Name/Title
Unfinished pattern calls by Tom TurpinEntry/Object ID
VTC001A0014Description
Tom Turpin (1871-1957) was making calls in the late 1800s as he sought a better turkey call, though it was after he retired in 1921 that he embraced his callmaking business in earnest. He pioneered turkey-call styles that bear his name to this day. His turned trumpets were, at the time, along with those of other makers, referred to as "Turpin Yelpers." He began making Hen boxes (handled short boxes) in the mid-to-late 1920s, and a non-handled box called in the 1940s known as the "Standard Turpin Box." Turpin box calls were custom-made, with a hand-hewn base. There was no spring between the paddle and the base, requiring a canting of the paddle when stroking it. Superior at "talking turkey," this call style is still in use today. Shown here are pattern-calls, essentially unfinished calls that Earl Mickel acquired. One of them (the handled Hen Box) is the "2B" call from Plate 19 of Earl Mickel's second book. The stain on one side is the tell-tale mark. Tom Turpin had made lines on the top of the paddle, and then wrote "Yelp" between two of them on the side of the base, and "Gobble" between the other two lines (verified byTurpin's grand-nephew, Steve Turpin, as the only Turpin box he has seen Turpin's words on). This corresponds to the call made when that area of the paddle contacts the sideboard. The other call is a standard Turpin box with its square end; it has a rough-cut paddle and a pencil mark on the paddleCollection
Brent Rogers collectionCataloged By
Brent RogersCondition
Overall Condition
FairDate Examined
Feb 1, 2026Created By
Brent@awthf.orgCreate Date
February 1, 2026Updated By
Brent@awthf.orgUpdate Date
February 1, 2026
