Choctaw Baskets, ca. 1950
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GUEST:
I bought this one and this one along the highway in Louisiana before you were born. (both laugh)
APPRAISER:
A while back, huh?
GUEST:
A while back. And then the others belong to my son.
APPRAISER:
These are Choctaw Indian baskets from Mississippi and Louisiana, all of them. They're made out of river cane. People had to get these canes and split them out into these little narrow strips
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
to weave these baskets. The larger baskets here are called double weaves.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
They're woven on the inside and the outside, so there's two layers. Most of the Choctaw baskets I've seen are single weaves, and they're just utility baskets. They're just used for processing rice or grain. They're usually very plain. These aren't. These are probably the most decorated Choctaw baskets I've ever seen.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And real high quality. And there's only one that's a single weave, and that's this little gathering basket in the front that's a miniature. All the rest of these baskets are double weave.
GUEST:
How do they do a double weave?
APPRAISER:
They started in the center and wove it out, and then went back over and down to the bottom. I would say the earliest one is that small one in the front. And it probably goes back to the 1920s or '30s.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And they go up to the 1970s. These tall baskets and these in the... these bigger baskets, $400 to $600 apiece.
GUEST:
You're kidding.
APPRAIESR: No, ma'am.
GUEST:
You're kidding!
APPRAISER:
The little red and tan basket, that's probably $150 to $200 for that one. And then the little tiny gathering basket that's a miniature, that basket, I would say $75 to $100.
GUEST:
Whoa.
APPRAISER:
So...
GUEST:
I wouldn't... I wouldn't make it for that.
APPRAISER:
I wouldn't, either.
GUEST:
I'd raise the price.
APPRAISER:
(laughing) On the low end, $1,800 at an auction.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And at a high end, probably $2,400 at auction.
GUEST:
Uh-huh, that's a nice number.
APPRAISER:
So... It's nice, they're nice baskets.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
It's great to see them.
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