20th-Century Reproduction Indian Tomahawk
Appraised Value:
$150 - $250
IMAGE: 1 of 1
Update 5.10.2010:
In this segment, appraiser John Buxton speculates that based on its shape, the reproduction tomahawk may be made from the jawbone of a horse. After the segment aired, a viewer who said he makes the tomahawks for a living, wrote in to tell us that he recognized the head of the tomahawk was made from the jawbone of a cow, not a horse.
Appraisal Video: (58:20)
Appraised By:
John Buxton
Tribal Arts
Antiques Appraiser and Consultant
Appraisal Transcript:
GUEST: Well, me and my mommy were at a garage sale, and they said it was on sale for ten bucks, and my mommy said I could buy it, so I bought it.
APPRAISER: So did you try to bargain with them at all?
GUEST: Well, it was for 15, but they said I could have it for ten.
APPRAISER: So you did well, then. All right, now, tell me what you've learned about this.
GUEST: I think this is bunny hair.
APPRAISER: Bunny hair, okay.
GUEST: And I think this is horsehair.
APPRAISER: Horsehair.
GUEST: And I think this is bear teeth.
APPRAISER: Bear teeth. Okay. And do you know anything about it, how they're used?
GUEST: Well, I know you go like... You hold it by that rubber part, and you go... and you throw it, and it goes and sticks into the animal.
APPRAISER: Ah. Now, one of the things that we know about this tomahawk is that it's very, very fancy. Most of the ones that are real are a little simpler. So you might not have the bunny fur on it, and you probably wouldn't have the teeth. And these are probably some kind of animal teeth. I don't know whether they're bear teeth. This is a horsehair up here, okay?
GUEST: Okay. Do you know what kind of bone this is?
APPRAISER: I'm thinking that with this long jaw like this, it might be a horse bone. Might be part of a horse jaw.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And this is probably, like, an electrician's tape back here. So this was made to sell to somebody, but it wasn't made to be used. But it's very decorative, and you'll see pieces exactly like this framed up. And even though they're not really old Indian pieces, they still have value. I've seen doctors and lawyers pay as much as $150 to $250 on these pieces that are framed like that. So how's that for your ten dollars?
GUEST: Good.
APPRAISER: That's pretty cool, isn't it? I guess you're going to be going to more garage sales, aren't you?
GUEST: Yeah, but I'm going to probably look for a real tomahawk next time.
APPRAISER: You're going to look for a real tomahawk.
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