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Turkey hunters are passionate about their favorite pastime, and collecting wild-turkey-related memorabilia helps fuel the passion during the off season.
Click to Download Photo Courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation |
Rage for Collectibles
By Jim Casada
Courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation
One of the best ways to determine the popularity of an outdoor activity is to trace the level of interest in the history and memorabilia of that sport.
If one were to judge by the unprecedented interest in the various types of collectibles associated with wild turkeys or the National Wild Turkey Federation, it is about the hottest thing going in the world of hunting memorabilia.
Take a trip through the NWTF’s Winchester Museum to view the variety of wild turkey-related items; or spend an hour or so browsing online auctions such as eBay or Gunbroker.com; look at the classified ads in Turkey Call magazine; or try to find a classic book on turkey hunting and realization will soon dawn that there is a true rage for collectibles associated with wild turkeys, turkey calls and the NWTF.
Several quick glances on eBay over a week’s time showed an average of 512 items in these genres.
This phenomenon focuses squarely on the growing number turkey hunters. Thanks to one of the most amazing wildlife comeback stories in the history of conservation, the stellar efforts of state and federal wildlife agencies in the United States and Canada, and the remarkable success of the NWTF and turkey hunters, their ranks continue to grow. Many of those individuals become so enamored with turkey hunting that they want to expand their horizons beyond that brief window of opportunity available during the rites of spring.
“Turkey hunters are some of the most passionate hunters in the world,” said Lauren Virgo, NWTF museum and collections coordinator. “They respect the animals they hunt and work tirelessly at conserving wild turkeys and sharing their allure with others. When you walk into the home of a turkey hunter, you’ll know in an instant. Their homes are adorned with wild turkey memorabilia from the prints and taxidermy on the walls to the books on the shelves to the coasters on the coffee tables. The wild turkey is a significant part of their lives.”
For the turkey hunter or a person who appreciates fine quality, handling a venerable call identified with one of hunting’s old masters, or reading the pages from a classic treatment of the tradition can fill them with wonder. Similarly, the enduring beauty of outdoor art, whether on a magazine cover, a print or an original painting can fill the collector with joy.
Or, maybe your interests run to conservation stamps, shotshell boxes, vintage decoys or other areas in the collectible marketplace. About the only limits to collecting turkey hunting memorabilia are your imagination, persistence and depth of your purse. With those thoughts in mind, let’s take a closer look at the more popular categories of turkey hunting collectibles.
Turkey Calls
Turkey calls rank as the most popular — and pricey — area of collecting associated with turkey hunting. Calls have sold for five figures, with Neil Cost, Henry Gibson, Tom Turpin and antique Lynch calls being among the most popular. Many of these calls are worth a hefty four figures. Calls signed by the maker are the most desirable. Proof of the origin of the call and who made it looms large for calls in the highest value range.
Also in this category, price-wise, are some highly-decorative, superbly-crafted custom calls by talented contemporary call makers. Call makers who frequently place in the top at the NWTF’s Grand National Decorative Turkey Call Making Competition are among the most sought after. Calls from makers such as Donald Bald, Dave Constantine, James and Len Yule, John Parker and Irving Whitt, to name only a few, often sell in the mid to high four figures.
Beyond such rarities, there are hundreds of call makers who have produced thousands of calls that rank in the $100 to $1,000 range. There’s nothing approaching a comprehensive guide to value, so it takes time to get a feel for the market. Collectors should concentrate on a specific type of call, such as box calls or yelpers, or make one or two respected call makers the focus of their attention.
Collectors also will need to decide whether their primary interest involves custom calls or those produced for the commercial market. Also, don’t forget that having the original packaging and instructions adds to the desirability of these calls.
NWTF banquets and the NWTF’s National Convention and Sport Show are ideal venues to learn more about the turkey call market.
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Wild turkey callers and artwork top the list of most collectible wild-turkey-related items on online auctions. Many wild-turkey-related items from venerable artists even draw interest from mainstream collectors.
Click to Download Photo Courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation |
Wild Turkey Collectibles Courtesy of eBay Some of the more popular turkey-related items found on online auction sites on June 17, 2008. eBay: Turkey Calls — 319 Wild Turkey Bourbon Ads and Posters — 89 items Wild Turkey Art — 171 items NWTF Art — 44 items Postcards — 86 Gunbroker: NWTF licensed products — 104 items Turkey-related products — 498 items – Matt Lindler |
Turkey Hunting Books
Since the appearance of the first book on turkey hunting in 1912 (E.A. McIlhenny’s “The Wild Turkey and Its Hunting”), around 250 books devoted to turkey hunting have been published. Additionally, there are hundreds of books, brochures, pamphlets and other types of literature dealing with research on or management of wild turkeys. Material in the latter category can be quite dry, and with few exceptions, has little interest for average hunters.
Forming a complete collection of all the known books on the sport would be a daunting and expensive task (estimated at a cost of $25,000 to $30,000). Fortunately, most of the books on turkey hunting have appeared in the last quarter of a century, and a collector can form a representative collection without spending three figures on any given book.
The best approach is to get books while they are in print, and if possible get signed copies. Over time, they have more appeal and greater value. One of the easiest paths is to establish a sound relationship with a sporting books dealer and get their advice and help in building your collection. Beyond that, it’s a slow, painstaking task to build a library, but worth the effort in my opinion.
Turkey Hunting Magazines
Try to form a collection by holding all of the issues of Turkey Call — the first issue printed in 1973 when the organization was founded — and you will find it a real challenge. Then there are the annuals — there have been several of them over the years — where one issue of a publication is devoted exclusively to turkey hunting.
Another focal point related to magazine collecting involves acquiring periodicals with a cover illustration featuring a wild turkey or turkey hunting. Particularly appealing are vintage magazines from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, when renditions by artists, as opposed to photographs, normally graced the covers. It might be noted that this is an area of collecting that is fairly new, and there is still time for one to get in on the ground of this area of interest.
Turkey Stamps
Stamp collectors have three possible avenues to travel when it comes to the wild turkey. They can form a collection of conservation stamps issued yearly by the NWTF, focus on state turkey stamps (some Native American reservations also require hunters to purchase them) or turn to actual postage stamps showing wild turkeys.
Within these categories, there are special treasures such as entire sheets, plate blocks and first day covers. There is one particular postage stamp that every turkey collector needs — the three-cent United States issue devoted to the wild turkey. The stamp was released on May 5, 1956.
Other Types of Collectibles
Other areas that invite collector interest include decanters from Wild Turkey Bourbon; china with a turkey theme; and ads, promotional materials and product packaging from firearms and ammunition companies. Anyone interested in collecting items related to the wild turkey, NWTF or turkey calls can find an outlet for their enthusiasm. Forming collections, no matter what their focus, should first and foremost be a hobby that brings pleasure to the collector. But it doesn’t hurt to realize that in many areas, especially if one has a keen eye for quality, the collection has every chance to appreciate in value. That’s because, in this writer’s view, it’s pretty safe to say that the future of turkey collectibles looks extremely bright.
