April 28 & 29, 2005 St. Charles, Illinois

850+ lots. Featuring decoys from the Collections of William Klein, William Towner, Phil Williamson, Ron Adamson and Joe French. The action gross was just under $2.7 million. Thirty-six items sold for over $10,000 each and five items sold for over $100,000. Top lot in the sale was a mallard hen by John Blair, Sr. from the McCleery collection, which sold for $214,000. This was a world auction record for a John Blair, Sr. decoy. This decoy was sold for $112,500 when Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. and Sotheby's sold the McCleery Collection in 2000. Second highest price of the sale was $203,000 for a William Hart hooded merganser. This was a new world auction record for a Canadian decoy. The previous record for a Canadian decoy was $187,000 when Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. sold a wood duck drake by Tom Chambers in April 2004. In the past two years people who purchased decoys at the McCleery Collection sale in January 2000 have been reselling them for significant profits through Guyette & Schmidt, Inc. Ex McCleery Collection decoys in this sale were a John Blair, Sr. mallard drake at $103,5000, it sold for $60,250 at McCleery auction. Also a John Tax snow goose sold for $100,625. It sold at the McCleery auction for $65,750.