WHAT IS A DECOY BRAND?

The most common understanding of “brand” is a series of letters (usually initials) or a name that is impressed on a decoy by applying a hot iron.  However, in this archive the term “brand” will be used more generically to refer to any mark placed on a decoy to indicate ownership.  Consequently, for our purposes here a “mark, “owner’s mark,” or “brand” might be produced with a hot iron or with a cold iron (as in a stencil or timber stamp, both of which leave an imprint after being struck by a hammer or mallet).  Or, the mark might be cut into the decoy, painted on it, or molded or cut into a ballast weight.  In addition, brands can be images, such as the “Crossed Retorts” brand for the Edgewood Arsenal Club or the image of a bull that Roy Bull used to mark his collection.