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Cherokee Bandolier Bag with Document

Value (2013) | $145,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
This was brought by my great-grandfather from the Cherokee Nation on the Oklahoma border in 1846. And a Cherokee Indian warrior made it for him, because he really did appreciate all that my great-grandfather, who was a lieutenant in the Army at the point. After he left the Oklahoma border, he went to Monterey, Mexico, with his regiment, and then he brought it and the letter to San Diego on his horse, which is wonderful.

APPRAISER:
This bag was made by a Cherokee woman for her husband, probably. And it was meant to be worn around the shoulders.

GUEST:
I wondered.

APPRAISER:
With the pouch hanging at the side. And inside the pouch, it would carry flint, fire-making tools, kindling.

GUEST:
Oh, in this?

APPRAISER:
In the pouch, yes.

GUEST:
Oh, okay.

APPRAISER:
And fortunately, we have one object that remains that was inside the pouch: that little plug of tobacco. The designs are floral, herbal in nature. They would protect the wearer. They might help him in the hunt, help him in warfare.

GUEST:
You mean all these say something?

APPRAISER:
All of these floral elements do say something very specific. It's meant to protect the owner. It's a very important bag.

GUEST:
Uh-huh.

APPRAISER:
In the late 1830s, however, the Cherokee had a terrible tragedy. They were removed from their homeland in Alabama and Georgia and forcefully moved west under the administration of President Andrew Jackson. This is an amazingly beautiful bag. It's suffered a bit in its many journeys. The condition is a little bit rough. It can be restored. The colors in the bag reflect a woman with superior craftsmanship. She just had an amazing eye for color. All of the elements are trade elements. None of these are native or indigenous to Indian people. The red stroud cloth, the glass beads, silk thread. The bag is backed with printed calico, which would have come from England. Equally important from a historical perspective is this document. The document is dated 1846. It's signed by your great-grandfather, who was in the First Dragoon Regiment.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
One of the things that makes this document so very important is it actually mentions the bag. It mentions the owner of the bag and the circumstances of its collection and its history. It's just a remarkable document that ties everything together. The bag itself probably dates to the 1820s. I think this bag in its present condition, if it did not have this very important document that tracks its history across the country, would be about $25,000.

GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.

APPRAISER:
However, the document and the name of the Indian-- Tuquo, a Cherokee-- the bag and the document together I think would have a value of about $100,000.

GUEST:
Oh, that's a lot of money. That's a great deal of money.

APPRAISER:
It would be a little expensive. It might cost about $7,500 to be professionally stabilized.

GUEST:
Oh, I see.

APPRAISER:
Some of the beadwork would have to be replaced. There's a little hole in the cloth, the blue stroud cloth.

GUEST:
A moth.

APPRAISER:
Exactly, but that could be filled in. And I think that would increase the value and increase its beauty. Thank you so much for bringing it.

GUEST:
Well, thank you for telling me about it.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Ted Trotta
Tribal Arts
Trotta-Bono, Ltd.
Santa Fe, NM
Update (2013)
$145,000 Retail
Appraised value (2010)
$100,000 Retail
Featured In
San Diego, Hour 2 (#1505)
Survivors (#1719)
Event
San Diego, CA (June 12, 2010)
Category
Tribal Arts
Period
19th Century
Form
Bag , Document , Letter
Material
Beads , Cloth , Silk
November 18, 2013: We contacted appraiser Ted Trotta for an updated appraisal in today's market.

Current Appraised Value: $145,000 (Increased)

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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