

- Since 1971 -
The Long Island Decoy Collectors Association
Carving A Legacy Through Traditions...
Long Island, New York

Welcome to The Long Island Decoy Collectors
Our Association
The Long Island Decoy Collectors Assoc. was formed to provide a venue in which people with a shared interest in the rich Long Island decoy tradition can come together to share their knowledge and enthusiasm, as well as to share the artistry, creativity and collections of its members. The association also provides an opportunity for members to exchange and purchase artifacts and materials by both new and established artists and craftsmen.
President: Jim Jankowski
Vice President: Tim Sieger
Treasurer: Bob Liehr
Secretary: Denise Valenti
Newsletter Editor: Denise Valenti
Show Chairman: Ben Sohm
Picnic Chairman: Tim Sieger
Historian: Mel Phaff
Media Operations: Anthony Babich
History
Back in the late 1960’s when “good ole duck and snipe stool” sold for less than $100.00 each, there were a number of long time decoy collectors on Long Island who generally only saw each other at an antique gun show or a water fowlers carving show. When we did get together there was much excitement and much pleasure, buying selling or swapping decoys. We were a small group, and the collecting field was wide open. Very little history was written and verbal historical information was traded between the collectors. At that time most of the collectors were duck shoots and collecting duck stool fitted in with their life style.
The first real attempt to organize them as a unit was in 1968 at the bay house of Capt. G.W.Combs, Sr., during the annual shoot out and clam bake held each fall on the marsh of Seaford. Among the collectors who were there that expressed a desire to have a decoy collectors society were G.W. Combs, Sr., G.W. Combs, Jr., Jack Combs, Ron Bauer, Ron McGrath, Frank Murphy and Bud Ward. During the next year they would meet at one
another’s house for a swap session.
On September 21, 1970 the first organized meeting took place in West Islip. Called the “L.I. Antique Decoy Collectors Society”, it was headed by George Combs, Jr. and Bill Joeckel. At that meeting there were 27 collectors. The temporary Chairman was Malcolm Flemming, temporary Secretary and Treasurer was George W. Combs, Jr.
The L.I. Decoy Collectors Association was formed in Jan. 1971.
Officers for that year:
President George W. Combs, Jr.
V. President Bill Joeckel
Secretary Debbie Libaire
Treasurer Frank Murphy
Historical Society Ron McGrath
Board of Governors Malcolm Fleming, Frank Scrace, Bud Ward, Gilbert Herzy
The first Long Island Decoy Collectors Association display was held March 1971 at the National Decoy Show in Babylon. Our first Long Island Decoy Collectors Association show was held on Sept 25-26, 1971 and thus began a tradition of decoy collectors meets and shows that have inspired numerous future collectors and decoy collectors’ societies over the past years.
Our efforts back in 1968 made a passage for the country’s first, and one of the finest organizations of its kind. The Long Island Decoy Collectors Association and its members’ efforts in cooperation with numerous museums, writers, historians and other collectors through the past years have led to many great contributions in the field of decoy collecting.
Today decoy collectors come from all walks of life. Many books and decoy shows provide a wealth of information on the historical importance and identification of decoys from any region.
The Long Island Decoy Collectors Association meets once a month with a calendar of events, guest speakers, bird of the month (specie, maker, or region), decoys for sale or trade.
Contact Us: LongIslandDecoyCollectors.com
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