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Late 19th Century Yup'ik Harpoon Rest

Value (2012) | $10,000 Retail – $15,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
My grandparents were in Alaska during the gold rush. They went up there in 1898 and lived there for several years. My grandfather was a district attorney of Nome, and they collected some of these art objects, and this is one.

APPRAISER:
Do you know what this object is?

GUEST:
Well, a boot jack is what I thought it was.

APPRAISER:
A boot jack.

GUEST:
Uh-huh.

APPRAISER:
Well, what you actually have here is not a boot jack.

GUEST:
Okay, what is it?

APPRAISER:
It is a harpoon rest.

GUEST:
Oh!

APPRAISER:
It's a Yup'ik harpoon rest, and it was lashed-- and we can see in the holes down here-- with hide. It would have been lashed to a large kayak. And the harpoon would have rested in there. And here we see at the top of this these images, which are most likely seals. And if we look very closely, the eyes and the nostrils are inlaid with a material called baleen. Baleen comes from inside the mouth of a whale. The Yup'ik people-- the Eskimo, as they used to be known-- embellished many of their objects with animals and animal spirits to help them in the hunt.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
Believed they became one...

GUEST:
...with the animal.

APPRAISER:
...with the animal. So this would have been used as a good talisman to help them in their hunt as they were out in the ocean. These are not very common outside of museums anymore. I've had a couple in 20 years. This one is quite endearing. What we look for in these is these wonderful images of the seals, very humorous. I would estimate its value to be in a gallery about $8,000.

GUEST:
Well, that's very nice. I just assumed it was a boot jack because of the shape and everything. Grandma never ever said anything about it.

APPRAISER:
Well, I would very much hope that nobody uses it as a boot jack anymore.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Donald Ellis
Tribal Arts
Donald Ellis Gallery
Dundas, ON, Canada
Update (2012)
$10,000 Retail – $15,000 Retail
Appraised value (1998)
$8,000 Retail
Featured In
Los Angeles, Hour 1 (#0303)
Unique Antiques (#1120)
Vintage Los Angeles (#1722)
Event
Los Angeles, CA (August 01, 1998)
Category
Tribal Arts
Period
19th Century
Form
Carving
Material
Baleen
October 31, 2011: A viewer's recent email regarding an appraisal of an Inupiaq cribbage board prompted us to review past appraisals that mentioned Eskimo culture.

It is ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's intention to use culturally respectful terms when discussing the history of items being appraised on the show. We acknowledge that terms that describe a person or group’s identity regarding race, ethnicity, religion, etc., can change over time or have different meaning to different people. "Eskimo" is a word that has different connotations depending on where you live in the Northern Hemisphere.

In Canada and Greenland, "Eskimo" has negative connotations and is no longer an accepted term. "Inuit" is preferred, but that term is not commonly used in the United States. In the U.S., "Eskimo" is not considered to be derogatory and is in common usage. "Eskimo" is used when speaking of two main indigenous cultural groups collectively: "Yupik" (a culture group from Western Alaska) and "Inupiat" (a culture group from Northern Alaska and St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea). When one of these groups is being referenced, "Yupik" or "Inupiat" is favored over "Eskimo" by Alaskan Natives.

The term "Alaskan Natives" includes all indigenous peoples of Alaska: Eskimo, Unangan (Aleut), and American Indian, and is also considered broadly acceptable.

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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