General Fibre Company (General Moulding), Ariduk Fiber Decoys

A third major producer of paper mache decoys began production after World War 2 in 1949. Their decoys were sold under the trade name of

Ariduk. General Fibre Co. also produced decoys for Sears Roebuck and JC Higgins! They produced their model 200 series of decoys in mallard, bluebill, pintail, canvasback and black duck species. They produced Canada geese, crow and owl decoys in the 1950’s. General Fibre’s factory was located on Locust street in St.Lois Mo. and remained there until 1959.

Duck and goose decoys can be easily identified by the round plug on the back of the decoy. This plug was the manufacturing entry point that allowed the head and body to be made in one piece. The plug completed the watertight seal. General Fibre Co. was a fierce competitor of the Carrylite Decoy Co. which was located in Wisconsin (see previous Decoy Corner article).

General Fibre utilized glass eyes initially but eventually used plastic eyes moulded into the head to compete with other fiber moulded decoys. A number of models were produced including 600 series with a straight neck or feeder version, model 700 series were oversized and model 800 decoys were produced as shells and the heads were detachable.

In 1954 a plastic resin was added to the fiber to enhance it’s waterproofing properties. Model 300 (Executive series) was added in the late 1950’s which had sculpted side pocket feathers.

In 1959 the company moved to Cedar St. in St. Louis and remained there until 1970. Their final move was in 1970 when they moved to Cherokee St. in St. Louis and changed their name to General Moulding Corporation. They introduced their first plastic decoy in 1970, the model A-20 and stayed in business until 1975.

Hundreds of thousands of decoys were produced by General Fibre Co. and Airduk Pintail Decoys distributed throughout the Midwest. The

vast majority were mallards. Ariduk decoys are quite collectible, especially species like pintail, Blackduck and bluebill.

Warman’s “Duck Decoys” has a value range of Ariduk decoys of $75-250. Fiber decoys produced for Sears Roebuck and JC Higgins are valued up to $175 if in good condition. Ariduk’s are easily identified by their name moulded in the bottom of the decoy. Ariduk geese and swans are particularly collectible and are valued in the $200 range.

As always, you should consult a reputable decoy collector or dealer for actual values in your area.

While Fiber decoys began to replace wood decoys, their collectibility has recently increased. Many antique dealers have Ariduk decoys and you can still find good examples at flea markets, auctions and garage sales.

If you have an Ariduk Decoy, they certainly would be considered as a mantel bird but many hunters are still using them in their everyday rigs!