A rare late 19th century Canada goose by Nathan Cobb Jr is set to lead the second day of Guyette & Deeter's decoy auction on November 13 with a valuation of $40,000-60,000.
The Cobb family ran the Cobb Island Hunt Club from their home on the Virginia Coast.
They carved hundreds of decoys for themselves and their guests, salvaging most of their materials from local shipwrecks.
 Nathan Cobb Jr was a carver from Virginia's east coast |
Nathan's father had spent some time living in New Jersey and this is reflected in their work, which bears the influence of the great New England carvers - among them Harry Shourds.
Cobb's auction record stands at $457,000, set for a swimming Canada goose at Guyette & Deeter in 2008.
Also on offer is a curlew produced by Obediah Verity (1850-1910) in Seaford, Long Island during the mid to late 19th century, which carries an estimate of $36,000-40,000.
A black bellied plover sold for $94,875 at Guyette & Deeter in 2007. It remains the auction record for Verity's work.
A black duck by the Ward Brothers of Crisfield, Maryland is expected to make $35,000-40,000.
They were hugely prolific makers, producing between 27,000 and 50,000 decoys. A hooded merganser drake made $80,000 last year.
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