The Best Unusual Finds : eBay Wooden Ducks

Looking for a duplicate of something can be almost downright impossible! It’s especially difficult if you’re looking for another vintage item that you’ve had for years. For instance, I purchased a wooden, hand-carved duck at an antique mall many moons ago. My decoy is very sculptural. It has a beautiful wood grain and is stained with a warm colonial maple. I love the idea of bringing the outdoors in and displaying items with simple designs made of wood. It goes perfectly with all of my decor, But then I decided that I’d like to have another one to make my display more balanced. What are the chances of finding a duplicate? It sounded like an impossible task. I could search through many antique stores…or the best unusual finds might be online.

The Search

My search started at my favorite antique mall. The only clue I had was that the duck I owned was stamped “Made in Canada”. We searched many aisles, and what I noticed right away was that all the duck decoys we came across were either painted or molded from plastic resin. But, we couldn’t find any simple hand-carved wood ones. I started to wonder if I’d have more luck searching online. I preferred going to local stores and looking around but this time I thought I would give it a try.

The Best Unusual Find

When I looked on eBay, I could not believe ALL the choices! I was pleasantly surprised. There were newer and vintage choices as well. Soon, I came across a seller who had THE ONE! I was instantly in love – I knew it would be a perfect compliment for the decoy I already had. It was made and signed by Bob and Tom Cook out of Macomb, Illinois,” The Duck Shop”. Believe it or not, the price was amazing too, just twenty dollars plus shipping! The price was way lower than what I had paid locally for my first duck.

To be clear, the decoys are similar but not identical. But that’s quite alright! They appear to be made of the same wood, the same size, and are stained the same color. Together, they create quite a pair.

Sometimes it’s easier to just go to Target to get something you need for your home, but other times you really may need to go on a hunt to find one-of-a-kind special items. In this case, I was able to find a great selection of what I was looking for on eBay. So, If you’re not used to purchasing online maybe give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised too! Sometimes the best unusual finds are there!

If you enjoyed this article, see my post, “How To Easily Treasure Hunt with eBay: Fun Finds.”