VERY RARE! -NEAR MINT ~BLACK DUCK c1938 HAMLIN BOAT WORKS CO. Wood FACTORY Decoy

 

 

This "VERY RARE MICHIGAN FACTORY DECOY" is an 84+ YEAR OLD, BLACK DUCK up for auction ...... Was MADE by this PIONEERING LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN DECOY FACTORY that OPERATED from Mid-1930's to Early-1950's








 

ELMER ANTON NELSON (1893-1976) was a SWEDISH IMMIGRANT that at a YOUNG AGE BOUGHT "LAND", BUILT "HOUSES" & LARGE BUILDINGS, OWNED a "LUMBERING" COMPANY, "BOAT BUILDING" COMPANY -and- "OWNED his OWN DUCK DECOY COMPANY" AMONG OTHER VENTURES!!!










(Photo Above): Elmer Anton Nelson c1915
Around Age 22 in Michigan












"ELMER ANTON NELSON"

 

 

• Below is an Article About Elmer A. Nelson's Various Business Ventures & His "Duck Decoy Operation".

(Below Photos): An Extremely Informative Article from the: Wednesday, April 29, 1953; "The Ludington Daily News"


















(Photo Below): EGYPT'S Former King Farouk, shown with President Roosevelt (FDR). KING FAROUK Bought "40 Dozen Duck Decoys of Assorted Species" of: "Hamlin Boat Works" Solid Cedar Decoys!!!!










ELMER NELSON'S was ESPECIALLY PROUD
of HIS BIGGEST SALE to ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL:







In the 1940's, Elmer's "HAMLIN BOAT WORKS COMPANY" Had Its Most Famous Sale.






Hamlin Sold: "40 DOZEN SOLID-CEDAR DECOYS of VARIOUS SPECIES for "EGYPT'S KING FAROUK" for USE on the NILE RIVER & OTHER MARSHES or WETLANDS".




KING FAROUK HOWEVER; He was OVERTHROWN by a MILITARY COUP in 1952 & BANISHED to ITALY Where He DIED in 1965!








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This "NEAR MINT & UNIQUELY AMERICAN FACTORY"
84+ YEAR OLD, BLACK DUCK up for auction was MADE by this PIONEERING "LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN" DECOY FACTORY that OPERATED during the 1st HALF of the 20TH CENTURY!












 

(Below Photos): This Scarce Species & Rare Near Mint, 100% Original Condition "Hamlin Boat Works Company" Factory, "2-Piece High-Tailed Body, Solid-Cedar, "Special Puddle Duck Body" Model, "Black Duck" up for auction:





 

• This Near Mint, Black Duck was Hand-Made & Hand Rag-Painted by Hamlin Boat's Most Proficient & Talented Woodworkers & Painters

• The Beginning of the Boat & Decoy Businesses Were the Result of the Great Depression in 1929 & Beyond as He Needed a New Income Source ......... Because the Depression Brought a Halt to Elmer Nelson's Main Business of Building the Town's Major Buildings!!

• Rare Species as Black Ducks were Not Often Ordered & It has a Rare, 2-Piece High-Tailed Puddle Duck Body ........ and Hamlin Only Made Decoys that were Ordered, with No Back Stock or Anticipated Sales in Inventory!!

 

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(Below Photos): The Very Frequently Run Ads from the "Ludington Daily News" Advertising His Boat Building Businesses in 1933 & 1940 -and- A 1934 Ad Looking for Wood for Decoys in Trade for a Boat:















(Below Photos): A Letter to a Prospective Decoy Buyer Highlighting their Decoy's Features & Other Selling Points:























(Below Photos): The Very Frequently Run Ads in the NATIONAL MAGAZINE "OUTDOOR LIFE" Advertising His DECOY BUSINESS in JUST 1936, 1938 & 1941
-and- WHICH HE RAN EVERY MONTH at TIMES & The 1940 AD that HIGHLIGHTS It's DECOYS WINNING a NATIONAL TOURNAMENT:















(Below Photos): ONE of Their FIRST BROCHURES c1930 to 1931 to 1934 -and- And it HIGHLIGHTS Their FIRST DECOY that was a SOLID CEDAR DECOY with a ONE-PIECE BODY & HEAD:


















(Below Photos): A Late 1930's or 1940's "PRICE LIST" LISTING their 4 DUCK MODELS, 2 CROW & 1 OWL DECOY -and- This LATER PRICE LIST Includes the CORK & WOOD MODEL, WHICH was the VERY LAST MODEL they CONCEIVED & MADE which WOULD BE the NO. 2 SOLID CEDAR, 1-PIECE BODIED DECOY:




















(Below Photos): An Earlier, One-Piece Bodied, Rough-Surfaced, "Hamlin Boat Works" Drake Bluebill from: "ELMER NELSON'S PERSONAL GUNNING RIG"











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(Below Photos): This Bottom of this Rare "Black Duck" Showing the Mint Condition Bottom with "Hard-to-See", Very Small Spot Where a Small, Screw-Eye, Lie-Tie was Carefully Unscrewed.





 

• This Body is Absolutely NEAR MINT with ABSOLUTELY NO RUBS, CHECKS, CRACKS or SHOT MARKS "OF ANY KIND"!!

• HAMLIN'S DECOY MAKERS DELIBERATELY LEFT the SURFACE ROUGH & LIGHTLY SANDED .......... This ENABLED the COMPANY to USE WET-ON-DRY & WET-ON-WET with RAGS & BASE COATS with THICK BRUSHES that GIVE the DECOYS a "BEN SCHMIDT" LIKE FEATHERS FINISH!!

• Also, this Was the Company's Answer (Like Animal Trap & Others) TO SELL the DECOYS as BEING LEFT ROUGH to AFFORD a FEATHERY FINISH ......... Although LIKE the OTHER COMPANIES it ACTUALLY SAVED TIME & EFFORT TO DO SO:

 

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(Below Photos): The Head of this Superb & Rare Black Duck from Several Angles, to See It's Awesome Hand-Done, Top Carving & Tail and Bottom Saw Cuts that Give this Puddle Duck Its High, Crisply Cut, Tail Body by Adding a Large, Highly-Risen, 1-Piece Back & Tail!







 

• The Heads were Attached to the Bodies with Several Nails through the Neck & Into the Body; And Used a Quality Marine Glue as Well ......... And this near Mint Decoy's Head & Neck/Tail Piece are as Tight as If Made Yesterday!!

• The Company Started with a One-Piece Body Decoy that was the No. 2 Solid Cedar Decoy:

• And While the Body & Head Were Beautifully & Realistically Painted, the Bottom was Painted with the Body's Same Base Coat Color (in this Case a Warm Beige) ....... and "Hamlin Boat Works" Painted the Entire Bill with their Actual Correct Species & Gender Color with Simple Darker Daubing & Basic Features Like a Painted Nail!!

• Lastly, the Glass Taxidermist Eyes are the Correct Brown for the Species & Gender ........ and Were Carved-In and Located with Precision & the Eyes were Inserted into White Lead Exactly Like Mason Decoy Company of Detroit ....... Which "Hamlin Boat" Also Did Like Mason for Filling In Around the Neck Base and Other Issues in the Wood Like Checks, etc,!

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(Below Photos): Hamlin Boat Work's Best Paint, It Was Precisely & Incredible "Feathery Rag Painted" with Clean, Hand-Painted Speculums ........ And on this Decoy the Speculum is Located on the Wooden, Raised-Tail, Upper Back & Tail Piece of the 2-Piece Body:






 

• This Top Piece that Included the High Upper Tail & Back was Attached with Marine Glue and 4 Countersunk Finishing Nails that Were Inset & the Wholes Covered with White Lead:

 

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(Below Photos): This Rare Long-Bodied, Rare Black Duck by Hamlin Boat Works Co. Decoy Up for Auction ........ From Many Angles So You Can See the Near Mint Paint & Construction!!





 

• This Superb & Rare Decoy Has the 2-Piece "Body that was Moved to the No. 1", which was a Realistic Decoy for Puddle Ducks with Their High Tails   -and-  "Hamlin Boat Works" Makes for a Rare & Unique U. S. Factory Decoy & is One of, if  Not the Only, One of Western Michigan Decoy Factories in History!!​

• Note the Various Paint Patterns from 1900 until the 1940's When they Ceased Making Them!!​

(Below Photos): A Pair of Fairly Early, "SILHOUETTE" Cedar Bluebills with Rough Sanded Surfaces & Brushed-On Paint:














(Below Photos): A Pair of Fairly Early, No. 1 Solid Cedar Mallards with Sanded, Spoke-Shaved Surfaces with Nice Form and Typical Brushed Paint ........ They Later Did Little to No Sanding & Made the No. 1 Rough Surfaced Decoys that They Advertised as "Feathery" & Textured to Look Real!!


















(Below Photos): A Very Early No. 2 "Hen Mallard" Solid Cedar Decoy with Very Rough Sawn Head & Body and a Rough, Unsanded Surface for Feathery Rag-Blotted Paint:














(Below Photos): Another Earlier No. 2 "Drake Blue-Winged Teal" Solid Cedar Decoy with Rough Sawn Head & Body but with Slightly More Carving Detail & Not Quite as Rough Surface But the Same Feathery Rag-Blotted Paint:





















(Below Photos): SEVERAL LATER "SEMI-CORK MODEL", DECOYS: These Later Decoys Were Made with "Solid-Cedar" Heads, a Cedar Back & Tail Piece on Top, and a Solid Cedar Bottom Board ...... with a "Slab of Cork In-Between!!






 

• These Decoys were Had More Carving Detail But the Quality & Denseness of the Cork Determined How Rough the Surface Was & Typically had a Mix of Brushed-On & Feathery Rag-Blotted Paint:

• These "CORK Decoys" Had the Exact SAME SOLID-CEDAR "BACK & TAIL PIECE" ........ as this "SOLID-CEDAR 2-PIECE BODIED" BLACK DUCK MODEL up for auction:

• But the Black Duck Below has a Cork Main Body Instead of Cedar Like this Black Duck up for Auction:

(Below Photos): SEVERAL OTHER "SEMI-CORK MODEL", DECOYS:


















 

 

 

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This Very Rare, Near Mint 100% Original, "Hamlin Boat Works Company" Factory-Made, Solid-Cedar, Black Duck up for auction:























 

EXTREMELY RARE; FACTORY-MADE; "LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN"; SUPERB 100% ORIGINAL CONDITION; c1938 "HAMLIN BOAT WORKS COMPANY"; No. 1 "BLACK DUCK"; 2-PIECE CEDAR BODY with CEDAR HEAD; SOLID CEDAR, HIGHLY-SET TAIL; "GUNNING" DUCK DECOY








LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES






 

• BEAUTIFUL "BEN SCHMIDT-LIKE" RAG APPLIED, FEATHERY, FLAT ORIGINAL PAINT with SUPERB DAUBING & STIPPLING and BRUSH-ON, SPECULUMS with SEMI-GLOSS ENAMEL PAINT!

JUST INCREDIBLE RAG or POSSIBLE SPONGE PAINTING as GOOD as IT GETS for a LIFE-LIKE SURFACE!!





 

• These RARE DECOYS were MADE by a RELATIVELY OBSCURE, EARLY & ONE of the "MORE UNIQUE NORTH AMERICAN DECOY FACTORIES"

• This BLACK DUCK was the COMPANY'S LATER, SOLID-CEDAR, LONGER BODY & HIGH-HEADED and HIGH-TAILED, WONDERFULLY-PAINTED, GUNNING DECOYS!!!

• Excellent Alert, High-Headed Pose, with an Awesome Olive-Colored Bill with Painted-On Black Highlights & Nail!

• This is an Amazing "84+ Year Old", "Very-Lightly" or Possibly, Never-Gunned-Over and/or Very Well Cared For, Superb Original Condition Decoy!!

 

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• 1.) No. 1 & No. 2 SOLID CEDAR DECOYS: Either 1-or 2-Piece, Solid-Cedar ,Puddle Duck & Diver Gunning Decoys with a Great Variety of Carving, Painting and Surfaces During the Company's Roughly 20-Year History.

• 2.) SEMI-CORK DUCK DECOYS: Later Decoys to Sell a Lighter Decoy that Happened to be Easier to Carve & Make.

• 3.) "SILHOUETTE DUCK DECOYS": Cut Cedar Base with Vertical, Duck Silhouette Mounted on Top.

• LASTLY.)   2 CROW & 1 OWL DECOY MODEL:
• A FULL BODY CROW & SILHOUETTE CROW   -and- A FULL BODY OWL

 

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This Very Rare & Near Mint "Solid-Cedar" No. 1; Two-Piece, High-Tail Model with Long Body & Alert Head "Black Duck":















This is a Superb Decoy that Has Clearly Been in the Protection of Climate and Light-Controlled Collections After it was Possibly Carefully Used a Couple Times or Never-Used & Retired & Eventually in a Collection or Collections it Has Been in the Last 80+ Years!!






 

• The Hamlin Boat Works Company Followed the Various Instruction or Patterns, Style, Form and Size Closely, But the Size of the Wood Available Also Determined the Size, Shape & Form as There are Variances ...... But Each Model Shares the Same Basic Attributes!

• OUTSTANDING 100% ORIGINAL CONDITION with an INCREDIBLE PATINA to the STUNNING ORIGINAL PAINT INCLUDING the BEIGE BOTTOM PAINT WHICH IS ALSO the BODY'S BASE COAT!!!

• Like Ben Schmidt's Decoys, this Black Duck was Given a Beige Base Coat to the Entire Body & Gray-Tan Base Coat to Head & Neck ......... then the Hamlin Artist's Deftly & Feather-Like, Rag Dabbed & Lightly Wiped the Dark Brown Paint in Realistic Fashion!!

• HEAD is ATTACHED with a DOWEL, MARINE GLUE & SEVERAL NAILS ........ AND ONLY 1 NAIL is VISIBLE as the OTHERS are STILL COVERED with WHITE LEAD in the COUNTERSUNK, NAIL HOLES & PAINT!!

• CARVED with EXACTING & ULTRA-PERFECT SYMMETRY in EVERY and ALL RESPECTS!!​

VERY RARE; GREAT ORIGINAL PAINT, EXCELLENT CONDITION! c1938 HAMLIN BOAT WORKS COMPANY; HAND CARVED & HAND-PAINTED; "FACTORY" BLACK DUCK, SOLID-CEDAR; WOOD DUCK DECOY









LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN (West Side of Lower Peninsula on Lake Michigan)


 

 

• 84+ YEAR OLD DECOY with OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL PAINT!!

 

• AWESOME & VERY THICK ORIGINAL PAINT with NICE PATINA!!

 

• Exquisite Paint Blending & Feathered Paint Surface and Texture!!!

 

It's Not Often You Come Across 100% ALL ORIGINAL PAINT & GREAT CONDITION "HAMLIN BOAT WORKS COMPANY" DECOYS....




 

AND IT IS EVEN RARER TO FIND THIS SCARCE SPECIES ........ THE BLACK DUCK!!






 

• "All ORIGINAL" PAINT, MOST LIKELY HUNTED OVER a COUPLE TIMES as IT DOES HAVE a LINE-TIE HOLE ............ But THEY Were SOLD as "NOT NEEDING WEIGHTS", Which HUNTERS PROBABLY QUICKLY LEARNED ELSE-WISE UNLESS in CALM WATER!!

SUPERB "RAG PAINTING" EXACTLY LIKE THE PAINT JOBS By CARVING LEGEND BEN SCHMIDT of Centerline, Michigan!!

 

• AWESOME SOLID CEDAR, BEAUTIFULLY CONTOURED BODY!!​

• If You Like Exceptionally Rare, Vintage Decoys from Lesser-Known, North American Factories .... THIS is a GREAT DECOY FOR "ANY" COLLECTION!!

NICE, EARLY to MIDDLE-PERIOD, GUNNING BIRD by the HAMLIN BOAT WORKS COMPANY!!






 

That Makes for an Awesome & Very Unique Gunning Decoy that was an Important Hunting Tool for a Widely Distributed Group, as Elmer Believed His Decoys were So Well Priced that He Advertised Nationally! That Makes for a Superb Decoy that Clearly Has Been in the Protection of Climate and Light-Controlled Collections Since its Retirement, If it was Even Used at All!!

This Near Mint, 100% Original, Superbly Constructed & Daub Paint Detailed, Long-Body Style, Yet Wide & Somewhat Tall "Sturdy & Strong" c1938 "Black Duck" Gunning Decoy up for Auction!!






























ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This Very Rare, Very Unique, Hand-Made, Factory, Solid-Cedar, "Black Duck" decoy was Manufactured 84+ years ago by a Small Boat company in Ludington, Michigan. It was just one of the many endeavors that a Swedish Immigrant named Elmer A. Nelson (1893-1976) would start in Ludington, Michigan. In 1908, at the age of 15, Elmer and his mother Karolina immigrated from Sweden in Ludington, Michigan to join Elmer's older brothers and sisters that made the move to Ludington a few years earlier around 1900. Ludington, Michigan is located on the shores of Lake Michigan mid-way up the lower peninsula of the state. Ludington is also located at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River and in the mid to late 1800's through the early 1900's logging and sawmills drove the local economy but was eventually replaced beginning in the 1950's by tourism, boating, fishing and hunting.











(Photo Below): From a Ludington Daily News Article When Elmer Nelson was One of the Biggest Commercial Builders in the Ludington Region:













Michigan has a great history of duck decoy makers. The vast majority were on the east side of the state from areas around Saginaw Bay, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie and the Detroit River. You do not hear much about decoy makers from the west side of the state along Lake Michigan. However, during the 1930's and early 1950's there was a Decoy Maker named Elmer A. Nelson on Hamlin Lake, which is located in Mason County just a few miles north of the City of Ludington. The name of his company Elmer Nelson's company was "Hamlin Boat Works", named after Hamlin Lake, which is Michigan's largest man-made lake that was formed in the 1850's when a dam was built on the Big Sable River for one of the sawmills to float logs in.











(Photo Above): Beginning in 1912 at the age of 19, Elmer Nelson Began Purchasing Parcels of Land Around Hamlin Lake and by 1930 Owned Over 30 Soon to Be Build-able Land Plots.









The Ludington area boomed in the late 1800's because of immense stands of trees and thus logging. As the logging era ended, Ludington became popular for year-round recreation, including vacation resorts, boating, hunting and fishing. Hamlin Lake was one of the favorite areas for recreation, along with the Pere Marquette River and Lake Michigan as well; All in One Place. In the mid 1800's to the early 1900's many emigrants from Denmark and Sweden settled in this area. One of those who came from Sweden was Elmer A. Nelson. Elmer was born in Sunne, Varmland, Sweden on September 7, 1893 to Nils Jonsson and Karolina "nee Olsdotter" Jonsson. He was the youngest of six children, which included 2 older brothers and 3 older sisters. When Elmer was only two years, in 1895, his father unexpectedly died at an early age.







Elmer Nelson had 5 older siblings and he was the youngest or baby of the family. The 2 oldest were boys and named John and then Oscar. The next 3 children in the family were his 3 sisters, with the eldest of the 3 being Teres, then came Hulda and Pauline with Elmer coming last. It was c1900 that the 5 eldest children left for the United States from Sweden, which they all did when the 5 had finished school in Sweden. They just happened to find Ludington, Michigan and it reminded them so much at home in many ways that they all settled there. A few short years later, and after they were established, the 5 Nelson children sent for their mother and youngest brother Elmer, after he himself had finished his schooling in Sweden.







Much like many United States Immigrants, the family's elder sons and daughters that immigrated to America, they chose to change or alter their family surname that sounded more American so to better "fit in", and thus the family used the Patriarch's full name of Nils Jonsson (their father) and shortened and merged his name and the new name used for the family's surname was "Nelson"; I guess a nice hybrid for Nils Jonsson. His older brothers and sisters each immigrated to the United States after they finished school while only Elmer and his mother remained on the family farm in Sweden. In 1908, when Elmer was 15, he and his mother also immigrated and located to the Ludington, Michigan area. Most of Elmer’s siblings and several cousins also ended up in the Ludington area near Hamlin Lake. The area appealed to them because the birch trees, water and forests reminded them of their homeland in Sweden.







(Photo Below): A Hamlin Boat Works Advertisement that ran regularly in the Ludington Daily News Highlights Elmer Nelson's Firewood Business, which he did for Almost his Entire Life in Ludington to Bring in a Little Extra Money:




This Ad Ran Sept 7, 1949 in the Ludington Daily News:












(Photo Below): Another Hamlin Boat Works Advertisement that ran regularly in the Ludington Daily News that Highlights Furniture, Which also "On and Off" was a Way of Bringing in Extra Money for 4 decades or More:




This Ad Ran May 32, 1949 in the Ludington Daily News:








This Ad Ran May 31, 1956 in the Ludington Daily News:












(Photo Below): Another Hamlin Boat Works Advertisement that ran regularly in the Ludington Daily News Highlights "An Ad Ran When Elmer Needed Men & Women to Help in their "Logging Operation":




This Ad Ran December 29, 1953 in the Ludington Daily News:













(Photo Below): Another Hamlin Boat Works Advertisement that Ran When He was Advertising Homes He was Building on Hamlin Lake on the Property he Bought decades Earlier, 13 Years Before he Died Suddenly:







This Ad Ran January 26, 1963 in the Ludington Daily News:














Elmer spent his first years in Michigan living with his mother and working as a bookkeeper for Jagger & Boersma, a plumbing supply company. He later began working as a carpenter with his older brothers Oscar and John. In 1912, at the age of nineteen, Elmer began purchasing property in and around Ludington. He was listed in the 1915 and 1917 issues of the Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory and his occupation was "Real Estate". By 1930, Elmer Nelson had purchased over thirty parcels of land. Several of the parcels Elmer had purchased were in Hamlin Township, including properties at the south end of Hamlin Lake. At that time the south end of the lake was an undeveloped cedar swamp with a cattail marsh leading up to the edge of the lake. Elmer loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter and fisherman. The properties he purchased around Hamlin Lake provided him excellent access to the lake for fishing and duck hunting.










(Photo Below): A Personal Advertisement or Notice to the General Public that His Property was Not for Any Public Activities:













Elmer met a local girl, Margaret Mae Gibbs (1902-1981), who was born in Ludington in on October 30, 1902. They married on April 18th, 1925 and built a home and a shed on one of their properties located on the east side of the south end of Hamlin Lake. On June 13, 1926 they had a baby boy named William Elmer Nelson, but sadly the infant died 7 days later on June 20, 1926 from complications during birth. He was the only child that Elmer and Margaret ever had. During the 1930's, the country was in a depression and money obviously was tough to come by. While Elmer had already built many buildings in Ludington and nearby areas, it was during the Great Depression years that Elmer used his carpentry skills to build boats and decoys to help bring in some income. He built the boats and decoys in the shed next to his house and sold them to his customers. In 1933, Elmer listed the 12 and 16 foot row boats he made in the Ludington Daily News. He sold them for $10 and $12 respectively. Later he advertised a “Feather-weight” flat bottom boat for $20.







In the April 11, 1934 issue of the Ludington Daily News there is an advertisement from Elmer Nelson wanting to trade a new rowboat for cedar posts 8 inches or larger which could be used for his decoys. In 1936, after advertising his duck decoys for a short period of time locally, Elmer began to advertise his duck decoys nationally. One of the first advertisements disappeared in the October 1936 issue of Outdoor Life magazine. Elmer advertised in the September and/or October issues of Outdoor Life every year from 1936 through 1945. The name of the decoys varied in the advertisements between "E.A. Nelson", "Hamlin Boat Works" and "Hamlin Decoys". The September 1938 advertisement included the words: "Dealers wanted". However, it is not known if Elmer ever had dealers that distributed his decoys. Apparently, Elmer entered his decoys in a National Exposition sometime in 1940 or 1941 and his entry won an award. In the October 1941 issue of Outdoor Life he includes the words "Prizewinners, National Exposition" in the advertisement. The October 1942 and September 1944 issues also included reference his decoys as "National Prizewinner" in the decoy advertisements.








When potential customers wrote to Elmer inquiring about his decoys, he would send out a return letter and brochures describing his decoys and a price list. It is interesting to note that the letterhead reads: "Hamlin Boat Works" and "Hollow Log Duck Boats". In researching the history of Elmer Nelson, nobody has yet to find any information on the "Hollow Log Duck Boat". He made duck decoys three ways: 2 solid cedar models, a cedar and cork model, and silhouette models. For a period of time Elmer also made miniature duck decoys. In addition to duck decoys he also made crow decoys in solid cedar and silhouettes, and owl decoys in solid cedar only. Elmer made both diver and puddle duck decoys. He did not have a lot of decoys in inventory and did not have a storefront. He would carve decoys in his shop to fill orders as they were received. For local customers the decoys were sold in gunny socks. Following this description are photo examples of Hamlin Boat Works (E.A. Nelson) decoys. Elmer continued making decoys into the 1950's, but unfortunately like many other wood duck decoy factories, when the market began shifting to decoys made of plastic their wooden decoys became obsolete. However, Elmer Nelson was the type of man who was always looking for new opportunities. Those opportunities included anything from raising hunting dogs to building rustic furniture. In later years he was a manager and forester for the Cartier Forest Company. He and his wife Margaret continued to live the rest of their years at their home at 2663 North Lakeshore Drive on Lake Michigan. Elmer suffered a heart attack and died on July 31, 1976 and Margaret died on May 8, 1981; both of whom passed away in Ludington, Michigan and are buried there together.










(Photo Above): Elmer Nelson's Obituary, and Not Surprising as He was the Youngest Child, He Outlived All 5 of His Older Brothers and Sisters.


 

It's rare to come across a Hamlin decoy and even rarer to find a Black Duck; and Even Rarer in this Near Mint Condition!! I have only ever personally handled this species, the Black Duck once in my life-time and have also handled and owned another very rare species, a pair of blue-winged teal over the many years. I have seen a several pairs of mallards in collections over the ears, but this is the first Near Mint Black Duck I have ever heard of let alone seen. This uncommon decoy retains all of its original paint and it in such nice condition there are no cracks, chips, dents or rubs anywhere on this decoy that once had a line-tie, but it appears to have only been used to hunt over once or twice or slightly more but it was handled with kid gloves. In general, the thick original coat is entirely intact and the paint on entire body is mint without even any rubbing to the beautiful original paint. The paint on this decoy is Original, Vivid, Bright and in Gorgeous Condition Like it was Made Yesterday. This is one of Hamlin Boat Works later No. 1 Solid Cedar decoys as the body shows only original band saw work under the tail where the back and tail piece were attached to give this decoy a perfect, high, puddle duck tail. This later Hamlin Boat Works Black Duck was very nicely rounded with spoke-shaves and lightly sanded so that it was left with a rougher surface on which the rag-dabbed paint created a feathery, realistic surface, almost exactly in the same manner as Michigan's most popular and well-known carver Ben Schmidt. Like Schmidt, Elmer Nelson applied a thick base coat that cover ed the entire decoy, and then with a rag or possibly a sponge he carefully painted onto the high pints in the rough wood which gives the decoy a very life-like and realistic surface. This awesome and near mint decoy has absolutely no cracks, checks, dents or damage of any kind which is why I think it is a distinct possibility that it was never used.






On occasion, Hamlin Boat's decoy makers were known to have used white lead to fill in small cracks, where the neck attached to the body to fill in gaps or on knots, but the original wood stock was so perfect for this decoy that they didn't use any filler on imperfections, but he did use his typical white lead to fill in gaps where the head was attached, and like all Hamlin Boat Works decoys the eyes were glued into pre-drilled holes and then white lead was used to fill in any gaps around the eyes. It was just a beautiful decoy the day that it was made. and due to being very carefully handled over the last 84+ years, and if it was protected in a collection, it was likely either sitting on a mantel of boxed up with other belongings dear to the owner. Based on the absence of shot and the almost non-existent edge rubbing or wear, I very highly doubt whether this decoy has ever seen water, let alone being gunned over.







Another Excellent Aspect of this Rare Decoy is that while it did have a line-tie, it was never weighted. which ironically was a selling point that the company used in its brochures. The head on this Very Rare Hamlin Boat Works Company decoy was attached with marine glue, a dowel and toe-nailed, small finishing nails. On the larger decoys like mallards and this Black Duck up for auction, the heads were attached with 2 toe-nailed nails from each side that went on an angle down through the base of the neck and into the body. But just like when the back and tail top piece was nailed on, all was done with finishing nails that were inset with a nail punch. On smaller decoys like Blue-Winged Teal decoys, the heads were attached with only 2 two-nailed nails. On this Black Duck up for auction, while the nails were used to attach the head and hold in place while the glue dried, the lead that covered the recessed nail holes is perfectly intact except for on of the neck nails and one of the 4 used to attach the raised back and tail cedar top piece







These rare old Hamlin Boat decoys were certainly made the old-fashioned way, with the shaping having been done with all hand tools. The Hamlin decoy carver roughed out the bodies and heads with a band saw, and then the decoys were shaped almost to the point of completion with a draw knife on the bodies, and a hand knife for the heads; and on later decoys like this black Duck they were sanded to remove all sand and most spokeshave marks. The carving on this decoy was quite basic like all of their decoys, and although they were never completely rounded, some of the later ones like this Black Duck have slightly more contoured lines and smoother surfaces. The rough surface is exactly how these birds were made, but with the "Schmidt-Like" paint and blended in several spots makes the paint on this Black Duck realistic, and the somewhat rough bodies was all that was needed to make these wonderfully, very life-like hunting decoys. This beautiful and thick original paint on this decoy is a perfect and aesthetic a paint job and one of the nicest specimens of a duck decoy for this pioneering company that at the time was in a relatively and somewhat rural area of Michigan at that time in the 1930's in the Great Lakes State. This is actually a wonderfully-formed, slightly smaller than life-sized decoy measures a Very Visible and Lightweight for Transportability: 15-1/4" long x 6" wide x 7-1/2" tall and weighs a hefty for the size 2-lbs. 1-oz. The dimensions of this Black Duck decoy is a great indicator of what their best decoys were made like, plus brand new at the time, cedar fence post "Lumber-yard" cedar wood stock. Obviously, their larger decoys like this Black Duck, they were made from larger slabs of cedar or new and larger, new utility pole lumber yard stock, including the head and back and tail cedar piece. Overall a very rare and very nice Michigan made, factory decoy that was more of a "cottage industry", hand-made decoy that was made for a short period of time and quite uncommon even here in Michigan. Great addition to your collection of factory or Michigan made decoys. If you have any questions or would like additional photos feel free to email me.

 

 

BELOW is a DESCRIPTION of the PHOTOS in the BEGINNING PICTURE SECTION OF THIS LISTING:






The First Photo is of this Awesome Black Duck up for auction. The Next 5 Photos are of a Elmer Nelson and some of his Sales Brochures & Advertisements. The Next 11 Photos are again of this Black Decoy By Itself from a Variety of Angles and Distances. The Last Photos are of Other Printed Matter from the Company as Well as Other Hamlin Boat Works Company Duck Decoys.





 

• I also encourage you to use the zoom function in this listing so that you can get a close-up look at any and all specific areas you might like to peruse!!

 

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(Below Photos): Some Other Hamlin Boat Works Company Decoy from Different Time Periods & Models!






 

• (below photo): A Very Early, Solid Cedar Decoy with Poor Carving, Very Basic Paint & Tucked Head to Avoid Neck Carving or Ordered that Way:​

(below photo): An Early & Likely a Black Duck Before the Company Established Paint Patterns as it Has White Borders to the Odd Double-Speculums:














(below photo): A Later Decoy than the One Shown Above that Shows How the Company was Quickly Getting Better as the Finish has a Nice Surface, the High Head is Well-Evolved & the Paint Great for a Pintail is Better, But Still Quite Dark:














(below photo): Another Later, Early Period Decoy that Still Shows Some Heavy Spoke-Shave Marks, but the Rough Surface is Starting to Become More Nicely Feathered and the Form is Getter Much Better:













(below photo): A Middle Period Decoy with a Pleasing Form & Correct Canvasback Paint Scheme, But Possibly Repainted as they Used Very Flat Paint as a Rule, But on the Other Hand Maybe All that they Had on Hand was Semi-Gloss or It was Worn Smooth from Handling:














(below photo): Nice Middle Period Pintails in Both their Full-Size Gunning Decoys and a Pair of Rare Miniatures They Were Known to Have Made, But Quite Scarce:













(below photo): Another "MINIATURE" Edition and Not a Bad Paint Job Considering they Likely Didn't Make a Great Number of Wood Ducks:













(below photo): A VERY NICE PAIR of ONE-PIECE BODIED MALLARDS with CONCISE, CLEAN PAINT & EXCELLENT FORM:















(below photo): A Very Unique Combination Silhouette & Full-Bodied Decoy that was Likely Set Out in the Rig with the 3-Dimensional Body & Head Above Water; and if It Happened to Flip There was No Reason to Go Flip It as the Silhouette Would Fill in Just Fine:













(below photo): An Extremely Rare Owl Decoy that Only was Available as a Full-Bodied Decoy, Unlike Crow Decoys that Were Available in Full-Bodied and Silhouette Models: