20th-Century Reproduction Indian Tomahawk
GUEST:
Well, me and my mommy had a garage sale, and they said it was on sale for ten bucks. And my mommy said I could buy it, so I bought it.
APPRAISER:
So did you try to bargain with them at all?
GUEST:
Well... It was for $15, but they said I could have it for ten.
APPRAISER:
So you did well, then. All right, now, tell me what you've learned about this.
GUEST:
I think this is bunny hair.
APPRAISER:
Bunny hair, okay.
GUEST:
I think this is horse hair.
APPRAISER:
Horse hair.
GUEST:
And I think this is bear teeth.
APPRAISER:
Bear teeth, okay. And do you know anything about it, how they're used?
GUEST:
Well, I know you go, like... You hold it by that rubber part and you go, and you throw it and it goes, and sticks into the animal.
APPRAISER:
Ah. Now, one of the things that we know about this tomahawk is that it's very, very fancy. Most of the ones that are real are a little simpler. So you might not have the bunny fur on it, and you probably wouldn't have the teeth. And these are probably some kind of animal teeth. I don't know whether they're bear teeth. This is a horse hair up here, okay?
GUEST:
Okay. Do you know what kind of bone this is?
APPRAISER:
I'm thinking that with, with this long jaw like this, it might be a horse bone—might be part of a, a horse jaw.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And this is probably, like, an electrician's tape back here, so this was made to sell to somebody, but it wasn't made to be used. But it's very decorative and you'll see pieces exactly like this framed up, and even though they're not really old Indian pieces, they still have value. I've seen doctors and lawyers pay as much as $150 to $250 on these pieces that are framed like that.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So how's that for your ten dollars?
GUEST:
Good!
APPRAISER:
That's pretty cool, isn't it? I guess you're gonna be going to more garage sales, aren't you?
GUEST:
Yeah, but I'm gonna probably look for a real tomahawk next time.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, look for a real tomahawk.
Appraisal Details
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