip Allsopp" Decoy with Awesome "Vigilant & Turned to its Right Head", with a Smooth Body, Perfect Carved-In Eye Grooves that Go All the Way into the Crests and a Perfectly Rounded & Lower, Jutted-Out, Carved in "Merganser" Tail! This MINT, OUTSTANDING, 27-YEAR OLD, "SIGNED, DATED & HOT-BRANDED" BOTTOM with a PERFECT KEEL to KEEP it SWIMMING PERFECTLY FLAT & LIFE-LIKE: PERFECT CARVING DETAIL: AWESOME BILL, PRECISE EYE GROOVES & HEAD CRESTS with AMAZINGLY PAINTED & EXTREMELY DETAILED PAINT to ALL WING, BACK, TAIL, BREAST & SIDE FEATHER GROUPS ........ AS WELL AS "WET-ON-WET" FEATHER BLENDING -and- WET-ON-DRY, INDIVIDUAL FEATHERS that is SIMPLY "AS GOOD AS IT GETS on ANY DECOYS!!! ??? INCREDIBLE PAINT: AWESOME, IMMACULATE, MINT 100% ORIGINAL PAINT with INDIVIDUAL FEATHERING to ENTIRE DECOY & FEATHER BLENDING to HEAD, NECK, SIDES, BREAST, WINGS, BACK & TAIL!!!! OUTSTANDING FORM: ABSOLUTELY PERFECT CARVING to the PERFECTLY CONTOURED BODY, HEAD & OUTSTANDING BILL!!! PERFECT ORIGINAL RIGGING: MINT RIGGING with WILDFOWLER INSPIRED "SQUARE KEEL" ATTACHED with MARINE GLUE & 2 MEDIUM-SIZED FINISHING NAILS and FRONT & REAR, LINE-TIES!! ? HAND SIGNED & DATED: SIGNED: "CAPT. CHIP ALLSOPP" -and- "1997" ? ALSO, DEEPLY "HOT-BRANDED": "CHIP" Chip Allsopp Carves Part-Time Out of a Brick Building Next to "Johnson's Boat Works" Basin Off the Point Pleasant Canal in Bay Head, New Jersey. Bay Head is a Point Pleasant, New Jersey Community: RARE: INCREDIBLE PATINA to the OIL-BASED ARTIST'S PAINT!! RARE: CHIP ALLSOPP'S DECOYS are SOME of the NICEST BALANCED, SYMMETRICALLY CRAFTED and OUTSTANDING CARVED and PAINTED ROUGH-WATER DECOYS MADE in the LAST SEVERAL DECADES! A Perfect Specimen of a Rare Species, "Very Well Hollowed" Larger-Sized, Diving or Fish Eating Duck Hunting Block Made by One of Today's Best Gunning Decoy Makers!! This DECOY is PAINTED in It's FULL WINTER COLOR SCHEME and How We SOMETIMES SEE THEM VERY LATE DURING the HUNTING SEASON in MICHIGAN or IF THEY WINTER HERE; BUT WE ALSO OFTEN SEE THEM NOT YET in FULL BREEDING PLUMAGE EARLY in the FALL!!!! This DECOY Has the NICEST BILL CARVING, TAIL -and- TRIPLE HEAD-CRESTED -and- Some of the Finest Work You Will See from One of Today's Finest Carvers; AND a RARE DRAKE "RED-BREASTED MERGANSER" to BOOT!! TRULY SOME of the MOST OUTSTANDING PAINT DETAIL that has AGED BEAUTIFULLY to the 100% ORIGINAL ARTIST'S OIL PAINT!! ? THIS DECOY HAS SOME of CHIP'S MOST AWESOME "CARVING" to the BILL, BODY SHAPE & FORM, CRESTED HEAD and JUTTING-OUT, PADDLE-TAIL!! If You Like Decoys from Famous Master Carvers and Are in "MINT CONDITION" ........ THIS IS A VERY VALUABLE DECOY to ADD to Your COLLECTION!! _ (photos below): This CAPTAIN CHIP ALLSOPP "DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER" HOLLOW, WOOD DUCK DECOY up for auction!! (photos below): REAL "DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS" in the WILD So You Can SEE HOW AWESOME this CHIP ALLSOPP DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER DECOY up for Auction REPRESENTS the SPECIES; IT'S EXCELLENT: DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS OUTSTANDING & RARE, "ONE-OF-A-KIND" DECOY: This DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER on Ebay has the Perfect Weight and Dimensions for the Species and is an Amazing Decoy that Could Be Gunned Over in the Often Unpredictable Currents of the River & Inclement Surface Weather & Swim Perfectly and Right Themselves Immediately!! ? ? ?This is Just An Awesome Decoy That Was Carved and Has the Perfect Form, Style & Dimensions of the Coastal New Jersey Decoys of a "Red-Breasted Merganser" Decoy and Live Duck!! This Drake Merganser on ebay Shows that it Came from Climate Controlled, Direct Light-Free Collection or Collections that it Has Been Kept Protected for the Past 27-Years and it Has Been Carefully Cared For as Well!! It Looks to Have Been Very CAREFULLY HANDLED & "WAS NEVER USED" as it is in "TRULY MINT CONDITION" as well as "100% ORIGINAL"!! This Immaculate Decoy Doesn't Have a Crack, Chip, Dent, Paint Smudge or Even a Tiny Nick or Scratch & Absolutely Everything is as Tight on this as if Made Yesterday!! ? IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS I AM PUTTING ON EBAY MORE LAWRENCE BETHEL FISH DECOYS, A PAIR OF THE ONLY KNOWN PROTOTYPES MADE OF THE VERY FIRST PRE-PRODUCTION FIBRE DECOYS EVER MADE, A NEAR MINT 1927 HEDDON GIANT VAMPIRE FISHING LURE IN RARE SHAD, A PAIR of LATE PHASE DODGE MALLARDS, EXQUISITE AND RARE PAIR OF "SPECIAL ORDER" MALLARDS, A RARE PAIR OF CECIL ANGER (KEN'S COUSIN), A VERY RARE c1893 100% ORIGINAL TRANSITION PERIOD MASON DRAKE BUFFLEHEAD, A NEAR MINT PAIR OF MASON GLASS EYE PINTAILS, A MINT c1905 HEDDON ARTISTIC MINNOW, A SCARCE RALPH MALPAGE ATLANTIC BRANT, A YELLOW WITH RED EYE BLUSH MOONLIGHT SINGLE-HOOK PIKAROON, A NIB CREEK CHUB MULLET COLOR STRIPER PIKIE IN CORRECT BOX, A PAIR of INCREDIBLE CHALLENGE & PREMIER GRADE MASON BLUE-WINGED TEAL, A NICE PAIR OF MASON GLASS EYE BLUEBILLS, AN AWESOME ERNIE NEUMANN SUCKER FISH DECOY, A RARE DOUBLE SPECIAL CREEK CHUB BEETLE FISHING LURE, A VERY NICE ERNIE NEUMANN SUCKER, A RARE 12-1/2" CHET SAWYER MINNESOTA FISH DECOY, A NEAR MINT OSCAR PETERSON PERCH FISH DECOY, A MINT PAIR OF WRAGG & BURRELL WIGEON, AN OUTRAGEOUSLY HARD TO FIND PAIR OF CHARLIE POZZINI BLUEBILLS, A CHET SAWYER 13" CHET SAWYER FISH DECOYS, A VERY BIG & BULL-NECKED EARLY FERDINAND BACH DRAKE CANVASBACK FROM HIS PERSONAL RIG AND MORE!! ? Shipping Includes Insurance! I Don't Believe in Making a Profit on Shipping, You Pay What I Pay. If it's Less Than You Paid I Refund the Difference, If More I'll Pay For It. I COMBINE SHIPPING. I am also loading over 150 Duck Decoys, 150 Fish Decoys, 70 Scarce Fishing Lures, etc. so keep checking back. ________________ This Outstanding, 100% Original, Breathtaking Paint Detail & Long-Body Styled, Yet Wide & Somewhat Tall "Sturdy & Strong" 1997 "Drake Red-Breasted Merganser" Gunning Decoy up for Auction!! ITEM DESCRIPTION: This Rare & Unique, Very Nicely "Eggshell Hollowed" Wonderfully Carved and Painted "Vigilant & Turned Head" Drake "Red-Breasted Merganser" Wood Duck Decoy was carved by Captain Chip Allsopp of Bay Head in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. This is the Area where Chip started carving in his mid teens and never stopped until he perfected his craft. Not only was Point Pleasant home to a plethora of some of the finest East Coast carvers in history, but it was also once a home to the world famous Wildfowler Decoy factory from 1961 to 1977. Point Pleasant is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a Jersey Shore community situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that divides the Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean at the Manasquan Inlet, and the borough derives its name from this location. The borough is bounded on the north by the Manasquan River, on the east by Point Pleasant Beach and Bay Head, on the south by Beaver Dam Creek and on the west by Brick Township; the borough also borders Mantoloking in Ocean County and Brielle in Monmouth County. The town is home to the Point Pleasant Canal, completed in 1925, at the northern end of the Intracoastal Waterway. Point Pleasant's history is traced back to around 1500, the area that included the future Point Pleasant was the ceremonial meeting place of the Lenape Native Americans, who called it the "Land of Tall Timber". In approximately 1665, the first European settlers arrived in the area, mainly fishermen, farmers and boat builders. The town was initially a logging town, although logging was never a significant part of the local economy. Though often regarded as a summer resort, the borough's website emphasizes that it is a "year round community of approximately 19,000 residents". BELOW is a HISTORY of the AREA and REGION of NEW JERSEY: In the middle of the Atlantic Flyway, it no mystery why the New Jersey coastline was one of the most prolific waterfowling areas in the country from the mid-1800's to the early 1900's. This area was rich with large tidal bays, salt-marsh ponds, clean streams and swift-flowing rivers. It is thus no mystery why New Jersey's earliest forms of tourism involved guiding hunting parties along with the flourishing trade of market hunting. Among the areas frequented by the Victorian market gunners (1847-1901) was Sandy Hook south to Manahawkin Bay, Barnegat Bay and Great Egg Harbor Bay among many others. New Jersey decoys are often divided by area into Barnegat, Tuckerton, Manahawkin, Mullica River, Absecon, Head of the River and Cape May. A few of the more well-known Master Carvers from each area are Henry Grant (b. 1860 - d. 1924) and John Dorset for Barnegat, Harry V. Shourds (b. 1861 - d. 1920) of Tuckerton, John Updike for the Mullica River, Levi Truex (died 1934) and Captain Dan Showell for Absecon, Mark English for the Head of the River, Otis Townsend for Cape May and Joseph King, Lloyd Parker (b. 1859 - d. 1921) and Liberty Price (carved c1870 - 1910) for Manahawkin and John Bowen from Atlantic City. Like this Chip Allsopp decoy up for auction, the wood used by these master carvers was Eastern White Cedar as during this time period huge stands lined the rivers from the coastline inland. New Jersey's first industry was cutting these huge forests to provide lumber for the burgeoning shipbuilding trade. Coincidentally, this wood provided the perfect material for the early decoy carvers in the region that were making the tools with which the hunters in the area used to harvest the abundance of migrating waterfowl. Although the predominant New Jersey decoy would evolve into a "dugout" hollow decoy with glass eyes, some of the earliest decoys were a mix of semi-hollowed and solid decoys with almost all having painted-on, tack or no eyes at all. And of these carvers, Joe King (b. 1835 - d. 1910) of Manahawkin is considered by many to be the true father of the New Jersey style of decoys as it is known today and he was one of the first carvers to make decoys for a living, but never approaching the enormous output of New Jersey's most prolific sellers of decoys, Harry Vinuckson Shourds (b. 1861 - d. 1920). Joe King carved at least a pair of decoys for just about every species of duck and goose that frequented the New Jersey region of the Atlantic Flyway. As the Patriarch of the New Jersey style of decoy, Joe King was the inspiration and often the mentor to countless numbers of New Jersey carvers and his patterns were adopted by the well-known master carpenter, boat-builder and decoy carver Lloyd Parker, also of Manahawkin. Like Joe King, Harry V. Shourds was one of a very select number carvers that was known to have carved almost every species of migratory waterfowl that staged in the Jersey region. A great many of the carvers from the 1860's to later 1800's were also boat-builders or guidesmen by trade and there is some indication that the great Joe King also was employed in these areas in some capacity during his lifetime. Some of his earliest New Jersey birds were solid and full-bodied, but the bulk of the decoys were hollow, yet also very full-bodied. Like the decoys that would follow his form, the backs swooped down to the tail but not as sharply as other later carvers like Harry V. Shourds among others. Most employed "Ice Grooves' behind the head to make handling easier in inclement weather, but some carvers like Joe King also carved with and without ice grooves immediately behind the head on the beginning of the back, although very deep ice grooves are something King's decoys would become very well known for. King's decoys that did have ice grooves had grooves that were deeper and more widely incised than those made by most others including Lloyd Parker. The ice groove was carved in for exactly the purpose it's name suggests it was meant for, to make handling easier when ice build-up made the decoys harder to grasp in late season weather conditions. Like most of the New Jersey carvers, the makers employed rectangular lead "pad" ballast weights nailed onto the bottom, but some later decoy's weights were incised into the bottom much like the decoys made by Harry V. Shourds. While some early decoys had the head attached with a "through head" dowel, finishing nails through the neck and a white, lead-based marine caulk/adhesive, most of the other early carvers used finishing nails that were countersunk and the top holes filled with the lead caulk. However, many carvers heads and neck bases on the body were carved so perfectly and precise, that no neck putty was needed to fill in at the attachment point. Again, most of the earlier decoys had the attached to the body using a dowel, although I am sure later decoys adopted a screw from the hollowed upper half and up into the neck of the head as he carved for the better part of 7 decades and most likely adopted a myriad of styles and crafting techniques over the years. many of the early carvers decoy's had carved bill/head separation and faint nostrils, were well sanded, have a primer and finish coat and have simple yet effective paint patterns and the Majority of the area's decoys all had hollowed out cedar "dugout" bodies with the body halves also attached using a lead-based glue/caulk and were very well crafted. These men quite possibly lived during one of the most prolific eras in waterfowling history. Many of their decoys were considered so adequately aesthetic and functional that a great many of the subsequent carvers in the region made no dramatic changes to his design, but rather tweaked them with a closer ratio from body to head size and forward-aimed heads. The final touch to the decoys from the late 1800's was the wonderful, yet somewhat simplistic paint jobs that employed using a high quality oil and lead based marine paint which was also a carry over from the local boat building knowledge on what to use to best protect the surface of a boat for the longest period of time possible. The painting techniques and the quality of the paint used was extremely serviceable and the number of decoys that exist today in original paint is a testament to the quality of his finishes. BELOW is INFORMATION on "CHIP ALLSOPP", the MAKER of this AMAZING "DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER HOLLOW DECOY up for auction: Chip Allsopp's love for carving began nearly many decades earlier when he realized that it was much cheaper and very rewarding to carve and paint your own gunning decoys. Chip discovered he possessed a unique talent for carving and soon began making decoys full-time. He currently carves part-time out of a Brick Building next to Johnson's Boat Basin off the Point Pleasant Canal. He was asked to and joined on with the Barnegat Bay Decoy Company in Point Pleasant after being asked to join by the founder and owner Rick Brown. Along with Brown and Allsopp, Art Birdsall and Tim Forsyth comprised the main crew that produced these incredible decoys from one of history's lesser written about and acknowledged decoy factory operations. In the late 1970's, Rick Brown founded Barnegat Bay Decoys, which operated at and on the old Wildfowler factory site in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Charles Birdsall owned and operated Wildfowler's 3rd location in Point Pleasant from 1961 to 1977, but sold the Brand Name and Equipment to Amel and Karen Mass, who moved the company to Babylon, New York. Rick Brown however, managed to buy Charlie Birdsall's home and shop, retooled the shop, and thus the beginning of the Barnegat Bay Decoy Company that closely followed in the same tradition as the Wildfowler company but soon began to perfect their own style and form of decoys but for the most part stayed true to the decoys made in the Coastal New Jersey and Delaware River fashion and form. In the early eighties, Barnegat Bay Decoys achieved national fame following an article by Sports Afield magazine magazine about the company. Newspapers around the United States began writing articles about "The Last Decoy Factory" and the company was inundated with orders. In 1982, NJN shot a documentary titled "In the Barnegat Tradition" which featured footage of the factory, as well as interviews with employees of the company. Barnegat Bay Decoys had built a significant reputation in the decoy world, and employed local carvers Chip Allsopp, Art Birdsall, and Tim Forsyth. Charlie Birdsall, Art's uncle, often came to the shop from his home in Florida just to hang out in the paint shop. Lucky visitors were able to purchase Charlie's decoys which he sold from the trunk of his car. While the company that operated under Rick's primary ownership closed it's doors more than a decade ago, Rick Brown continues to hand carve the competition quality decoys that have earned him hundreds of ribbons for more than a quarter of a century. When the Barnegat Bay Decoy Company closed, like Rick Brown, Chip Allsopp, Art Birdsall and Tim Forsyth continued carving decoys but went back to carving their own decoys at various locations in the area. Chip Allsopp, like this "Drake Red-Breasted Merganser" up for auction, now hand-carves all of his decoys. Each decoy is made out of air-dried Jersey white cedar, which is hollowed out and then hand-carved. Like a true artist, Chip has an eye for color and never misses a stroke, allowing him to paint and replicate intricate wing patterns. Captain Chip completes his decoys with various rigging depending on the style of decoy he was carving, but tended to closely follow the shape, style and form of Wildfowler decoys but with much more attention to the hand-made construction, carving and extremely detailed painting as well as fine carving details. He then signs, dates, and hot brands his decoys. His hard and dedicated work has earned Chip much deserved praise of his peers and collectors as well. As previously mentioned, Chip Allsopp was an active member of the crew of the Barnegat Bay Decoy Company of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. In 1977, Charlie Birdsall sold all of the equipment and assets of his Point Pleasant, New Jersey based Wildfowler Decoy company to Amel and Karen Massa, and the Massa's moved the business to Babylon, New York. It was at this time that Rick Brown bought Charlie's home and shop, retooled the shop and started the Barnegat Bay Decoy Company at the site. Charlie Birdsall eventually relocated to Florida, but he would return to Point Pleasant to visit and sell his own decoys at the Barnegat Bay Decoys showroom owned by Rick and housed in the very buildings Birdsall had used to operate Wildfowler so successfully. Barnegat Bay Decoy Company closed its doors in 1992. MORE ABOUT RICK BROWN, CHIP ALLSOPP & The BARNEGAT BAY DECOY COMPANY: As stated, Rick Brown was born in Philadelphia and raised in Burlington County, NJ. He later settled down at the Jersey Shore and currently resides in Point Pleasant, NJ. DESCRIPTION of this AMAZING CHIP ALLSOPP DRAKE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER up for auction: This Captain Chip Allsopp Drake "Red-Breasted Merganser" is a spectacular gunning decoys, it is in mint condition and the paint is 100% original and has a very nice mellowing patina. This decoy also exhibits some of Chip's most effective feathered paint work with excellent individual feather painting and also crisp painting where each is appropriate and like a live bird. This decoy is in mint original condition and is as solid as the day it was made. Not only was this decoy painted perfectly symmetrically, the carving job is fantastic in its own right. The contours on the body are outstanding and the head and tail were proportioned perfectly to the form and size of the body. The head on this Drake is carved perfectly and is in a turned to its right and vigilant posed as if looking for danger before it rests to feed, sleep or rest. The head has neat puffy-cheeks and deep eye grooves that lead to a somewhat puffed out brow that starts at the bill and along with the eye groove blends together and forms the triple-carved crest that perfectly represents the tufts of feathers on the back of a Red-Breasted Mergansers head. This Outstanding and Awe-Inspiring Chip Allsopp Drake "Red-Breasted Merganser" duck decoy up for auction has his distinctively carved "eye-groove indentations", "distinct eyebrowed-like, rear crested" Red-Breasted Merganser Hollow Wood Duck Decoy, but with a turned and very much alert head that looks as if its taking a last look around for danger before it relaxes or sleeps near its migration mates. It is certainly highlighted with one of his various trade-mark painting schemes that is the highlight of this decoy along with carving that is perfect for the species along with a bill that is tremendous and looks like it was cast from a real duck. This decoy is a true-to-form Chip Allsopp mid to larger-sized, diving duck decoy. This hollow decoy is as solid as the day that it was made and in Mint, Never Gunned Over Condition, let alone handled much period. Chip Allsopp's decoys are all extremely well made and as fine as any of the decoys from anywhere and this fine example is a testament to that. From a structural standpoint this decoy is in Perfect condition as the head is as tightly attached to the body as the day it was made, as are the two body half's and keel. The head was attached to the top half of the hollowed body by a large screw from the inside before the 2 halves were attached together and it is solid and tight as the day is long. This Incredible Drake Red-Breasted Merganser Hollow Wood Decoy on ebay is in mint structural condition with seams where the head meets the body and where the two body halfs were attached are practically invisible to the point that if you can't find a hint where the seam is you have to look at the grain of the wood to figure it out. This amazing decoy was obviously never gunned over and has never even seen water other than when he floated it to "tune in" the balance and where to locate the keel. Add a lead ballast weight and you have a durable and as life-like a decoy that could put up with any water conditions or winds and right itself immediately and swim and float very realistically. You could hunt over this decoy tomorrow but you wouldn't dare as his decoys are continuously growing in value every single time I see them at auction or available from private collections. This Chip Allsopp Drake Red-Breasted Merganser on ebay was carved over a quarter of a century ago and clearly has been in temperature and light controlled environmental collections since it was made; an incredible decoy to own. The paint has a very awesome mellowed patina as it has aged and will continue to age beautifully and the paint is as bright and inviting as the day it left his work bench. The patina even looks more spectacular in bright outdoor light and the paint gives the surface a beautiful tiny craquelured surface and some slight resin bleed from a knot that both simply add to the aura and authenticity of this amazing decoy. This decoy also exhibits all of the great aspects of the Classic Antique Delaware River and New jersey style of late 1800's and early to mid-1900's decoys. The head is as firmly attached with a large screw from the top half of this hollow decoy before the bottom half was attached. If adequately weighted, this decoy could ride out anything adverse water conditions that a body of water could dish out and if flipped by a rogue wave would right itself immediately. Absolutely perfectly carved in and located species and gender-correct, original "Red" glass taxidermist eyes that were mounted and carved in with perfect symmetry. This decoy is perfectly symmetrically carved and Chip Allsopp went to painstaking depths to ensure that this Drake Red_breasted Merganser was perfectly formed and carved. This bird is also one of the truest decoys to his overall form from the late 1990's you will see from its nice alert and turned sleek head that was mounted so flawlessly to the raised neck seat that the seam where it was attached is impossible to see. This Red-Breasted Merganser Drake looks spectacular with its "long-body" size, weight and was carved with outstanding symmetry that also is evident with the amazing feathered paint. This Drake Red-Breasted Merganser decoy also features an awesomely carved in head/bill separation, nostrils and painted mandibles and nail on the end, but all of Chip's carving was done with as much finesse as today's greatest carvers. This decoy was made with durability, quality and serviceability in mind along with great and alluring Merganser paint and carving form. This is also a fantastic example of a Chip Allsopp decoy that was made so perfectly that it could stand up to rough water and swim perfectly and right itself immediately. Obviously, Chip Allsopp's decoys speak for themselves and word-of-mouth is enough to sustain his career and enable it to always flourish without the need of advertising or marketing. It is an extremely solid and sturdy, mint signed, dated and hot-branded bird and makes for an excellent example of some of the finest carving and painting that Captain Chip puts on a Red-Breasted Merganser drake, a scarce species for not only him, but most carvers in general. This Exceptional decoy has perfectly carved in bill/head separation, his trademark awesomely carved nostrils, perfectly painted mandibles and nail and an absolutely perfectly shaped and formed "Merganser Bill". The bill is so accurate that it looks like it was cast after a real duck's bill, which isn't unusual for a Chip Allsopp hand-carved wooden duck decoy. Here's a chance to own one of the vintage "Gunning Blocks" that was carved and painted by one of New Jersey's more renowned contemporary master carvers. This decoy is symmetrically perfect from both carving and painting standpoints and has phenomenally mounted "Red Glass" eyes which are taxidermist glass eyes, possibly imported but many U.S. companies are making some of the nicest internal-iris and suspended pupil eyes as well. This bird is painted in a nice full winter plumage, which is what they look like when they migrate through the Great Lakes region very late in their migration, and usually have most of their full winter plumage. A great addition to any collection of vintage working duck decoys and shorebirds. If you have any questions or would like any additional photos feel free to email me. Thanks for looking. The first Photo in the beginning section of this listing is of this Awesome Cedar Drake Red-Breasted Merganser decoy up for auction. The 2nd and 3rd Photos are of thew Barnegat Bay Decoy Company and Chip Allsopp in the Point Pleasant, New Jersey Shop. The Next 16 Photos are Again of this Awesome Drake Red-Breasted Merganser Wood Duck Decoy Up for Auction by Itself from a Variety of Angles and Distances, Including Some Close-Ups that Show the Awesome Detailed Carving & Paint!! The Last 5 Photos are of Other Chip Allsopp Decoys that Are Other Remarkable Examples of His Incredible Talent!! Pictures sell!Auctiva offers Free Image Hosting and Editing.300+ Listing Templates Auctiva gets you noticed!The complete eBay Selling Solution. Track Page Views WithAuctiva's Counter (Condition: New (Other))

Note: This item has been sold and is no longer available. This page serves as a historical price reference for Duck Decoy collectors and appraisers.