- TOM HUMBERSTONE -



 

• Central and Finger Lakes Regions

• Tom is 78-Years Old & Has Been One of the Region's Most Enduring and Prolific Carvers

(Picture Below): Tom Humberstone, 26-Years Ago, Selling & Displaying his Decoys at the 1997 National Decoy Show in St. Charles, Illinois:








Birth Name: THOMAS F. HUMBERSTONE




Birth Date: FEBRUARY 5, 1946 ~SYRACUSE, NEW YORK

• Tom Humberstone Spent Most of his Life in Onondaga County, New York; in Both Syracuse & Skaneateles ........ On the Shores of Lakes' Named After Both of those Cities ........ a Mere 60 Miles South of Lake Ontario ......... and a Short 2 Hour Drive to Cape Vincent & the St. Lawrence River!!

(Picture Below): Tom Humberstone Lived in Skaneateles, New York which is 2 Hours South of the St. Lawrence River ........ But He First Duck Hunted There & Where He Did Later as Well ........ And Fashioned His Wood Duck Decoys After Decoys from the Region:















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(Picture Below): TOM HUMBERSTONE at a DECOY SHOW ~2011 -and- ANOTHER at a SHOW with FELLOW COLLECTOR ROBERT YOUNGMAN!!












(Picture Below): HUMBERSTONE at HIS WORK SHOP in SKANEATELES:













(Picture Below): TOM HUMBERSTONE was an ARDENT SUPPORTER of DUCKS UNLIMITED and HELPED WHENEVER ASKED TO:












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(Pictures Below): This AWESOME, PRISTINE, VERY RARE, 100% ORIGINAL 1994 TOM HUMBERSTONE "DRAKE BUFFLEHEAD" -and- this DECOY was an AWARD WINNER at the SUSQUEHANNOCK, PENNSYLVANIA "GUNNING DECOY CONTEST"!!




 

• AWESOME FORM in the STYLE of the ST. LAWRENCE RIVER DECOYS WHICH HAD to BE VERY HEAVILY RIGGED & WEIGHTED ........... with the SWIFT & SWIRLING CURRENTS and VERY UNPREDICTABLE WINDS!!:

• YOU CAN EVEN SEE the REMNANTS of the WATERPROOF TAPE that COVERED his SIGNATURE ........... SO JUDGES WOULDN'T KNOW the CARVER when JUDGING GUNNING DECOYS for SWIMMING & RIGHTING ABILITY in the WATER TANK!!

(Pictures Below): Gorgeous White Winning Ribbon is Obviously Included:














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(Pictures Below): This SUPERB, MINT, VERY RARE, 30-YEAR-OLD, TOM HUMBERSTONE "DRAKE BUFFLEHEAD" -and- These PHOTOS SHOW the PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL CARVING & PAINT LINES!!



 

• (Below Photos): PERFECTLY CARVED-IN & MOUNTED DARK BROWN with "SUSPENDED" BLACK IRIS' TAXIDERMIST BIRD EYES!!
  
  
  
  
  
   

• STUNNING SUPER FLAT PAINT & DETAILING: Amazing Tiny Brush Strokes Using Shades of Gray with Gray-Brown to Tail Feathers ...... Tiny Brown Strokes to Brown with Brown-Gray to Wing Tips ...... Precisely Executed Black Back Paint with a Few Tiny Lateral Lines into the Upper Back with Gray Mixed into Black Wing Primaries ...... Perfect, Small Light Gray Speculums & Bill with Tiny Black Stroke Detailing ..... Amazing Black Head Paint with Purple, Green & Blue-Turquoise Iridescent Highlights ...... and Solid, Snow-White Head Patch, Body & 2/3's of the Tail's Bottom.

• REMARKABLE BILL: OUTSTANDING TINY "BUFFLEHEAD" BILL with DEEP, CARVED-IN HEAD/BILL SEPARATION, NOSTRILS and BLACK PAINTED NAIL:

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(photos below): PERFECTLY-RIGGED HUMBERSTONE "BUFFLEHEAD" with HEAVY-DUTY, DEEP & SOLID-CEDAR, BEVEL-ENDED, GLUED & SCREWED-ON KEEL ...... VERY HEAVY HAND-CAST, LEAD WEIGHT ATTACHED with a LONG BRASS SLOTTED SCREW ..... with LARGE, DRILLED-THRU, LINE-TIE!!


 

• Entire Bottom was Given a Very Thick Coat of a Light Grayish-Tan Paint that was Done After the Keel was Attached & It is Protected Perfectly!!

• With Keel Going from Very Front to Very Rear Edge of Bottom & Extremely Heavy Ballast Weight this Bird Could Ride Out Any Rough Waters & Wind and "Never" Flip!!

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(photos below): Just Look at the Stunning & Extremely Detailed Carving and Paint From a Top & Bottom Angles and From Different Directions as Well!!




 

CLOSE-UP PHOTOS of JUST SOME of the INCREDIBLE CARVING & PAINTING DETAIL to this DRAKE BUFFLEHEAD "TRUE" GUNNING DECOY!!




 

• OUTSTANDING TUCKED HEAD STYLE & FORM: PERFECT PAINT & RIGGING WOULD FOOL ANY WILD DUCK of ANY SPECIES as it SWIMS with PERFECTION I AM SURE!!

FIRST (4) PICTURES BELOW are FROM the "TOP" SIDE and from FRONT & REAR ANGLES:





















PICTURES BELOW are FROM the "BOTTOM" and from FRONT & REAR ANGLES:





















(2) CLOSE-UP PICTURES of the CONCISE BACKS:

















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(pictures below): The HEAD of this AMAZING "DRAKE BUFFLEHEAD" from SEVERAL ANGLES; Note the IMPRESSIVE SLIGHTLY-TURNED "REALISTIC FORM" ....... PRECISELY CARVED EYE GROOVES to the BILL with GREAT "PUFFY" HEAD FORM ....... and the DEEPLY CARVED BILL DETAILS are PERFECTLY CLEAN & SYMMETRICAL!!





 

• LIFE-LIKE, "TUCKED" HEAD with a PERFECT SMALL "BUFFLEHEAD" STUBBY BILL with NICE & VERY DEEPLY CARVED-IN, BILL/HEAD SEPARATION, NOSTRILS and PAINTED-ON NAIL ........... and the HEAD is TIGHT LIKE-NEW as it was EITHER ATTACHED with a CLAMPED, DOWEL & GLUE or a DOUBLE-ENDED SCREW & GLUE!!!

• PERFECTLY LOCATED EYES with the PRECISION of a MICROMETER or GAUGED-CALIPERS ....... with PRECISELY CARVED IN to a PERFECT DEPTH, "TAXIDERMIST, DARK BROWN" HIGH-QUALITY GLASS EYES!!!

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• "Tom Humberstone"

• YOU CAN EVEN SEE the REMNANTS of the WATERPROOF & REMOVABLE "MEDICAL" TAPE that COVERED his SIGNATURE ........... SO JUDGES WOULDN'T KNOW the CARVER when JUDGING GUNNING DECOYS for SWIMMING & RIGHTING ABILITY in the WATER TANK!!

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(photos below): REAL "BUFFLEHEAD" in the WILD So You Can SEE HOW AWESOME this HUMBERSTONE DECOY up for Auction REPRESENTS the SPECIES; IT'S REMARKABLE:



























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(photos below): An AWESOME 100% ORIGINAL PAIR of TOM HUMBERSTONE'S "CORK" RINGED-NECK DUCK DECOYS!!













(photos below): A SUPERB & MINT, 100% ORIGINAL PAIR of TOM HUMBERSTONE'S "CEDAR" RINGED-NECK DUCK DECOYS!!














(photos below): TWO DIFFERENT PAIRS of TOM HUMBERSTONE CANVASBACKS from DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS and STYLES ....... the LATER PAIR SHOW the INFLUENCE of POSSIBLY a PAIR of CANVASBACKS MADE by ONE of the OLD MASTER CARVERS of the ST. LAWRENCE RIVER & EASTERN "LAKE ONTARIO" REGION!!















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(photo below): A PAIR of HIS AWESOME SOLID-CEDAR MALLARDS as WELL as an EXCELLENT PAIR of SUPERB SOLID-CEDAR BLUEBILLS ....... BOTH with a STYLE & FORM of the CANADIAN & U.S. ST. LAWRENCE RIVER REGION:















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This "One-of-a-Kind", Rare, "Pristine", Signed, Tightly Tuck-Headed, 30-Year Old, "Tom Humberstone" Drake Bufflehead up for Auction:











"OUTSTANDING" & "PRISTINE" 100% ORIGINAL;
"ONE-OF-A-KIND"; 30-YEAR-OLD; "DRAKE BUFFLEHEAD";