Beaded Pictorial Gauntlets, ca. 1890

Appraised on: July 23, 2011

Appraised in: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Appraised by: Douglas Deihl

Category: Tribal Arts

Episode Info: Tulsa, Hour 2 (#1602)

Originally Aired: January 9, 2012

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Appraisal Video: (1:00)

APPRAISER: How much did you pay for them?

GUEST: I paid $500.

APPRAISER: $500. Do you know which tribe made them?

GUEST: They thought it was Nez Perce, but they weren't sure.

APPRAISER: Well, that's a pretty good guess. They started making these beaded gauntlets about the 1860 period, and they became real popular by the turn of the 20th century. This pair is particularly attractive because of the spotted deer motif. Both the whites and the American Indians used these. They became really popular in Wild West shows and the value varies with the type of beadwork, whether it's pictorial. I do think these could have been made either by the Nez Perce or the Shoshone. They were made all over the Plateau area and the Plains area, but this particular beadwork style, where they bead every individual bead, is a Shoshone and Nez Perce attribute. They're probably from 1890 and they're probably worth about $2,500 to $3,500 on today's market.

GUEST: Wow. I did good then, didn't I?

APPRAISER: You did very well.