Each year the public is invited to bring hunting and fishing items for identification and free appraisal to the North American Vintage Decoy & Sporting Collectibles Show in Lombard, Illinois. And sometimes something really special shows up.

One year, an elderly couple brought in an old duck call that had been given to the wife by her father many years earlier. They thought it might be of some value and were curious to learn more. Show appraisers excitedly identified it as a rare, four-panel call made around 1900 by J.T. Beckhart, considered by many as the “father of Arkansas duck calls.” Intricately carved panels, accented with fine checking patterns, featured a model 1897 shotgun, a dog pointing at a pheasant, a brace of ducks, a fish and an alligator.

As the call was being appraised, a nearby call collector caught sight of it and offered the couple $35,000 on the spot. The show appraiser leaned forward and advised the owner, “Don’t sell it! This call will bring at least twice that at auction.” The momentarily stunned couple considered this offer but finally decided to follow the appraiser’s advice. The call later sold at auction for a record-breaking $103,000!

Once again this year, The North American Vintage Decoy & Sporting Collectibles Show will be held at the Westin Chicago Lombard hotel, Lombard, IL, April 28-29, 2023. The show features vintage and contemporary waterfowl decoys, duck calls, fishing items, sporting art and outdoor collectibles, and runs from 1pm-7pm on Friday and from 9am-2pm on Saturday. Check out the show details at nadecoycollectors.org.

For information on more outdoor shows in the area, be sure to check out the Sportsman’s Calendar in every issue of MidWest Outdoors. Subscribe on our website.