Pre-contact Eskimo Walrus Adze Handle
GUEST:
My wife has a 99-year-old aunt in Tucson, Arizona. She thought it was a shillelagh, and I liked the heft of it, so she said I could have it. She got it from her father, who was General Aikens, two-star general under MacArthur. I have no idea what it is. I know it's really fine to the hand.
APPRAISER:
I'm really excited. It's an extraordinary object, and it's from the Eskimo. With reference whether we call it Eskimo or Inuit, it seems to be standard practice that the Inuit are the Canadian side of the people living up there. And that the Eskimo are on the American side.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And it's pre-contact, and probably is between the 12th and 15th century. So that's really early. But it's a masterpiece of Eskimo carving. You can see here it has these extraordinary inlaid circles, and they're on all sides. But what's really interesting is that here you have baleen, which is the black circle on the outside, which is inlaid with the walrus tusk, as well. It's a difficult thing to do. This is a part of the world which has a real paucity of natural objects. And one of the things about Eskimo art is that everything is functional. So it's really wonderful. They make something that's functional and make it as beautiful as they can. It's made from a walrus tusk, this piece. Now, the head, which is a beautiful carving at the end, probably represents the inua, which is the spirit of the object. We were a little unsure of what it might be. We think that it was an adze handle. An adze is a tool. It probably had a jade axe-head in the end of it, which would have been lashed to the haft here.
GUEST:
Okay. Where do you get the jade?
APPRAISER:
The jade is found in Alaska. On the islands out there.
GUEST:
Okay, I didn't know that.
APPRAISER:
The surface, which is a beautiful color, has this point and dart, which is found in the culture going all the way back to the Okvik period. At the end here we have a hole, it's pierced. And that would have had a thong on it, which would have probably stopped him from losing the object. Because this would have been a priceless object at the time.
GUEST:
Is it ivory, then? Or walrus tusk?
APPRAISER:
It's walrus tusk.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And there's been a lot of controversy about the use of ivory and walrus tusk. The Eskimo are entitled to take the walrus and to use it and carve it-- their own-- and to sell it. So this fulfills all those requirements. The piece is also perfectly ergonomically designed. And it would have been used like this. It fits perfectly in the hand-- it's just a wonderful design. Do you have any idea what it's worth?
GUEST:
Don't have a clue. I was going to give it to a museum, but they won't take it unless I have a valuation.
APPRAISER:
I think a conservative retail price for this object would be between $30,000 and $50,000.
GUEST:
(laughing) My wife's not going to believe that, but she's out there somewhere watching. (laughing) That's... Okay, I'll have to tell her. (laughs)
Appraisal Details
In particular, "Eskimo" has various connotations depending on where you live in the Northern Hemisphere, but many Alaska Natives consider the term offensive.
In Canada and Greenland, "Eskimo" has negative connotations and is no longer an accepted term. "Inuit" is preferred, but that term is not as commonly used in the United States.
To the extent it is still used, "Eskimo" only properly refers to two main indigenous cultural groups collectively: Yupik (a culture group from Western Alaska) and Inupiat (a culture group from Northern Alaska and St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea). When one of these groups is being referenced, however, the more specific terms "Yupik" and "Inupiat" are preferred by Alaska Natives.
The term "Alaska Natives" includes all indigenous peoples of Alaska.
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.