Indian Pottery and Baskets – Daryle Lambert's Antiques and Collectibles Blog – Still desired

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 Children at Pow Wow - Thanks to Elkriver.K12.Mn.US

 

Yesterday was a special day for me and my family. Vickie, Josh, Collin and JL and a young man from the Lakota tribe planned a surprise for me. They told me we were going to Lake Geneva for Father’s Day, but in truth we were going to an Indian Pow Wow.

This was a smaller Pow Wow than the one we attend in Wisconsin, but it still brought a sense of pride and hope to me. Seeing people so mistreated by this country still honor it, was something that brought tears to my eyes. In fact, we were invited to join in a dance of honor and something happened that I will never forget. My 11 year old son Josh joined me in the dance and there is no way to tell you how proud I was of him.

But this blog is about antiques and collectibles, right? This I promise you. If you’re looking for Indian artifacts, there is no reason to go to an Indian reservation. Why? There are no artifacts there. Everything was taken from the Indians, but thank goodness, some of the museums are returning items to the tribes. Most of what is being returned came from burial mounds and is spiritual to the Indians. However, there are many other Indian items that were made for the trade and even some that were actually used that collectors can own and appreciate.

Most dealers think of pottery as the ultimate goal in searching for Indian treasures, but here is a surprise for you. The real treasures are often baskets. When pottery is selling for thousands of dollars, baskets can be bringing tens of thousands. The Apache Olla basket may well bring $25,000 to $50,000, and average baskets on eBay are listed for $4,000 to $8,000. You can click on Amazon on the right column of this page, and there you will find several books on Native American Baskets and Pottery. Several of these should be in your library.

But let’s not forget about Indian pottery because Hopi, Acoma and Pueblo pieces can do quite well. Hopi and Pueblo pieces usually are white, black and orange red. They picture animals, symbols and people and the larger they are, the pricier they get. On the other hand, there is a pottery that is called black on black that was produced by the Pueblo tribe. If you find a piece of it by the right potter, the price can be out of sight.

Baskets and pottery were often brought back by vacationers as souvenirs and they have passed through the family and end up in a garage or house sale. This is where you may find your next treasure, so keep a keen eye out for authentic Indians pieces and they will reward you handsomely.

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