Beaded Patriotic Scene, ca. 1870
Watch
GUEST:
My wife and I have been garage sale-ing for a long time and never really came across something quite this unique, something that I really didn't understand. I didn't know who made it, when it was made, anything like that, but I really liked it.
APPRAISER:
And where was the garage sale?
GUEST:
In Gallup, New Mexico.
APPRAISER:
Okay, Gallup, okay. What'd you pay for it?
GUEST:
$50. But I couldn't figure out whether this was Native American or not.
APPRAISER:
It's a remarkable piece. I took this to my colleagues at the tribal arts table and they'd never seen this either. It's clearly a piece of folk art, but the question is, who made it? Is it an American Indian piece or is it an Anglo piece? The beads on his sleeve here are very, very tiny. Those are some of the earliest kinds of beads that became available to American Indians, particularly out on the plains. And these don't follow too far behind. These were typical beads from the 1860s. This sort of kidney-colored bean is a little bit later. So we can start with saying that it was probably made in the 1860s or 1870s, and that fits in very well with the figure. The figure is wearing a sort of a standard Civil War or right after the war frock coat. He's an officer. We know that because he's wearing this scarlet sash that only an officer would wear. He's standing underneath these great flags with a patriotic shield and crossed flags here. He has his folding camp chair, which is very typical for officers to have had, and then there's a small artillery piece over here. Here's the interesting thing: when I first saw this, I said, "Oh, my gosh, here is a beaded piece of work "that was made in the Southwest because he's clearly standing on a Navajo-style weaving." The red wool yarns here are probably dyed with a substance called cochineal, which comes from ground-up insects. It produces a vivid red. It was a kind of dye that was used before aniline or chemical-based dyes were invented. So we're suggesting that there's a possibility that this wool is some really early wool. And that's the kind of early wool that would have been used here in the Southwest in the 1850s and 1860s. So the question is, who made this thing? If it was made here in the Southwest, the Ute in southern Colorado and throughout Colorado could have done this, or the Navajo could have done this. The Navajo were doing beadwork in the early 1860s-- not very much. But we can't say which is which because the Ute had Navajo blankets. They were trading with the Navajo. So, is it American Indian or is it an Anglo person? We don't know. This could go either way. It could go in an Americana auction with folk art or it could sell in an auction with other American Indian art. In either case, I think that a safe sort of auction estimate for the piece would be somewhere between $5,000 and $7,000.
GUEST:
Really? Just made my day.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
