Decoy. Artist: Factory / LL Bean. Detachable head. L.L.Bean sold some of the most beautiful oversized cork duck decoys, some of which were very similar to Herters. George Soule is credited with being the first commercial maker of oversized cork decoys. George’s decoys were a success and he opened his own shop; however, most of his decoys were sold to LL Bean or Abercrombie & Fitch for sale and distribution. L.L. Bean decoys can be distinguished normally by a wood insert in the tail of the decoy. Bean’s stamp was also on the bottom of most decoys. While most Bean decoys were made of cork, Balsa bodies were produced during World War 2 when cork was in short supply because of its use in life jackets. Bean decoys had a carved wood head with a wood dowel that extended through the body where the anchor cord was attached (in fact this was patented by Soule in 1941). This allowed the head to be turned in different positions.