Library of Congress Bicentennial Celebration Presentation - Page 16
Western Wildlife Gallery, San Francisco.
The west had its share of wealthy investors able to play in those eastern leagues, but collectors of the 'mid- range' decoys (an auctioneering euphemism for regional decoys that appear just beyond the center of the catalog, but still short of the "unknowns", the dubious, the bogus, and junkers) were all encouraged by the rising values of their hobby. In the Pacific Northwest, local collectors held "rallies". Collectors in southern California held slightly more upscale "get-togethers", and the collectors in between preferred "Swap and Sell" meets. The Swap & Sell group were not only candid about the money, but they were more enterprising, and they did not neglect the culture. In 1979, collector Jerry Rosenthal, of Los Gatos, arranged a comprehensive display, "West Coast Waterfowl Decoys", at the San Jose Museum of Art. That same year he hosted a swap & sell in an historic old boathouse in the once famous waterfowling community of Alviso, near the marshes of south San Francisco Bay.
The next year, members of P.F.D.A. in collaboration with California Ducks Unlimited and the California Waterfowl Association, introduced their interests to the community of Marysville, with the first Sutter Basin Swap & Sell. A mixed reception suggested a second try in neighboring Yuba City. This 2nd Annual Sutter Basin Swap & Sell brought in art-in-action carvers, a decoy contest, a wildlife art and photography exhibition, and noted local duck call makers. There was no 3rd Annual. Yuba City taught what had been forgotten so long ago in New York City: decoys can command a loyal following. They can create nostalgia, incite poetry, and inspire creativity. They can sell for high prices, and hold audiences enthralled at "million dollar auctions", but somehow none of this ever adds up to making it in show business.