EL CAJON, Calif. – Helms Auction, Inc.’s Tribal & Native American Summer Shindig planned for this coming Saturday, July 7th, is packed with over 460 lots of Navajo weavings and Pueblo pottery; pre-Columbian artifacts; prehistoric arrowheads and other stone tools; Oceanic, African and Chinese tribal artifacts; 20th century Native American and Mexican jewelry items and more.

The online-only auction will begin promptly at 1:15 pm Eastern time. All lots may be viewed and bid on now, via the platforms LiveAuctioneers.com and iCollector.com, plus on the Helm Auction website, live.helmauction.com, which is powered by Auction Mobility and offered on the Apple store and Google Play by searching “Helm Auction”. Absentee bids will be accepted.

“With the many fine items throughout the catalog, we’re encouraging folks to bid early and bid often so they don’t miss out,” said Helm Auction owner Diane Harvey. Auctioneer Craig Helm added, “We won’t be reducing any sale prices during the live auction. Leaving your absentee bids is the best way to ensure you come out a winner, as we take bids across multiple platforms.”

With a pre-sale estimate of $50,000-$100,000, an original oil on canvas figural landscape by the Latvian-born German painter Johann Valters-Walter Kurau (1869-1932) is a strong candidate for top lot of the auction. The painting, housed in a gold gilt frame measuring 62 ½ inches by 61 ½ inches, was rendered circa 1900 and signed in Cyrillic (customary for Latvian artists) by Valters.

Also expected to attract interest are a horse headstall made in New Mexico around 1940 from leather, steel and sterling silver, with a steer design across the bridle top (est. $4,000-$8,000); and a pre-Columbian bird figure with a parrot-like face, large eyes and a three-stepped feathered crest, made in Costa Rica, 15 ¾ inches tall on a custom heavy metal stand (est. $3,000-$5,000).

A circa 1930s Chemehuevi basket, produced from willow and devil’s claw and made in the Mojave Desert, measures 8 inches by 7 inches and is a museum- and investment-quality basket (est. $3,000-$6,000). Also, a transitional Navajo weaving made of wool and dye in New Mexico in the 1890s, boasting multiple colors and 95 ½ inches by 70 inches, should bring $3,500-$7,000.

A giant pre-Columbian Mezcala two-tier temple, made of granite around 500 BCE in Guerrero, Mexico and at 12 inches tall one of the largest seen, carries a robust pre-sale estimate of $5,000-$10,000. An even older piece – a circa 800 BCE Olmec male figure made of green jadeite stone – was crafted in Veracruz, Mexico and stands 7 ½ inches tall. It should gavel for $2,500-$5,000.

A large early Blackfoot Indian parfleche case-cylinder, made of hide in the 1860s or 1870s, has top and bottom discs present, old natural pigments and measures 24 inches by 8 inches (est. $1,250-$2,500). Also, a prehistoric Chumash carved whale figure made of steatite and shell inlay, 5 ¼ inches tall and discovered in Santa Barbara, California, should reach $500-$1,500.

Rounding out just some of the auction’s expected highlights is an antique Chinese Qing dynasty cabinet-hutch, around 140 years old, made of wood and 43 ¼ inches tall (est. $1,500-$3,000).

A buyer’s premium of 22 percent will be applied to all winning bids. No returns. Previews are by appointment only and can be made by e-mailing Helm Auction, at admin@helmauction.com, or by calling (619) 440-0320. Absentee bids can also be emailed to the same address, or mailed to Helm Auction, 772 Jamacha Rd., Ste. 303, El Cajon, CA 92019 (items are not at this address).

Helm Auction, Inc. is an online auction firm specializing in Native American and tribal artifacts. It is owned by Diane Harvey and Craig P. Helm, Sr. Diane is from the American Northwest and has always been attracted to Native American art and jewelry. Craig is Helm Auction’s resident artifact expert and auctioneer and has been collecting Native American artifacts all his adult life. 

For more information about Helm Auction, Inc., and the July 7th Tribal & Native American Summer Shindig online auction, please visit https://live.helmauction.com/.

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