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Ken Trayer initially began collecting decoys
made by upper Chesapeake Bay carvers, such as, Barnes , Gibson, Mitchell, and Currier. Simultaneously
while selling a
major Madison Mitchell collection and most of his upper bay decoys, Ken developed an interest
in factory made decoys. This interest evolved due to the availability of high quality examples
which were then abundant at reasonable prices. The collection of the history, literature, and
products of commercial decoy companies became a passion. Factory made decoy collecting was not
yet common in the mid 1980s. |
The collecting community
had not yet discovered the variety, creativity, and artistry of decoys made by commercial operations. Over
the next 15 years, many decoy collecting friends continued to encourage Ken to write a book on
factory decoys.
An early retirement offer from Hershey Foods Corporation
in March of 2002 eliminated
the excuse of not having the time and provided the opportunity. While the effort was huge, the
research and writing effort began in late March of 2002. Over the next
15 months the research, travel, photography, writing, and publication of North American Factory
Decoys - A Pictorial
Identification and Reference Guide occurred. The resultant book represents some 2400 hours
of work in completing
this volume.
The motivation to producing this book was to encourage young collectors into this
hobby. The beauty of collecting factory made decoys, says Ken, is that a collector can select
an area to collect that fits any budget - be it, large or small. The passion of collecting
high quality
factory made decoys continues as will Ken's research into the area of commercial decoy operations,
their products, and patents.
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| Ken Trayer has spent over 15 years collecting, identifying,
and researching material for this volume.
...from the Forward by Stan Van Etten |
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