Ashanti Akuaba Dolls, ca. 1960
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GUEST:
These are actually my grandmother and my grandfather's. During the late '60s they lived in Nigeria for a few years and my grandfather bought them from a peddler. He probably paid approximately five dollars in American cash for them. The peddler told them that they were fairly old, but he never really was quite sure what to believe.
APPRAISER:
Now, I don't know whether I should tell you this because I have had a chance to meet your boyfriend, but they believe in Ghana that these are fertility pieces and if you touch them, you will become pregnant, and hopefully, then, your children will be as beautiful as the dolls. Now, does that worry you at all?
GUEST:
(giggling) A little.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, we'll move right along from there. These objects are from Ghana. They're called akuabas.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And they are dolls that are rubbed by the women and carried around and they're stuck in the waist. Now, one of the things that we need to look at is surface. Now, you can see how the surface is consistent on these. This means that probably they didn't have a great deal of rubbing. The head is a little elongated, which is, again, a bit atypical. Now, these are late, having been collected in the '60s. Probably a collector would want them to be a little bit earlier, okay? Maybe the '20s or the '30s and to have a little bit more surface. But stylistically they're very close to the authentic pieces. And, as such, I think that they're fun for you to have. As fairly late akuabas these are worth about $100 to $150 apiece.
GUEST:
Okay, great.
APPRAISER:
So you now have a fertility doll... (laughs) that you can keep and use however you feel is appropriate.
GUEST:
Well, thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
Well, thank you.
GUEST:
Appreciate it.
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