Mason Decoy Factory Hand Carved Duck Decoys
Born out of a true to life duck hunter into a work of art that is still revered even to this day, the Mason Decoy Factory was a prominent player in the decoy market in the early 20th century. Founded my William James Mason in the shadows of Lake St. Clair in Detroit, Michigan. Designed at first to be a part of his own decoy spread, he decided that making them commercially could be lucrative as well. With the help of a small work force he was able to manufacture and hand paint the decoys and the sell them on the open market.The company really took off when William's son Herbert took over the business. In 1905 William passed away and the company was set to run completely by Herbert. He took the company nationwide through the use of advertising and also expanded the product line to more budget friendly decoys in addition to the high quality decoys the company had been founded on.
Premier Grade
The top of the line Mason Decoy Factory decoy, the premier grade was a greatly detailed and intricate decoy. It can be distinguished by some very distinct things different from other decoys. First you will notice a carved notch at the top of the bill and a crease that separates the bill from the face of the decoy. It is attached to the face with a nail added to the end of the bill. They are flat on the bottom of the decoy and are often found hollow as this is how the decoys were manufactured due to being lighter for transportation. Since it was the top of the line decoy, all the best painters at the company were assigned to paint the decoys and it is noticable in the great detail and very lifelike color schemes displayed on the duck decoys. The paint is often found in circular strokes which make for a very realistic look meant to copy the real to life irradescne of the feathers.Challenge Grade
Next in line to the premier grade was the challenge grade for Mason decoys. While they tend to look mostly similar to the premier series, a few things of note set them apart. First, the decoys are generally smaller than their premier counterparts. Secondly, while the premier was hollow, the challenge grade is solid with a round bottom (again the premier decoys were flat bottomed). The paint patterns are also pretty good in general, but the color patterns were less refined and larger blocks of a single color are often noted. Finally, the face and bill are smooth with no notch unlike the premier grade.Standard Grade
The most common and popular grade of duck decoy made by Mason was the standard grade. They are noted for being far less intricate in detail, there was no difference in the bill and the decoy. The only difference between the bill and body was the paint color difference. Where the neck of the head met the body putty was used to hide the crease created. This putty was then painted over to create a solid appearance and no crease is visible on well maintained decoys. Finally, the decoys came with three different eye types, a glass eye, a tack eye or a painted eye.Hopefully this guide can help you determine which Mason duck decoy you would like to purchase.