20th-Century Reproduction Northwest Coast Totem Pole

Appraised on: June 9, 2012

Appraised in: Boston, Massachusetts

Appraised by: John Buxton

Category: Tribal Arts

Episode Info: Boston (#1704)

Originally Aired: January 28, 2013

IMAGE: 1 of 1  

Appraisal Video: (1:00)

GUEST: About 30 years ago, my mom bought this in an antiques store in Bangkok, Thailand. She found it in the corner, and the owner was, like, "I don't even know where that's from," so.

APPRAISER: Okay, this is the style that we see in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: Pretty far from Thailand. It is probably in the style of a Haida pole, but it was made in the wrong place. So in other words, it's made as a reproduction for sale. One of the things that we look for is a natural surface. This is really shiny. It's not the kind of paint that you would see on a traditional Northwest Coast pole. These normally should be cedar, and it's not cedar, it's some wood that's indigenous to Thailand. As a decorative piece, even with the damage, since you have the pieces, this would have a value of $100 to $200.

GUEST: Oh, wow. Okay, cool. Good to know. I'm glad it's not worth a ton of money because I'm the one who broke it and knocked it over one day and just broke both the ears off it.