SANTA FE, N.M. – More than 800 lots of American Indian artifacts, art and related collectibles, to include historic war shirts, cradleboards, Germantown weavings, beadwork from two major private collections, California and Southwestern baskets, Northwest Coast and Eskimo items and Native American paintings will all come up for bid Aug. 12-14 at the 2016 Best of Santa Fe sale.

Best of Santa Fe is an annual auction event hosted by Allard Auctions, Inc., based in St. Ignatius, Montana. It will be held at the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple, located at 463 Paseo de Peralta in Santa Fe. For those unable to attend in person, online bidding will be provided by the platforms iCollector.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

In the past, Best of Santa Fe has traditionally been a two-day event. But this year, something new has been added: a Friday evening session, Aug. 12, beginning at 6 pm Mountain time, featuring quality Indian jewelry, outstanding concho belts, amazing bolo ties, special squash blossom necklaces, bracelets, bolo and buckle sets, signed originals, one-of-a-kinds and many other items.

“Friday's session will feature several pieces we believe may be the world's largest,” said Steve Allard of Allard Auctions. “These include a Navajo canteen, a Navajo concho belt and a Zuni bolo tie. The other two days will feature a great assortment of beadwork, baskets from many areas, and Northwest Coast and Eskimo masks, ivory, carvings, feast dishes, jewelry and more.”

Several lots are expected to soar as high as $50,000 or more. A strong candidate for top lot of the sale will be an historic, all-buckskin Northern Plains quilled war shirt, made in the late 1880s and boasting a beautiful wide quilled sleeve and body strips, and with traditional geometrics done in (now faded) purples, pinks, yellow and red. The war shirt is expected to bring $30,000-$60,000.

Two other war shirts carry estimates of $25,000-$50,000. One is a late 1800s Sioux sinew sewn hide war shirt with lazy stitch beaded geometrics, arm and shoulder strips and several American flags. The other is a circa-1900 traditional buckskin Teton Sioux warrior's shirt with sinew sewn and lazy stitch beaded geometric panels and collar tabs. It sold at Christie's in 1994 for $13,800.

A Navajo rug/weaving Germantown blanket, made around 1890, and in excellent condition after some professional restoration, 56 inches by 91 inches and showing a rare hybrid pattern of both the Ganado and Crystal J.B. Moore designs, should realize $15,000-$30,000; while a late 1800s fine weave Navajo Germantown blanket, 45 inches by 66 inches, with ivory and red serrated diamonds, thin spider woman crosses and rare arrow figures should command $10,000-$20,000.

Question: What's worth more, a full-size cradleboard or a toy cradleboard? Answer: both. From the former category, an exquisite all-wood back Iroquois cradleboard with protruding footrest and horseshoe-shaped “roll bar” (sun shade), very rare and fully intact, should sell for $15,000-$30,000. The 26-inch tall piece features a painted flower pot with vines, leaves, and two birds.

A pair of toy cradleboards each carries a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-$40,000. The first is a circa-1890s Crow example, exhibiting fine beadwork, with sinew sewn and lazy stitch beading on the buffalo hide and muslin, and with fringes top and bottom. It was last purchased in 2001 for $22,500. The second is a fully beaded, early 1900s Kiowa toy cradleboard, attributed to Atah and having a loomed top strap, twist fringe and original doll with diamond design in her body.

Baskets, baskets, who's got the baskets? Allard Auctions, that's who. An early 1900s Panamint basket – a museum-quality fine weave and perfectly flared bowl with a vertical rattlesnake band and ticked rim sections, in excellent condition – is estimated at $4,000-$8,000; and an Apache basket from around the 1920s – a great visual example, with a large shallow tray with radiating rows of stepped checkered boxes, in very good condition – should knock down at $3,000-$6,000.

Tulare baskets will also attract attention. One, a circa 1900 flared bowl with beautiful patina and two rows of polychrome rattlesnake bands, in very good condition, carries a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$6,000. Another, circa 1910, is a classic fine weave 'snake' basket with striking radiating stepped design and remnants of original feathers woven into the shoulder (est. $1,500-$3,000).

An oil on linen painting by Dave Powell (b. 1954), depicting the actors Robert Duvall (as “Gus”) and Tommy Lee Jones (as “Woodrow”), in a scene from the film Lonesome Dove, titled Just Once I Would Like to Shoot an Educated Man, circa 1990s, artist signed, 30 inches by 40 inches (framed), should make $5,000-$10,000; and a 1980s hand-carved, painted red cedar Northwest Coast Hamatsa raven mask with an articulating beak, 5 feet long, should realize $2,500-$5,000.

Start times are 6 pm Aug. 12; 12 noon on Aug. 13; and 10 am on Aug. 14. A hosted wine bar preview will be held on Friday evening, Aug. 12, starting at 4 pm, prior to the jewelry session, which starts at 6 pm. Additional previews will be held on Saturday, Aug.13, from 8 am to 12 noon; and Sunday, Aug. 14, from 8 am to 10 am. A buyer’s premium of 20 percent (for all online purchases) and 15 percent (for in-person and absentee bidding) will be applied to all purchases.

Allard Auctions, Inc. has been selling exclusively American Indian artifacts and art at auction since 1968. The firm is always on the hunt for quality merchandise for future auctions. To inquire about consigning a single piece, an estate or an entire collection, you may call them at (406) 745-0500 or toll-free: (888) 314-0343; or, you can e-mail them at info@allardauctions.com.

To learn more about Allard Auctions, Inc., and the upcoming Best of Santa Fe 2016 auction scheduled for Aug. 12-14, please visit www.allardauctions.com.

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