This article is excerpted from Mason Decoys, A Complete Pictorial Guide--Expanded Edition by Russ J. Goldberger and Alan G. Haid.

	Fig. 1: Mason Premier Grade wood duck drake, ca. 1905, sold at auction in 2000 for $354,500, an auction record for a Mason decoy and the sixth highest price ever paid for any waterfowl decoy at auction.

In the early 1900s the Mason Decoy Factory (1896-1924) of Detroit, Michigan, advertised themselves as the "Largest Manufacturers Of High Grade Decoys In The World!" Founder William James Mason (mid-1800s-1905) and his successors would be pleased to learn that their quest for quality is still recognized in today's marketplace. The current record price--$354,500--for a factory decoy was set by a Mason Premier wood duck drake (Fig. 1) in January 2000. This is ten times more than current prices realized for any other factory decoy, and substantially more than its original selling price of $1.

Mason's son, Herbert, joined the company. It was at this point that the company became a nationwide commercial operation. Lathes, band saws, and sanders were installed, and skilled painters, most likely from the defunct Peterson and Dodge factories, were hired. Herbert increasingly ran the company, using his father's decoy carving and paint patterns. With the passing of his father in 1905, Herbert proved to be an astute businessman and increased profits through advertising.

Herbert Mason also sought to expand the company by broadening its market share. He did this by adding a less expensive "Standard Grade" decoy model to the existing Premier and Challenge Grades. Unlike the original models, this grade had three price levels determined by the decoy's eyes: glass, tack, or painted (see price list). The Mason Company offered a wide variety in all grades of ducks and shorebirds as well as geese, brant, crows, doves, and swans, only discontinuing its line of shorebird decoys when the hunting of shorebirds was outlawed by the Federal Migratory Waterfowl Act of 1918.

Fig. 5a: Mason Standard Grade Glasseye blue-winged and green-winged teal pairs, ca. 1910. Mint original condition.

	Fig. 5b: Mason Standard Grade Painted Eye blue-winged teal hen, ca. 1910, sold for $13,800 at auction in 2000.

While the decoy business prospered, it remained seasonal. In 1919, Herbert Mason and a friend formed the Rinshed-Mason Company and became the largest paint supplier to the growing automotive industry. (The company survives today as BASF's Inmont Division's R-M high quality line of automotive paints.)

With this venture becoming more profitable, Herbert sold the decoy business to the Pratt Company of Joliet, Illinois, in 1924. They continued the business until 1939, when owner William E. Pratt died and the company was sold to the Animal Trap Decoy Company of Lititz, Pennsylvania, who continued production until the 1960s.

Mason’s Grading System

	Fig. 5c: Mason Standard Grade Tackeye canvasback hen, ca. 1915, in mint condition.

Mason's Premiers were the highest grade decoy offered by the company (Fig. 3). They are characterized by a carved notch on the top of the bill and scored outlines that separate the bill from the face, and by a "nail" incised on the end of the bill. Premiers are generally flat-bottomed, which means they rock to a lesser extent when in the water than do round-bottomed decoys, thus offering a more realistic representation of the action of live ducks. To make them lightweight for transporting, Premiers were hollow.

Mason assigned its best painters to its Premiers, resulting in natural looking intricate details and colors appropriate to specific species. The decorators were taught to apply their paint in circular swirls to simulate the iridescence of feathers.

Fig. 7: Mason Premier Grade goldeneye drake, ca. 1920. Hollow, in nearly mint original condition.

Mason's next best offering was its Challenge Grade (Fig. 4). Similar in style to the Premiers, these decoys tend to be a bit smaller, generally solid bodied, with a smooth face and bill (no notch). The "nail" on the end of the bill is painted, not incised. Challenge decoys are mostly round-bottomed. Paint patterns remain fancy, but there is less blending and more blocks of solid colors.

	Fig. 6: Mason Standard Grade Glasseye mallard drake, ca. 1910, with neck putty missing (left) and after professional restoration (right).

After 1905, Mason began to offer its least expensive and most popular line--its Standard Grade (Figs. 5a-c). This grade was available in three varieties characterized by the differences in their eyes. Sold by mail order companies like Sears and Roebuck, these decoys are almost always solid. Bodies were turned on a lathe with little carving detail, and where head and body did not meet, neck putty was added and painted over to match. No bill delineation was used beyond contrasting paint patterns. Standards were round-bottomed; Glasseye and Tackeye models were fatter than Painted Eyes.

Why Collect Masons? For those who may shy away from a factory connotation, here are five good reasons to collect Masons: Quality — Most collectors believe that Mason decoys are every bit as collectible as handmade decoys. In fact, the factory connotation is unfair. Though more people were involved in their production, Masons were largely made by hand. Their hand-painted detail can rival that of the best decoys by individual makers (Fig. 7). Availability — More Masons were made than any other decoy. Therefore, collectors have a much better chance of finding a really good example. Affordability — Greater availability reduces rarity and in turn helps to hold down prices. Masons are still one of the best buys in decoys. Very few decoys by other classic makers can be purchased for comparable amounts. Saleability — There are more Mason collectors than any other kind of decoy collector. Therefore there will always be collectors buying and selling to upgrade, resulting in a fluid market. Value — Because of their wide appeal, Masons have steadily increased in value, whereas prices for many other makers, while growing, have continually fluctuated.

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Reprinted with permission from the Summer 2003 issue of The Catalogue of Antiques & Fine Art. For subscription information call 888.922.0004.