
Appraisal: Zacherias Nicholas Haida Argillite Totem Pole
Clip: Season 28 Episode 2 | 3m 10sVideo has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Zacherias Nicholas Haida Argillite Totem Pole, ca. 1890
Watch Ted Trotta appraise a Zacherias Nicholas Haida Argillite totem pole, ca. 1890, in Alaska Native Heritage Center, Hour 2.
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Appraisal: Zacherias Nicholas Haida Argillite Totem Pole
Clip: Season 28 Episode 2 | 3m 10sVideo has Closed Captions
Watch Ted Trotta appraise a Zacherias Nicholas Haida Argillite totem pole, ca. 1890, in Alaska Native Heritage Center, Hour 2.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipGUEST: It's an argillite totem pole.
The argillite comes from the Queen Charlotte Islands.
It was purchased by my grandfather back in the 1920s.
He found it in a store while he was working up in Canada back then.
He was in the import-export business.
And this was left in a store by someone who had commissioned it out and, uh, never picked it up.
APPRAISER: This is a totem pole model.
It's carved of argillite, a soft stone when quarried, found only on the Queen Charlotte Islands.
Mined and quarried only by the Haida.
They're the only ones who are permitted to use it.
The greatest argillite carver ever is one of the most important Canadian artists and one of the most important artists in all of North America, Charles Edenshaw.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: This is not by Charles Edenshaw.
GUEST: Correct, yeah, from what I understand.
APPRAISER: However, this is somebody who knew Charles Edenshaw and who worked in his circle.
I believe the artist is Zacherias Nicholas.
GUEST: Great.
APPRAISER: This is a master Haida carver who worked in the late 19th century.
That's very early for this form.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: This pole undoubtedly originated in a village, may have been 20, 30 feet tall.
The artist replicated this in argillite to sell to non-Natives as a commodity, as a tourist object.
It's possible this came from a village, Tanu...
GUEST: Mm.
APPRAISER: ...and the pole that it's replicating was Easy to Enter House.
GUEST: Hm.
APPRAISER: Is the name of, of the council house.
GUEST: Really.
APPRAISER: At the top, we have a raven with a humanoid figure clasped within its wings.
Beneath that, a fierce grizzly bear with wings, by the way, and a figure coming out of its belly.
Quite remarkable.
Then a wolf figure, another predatory creature.
Beneath that is a human figure upside down, almost in a birthing position, coming from the wolf.
And then beneath that, another raven with wings, and I think with killer whale imagery.
There are pectoral fins on the sides.
GUEST: Mm.
APPRAISER: So these are all clan crests of the Haida.
And if someone came and approached the 30-foot version, 20-, 30-foot version of this, they would know precisely whose land they were at.
GUEST: Hm.
APPRAISER: These were people who were related to the clan.
The imagery itself tells a story-- who your ancestors were and who the mythological creatures that influenced your family.
And this is gigantic.
GUEST: (chuckling) APPRAISER: It's, it's, I think, 29 inches tall.
GUEST: Yeah, isn't that great?
APPRAISER: That, that's really, really big.
The inlays on the teeth are bone.
The volume is fantastic, uh, the sculptural volumes.
Do you have any feeling for value?
GUEST: Really don't-- that was always, uh, kind of the question in the family.
Is this a couple thousand bucks?
Is this more money?
Never was able to find a value.
APPRAISER: On a retail basis, I would estimate this value would approach $100,000.
GUEST: (gasps): Ooh-- ooh.
Okay.
(laughs) Really?
APPRAISER: Really.
GUEST: Way off.
(chuckles) APPRAISER: If you were to insure this, I think you could very legitimately appraise this for $125,000.
GUEST: Hmm, that's amazing.
Appraisal: 18th C. Tibetan Gilt Bronze Vajrapani Figure
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 2m 40s | Appraisal: 18th C. Tibetan Gilt Bronze Vajrapani Figure (2m 40s)
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Clip: S28 Ep2 | 2m 28s | Appraisal: 1939 - 1941 Fur Rendezvous & Ice Carnival Pennants (2m 28s)
Appraisal: 1962 Cassius Clay Group
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 5m 17s | Appraisal: 1962 Cassius Clay Group (5m 17s)
Appraisal: Angela Lansbury & MGM Costumes, ca. 1945
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 4m 29s | Appraisal: Angela Lansbury & MGM Costumes, ca. 1945 (4m 29s)
Appraisal: Atomi Gyokushi Scroll Painting, ca. 1880
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 1m 48s | Appraisal: Atomi Gyokushi Scroll Painting, ca. 1880 (1m 48s)
Appraisal: Beatrice Wood Group, ca. 1970
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 2m 20s | Appraisal: Beatrice Wood Group, ca. 1970 (2m 20s)
Appraisal: Folk Art Root Table, ca. 1900
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 3m 37s | Appraisal: Folk Art Root Table, ca. 1900 (3m 37s)
Appraisal: Harry Karstens First Ascent Denali Ice Axe
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 3m 23s | Appraisal: Harry Karstens First Ascent Denali Ice Axe, ca. 1913 (3m 23s)
Appraisal: James Kivetoruk Moses Drawing, ca. 1965
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 3m 16s | Appraisal: James Kivetoruk Moses Drawing, ca. 1965 (3m 16s)
Appraisal: Korean Lacquer Table, ca. 1930
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 3m 9s | Appraisal: Korean Lacquer Table, ca. 1930 (3m 9s)
Appraisal: Lucien Hirtz Enamel & Gold Brooch, ca. 1910
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 3m 12s | Appraisal: Lucien Hirtz Enamel & Gold Brooch, ca. 1910 (3m 12s)
Appraisal: Micah Williams Pastel Portrait, ca. 1835
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 3m 10s | Appraisal: Micah Williams Pastel Portrait, ca. 1835 (3m 10s)
Appraisal: Paul Revere Jr. Silver Tablespoon, ca. 1785
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 2m 19s | Appraisal: Paul Revere Jr. Silver Tablespoon, ca. 1785 (2m 19s)
Appraisal: Singer Oak-cased Sewing Machine & Table, ca. 1900
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 1m 3s | Appraisal: Singer Oak-cased Sewing Machine & Table, ca. 1900 (1m 3s)
Appraisal: Trans-Alaska Pipeline Steel Maps, ca. 1977
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S28 Ep2 | 1m 3s | Appraisal: Trans-Alaska Pipeline Steel Maps, ca. 1977 (1m 3s)
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