(MESA, Ariz.) – Outstanding basket and beadwork collections, an exquisite 14kt gold and turquoise necklace, an exceptional fine weave Germantown blanket, a Hubbel-style Navajo chief’s blanket and a Hopi 14kt gold overlay bracelet with figures will all be offered at Allard Auctions’ Big Spring Phoenix Auction slated for March 8-9 at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites.

The venue is located at 1600 South Country Club Drive in Mesa, just outside of Phoenix. For those unable to attend in person, online bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com and iCollector.com (bidders can access both platforms now and view a full catalog online, at the Allard Auctions website, www.allardauctions.com). Phone and absentee bids will also be taken.

Around 800 lots have been gathered for the sale of Native American art and artifacts, and that number could go higher if quality last-minute consignments pour in. “We’re excited about this auction,” said Steve Allard of Allard Auctions. “We had 100 bidders sign up even before we sent out our first e-mail blast. The interest is there, the market is strong and the items are great.”

The Germantown blanket, made in the late 1800s and measuring 54 inches by 79 inches, could end up being the top lot of the auction ($12,500-$25,000). It’s in great condition and has remarkable coloring. The Hubbel-style 3rd Phase Navajo chief’s blanket (est. $7,000-$14,000) is from the late 1900s and is made of 100 percent Churro wool. It’s a museum-quality showpiece.

The early 1970s 14kt gold necklace with custom beads and squash blossoms, 26 inches in length, is set with a gorgeous #8 spider web turquoise stone. It is expected to hammer for $7,000-$14,000. The 14kt gold overlay Hopi bracelet, crafted in the late 1900s, shows Kokopelli, Pueblo and katsina figures. Created by Berra Tawahongva, it has a pre-sale estimate of $2,500-$5,000.

All four of the above lots are from the March 9 session. The March 8 session will be highlighted by a fabulous beadwork collection from an attorney in Wolfpoint, Mont., who often took beaded items for payment. He left Wolfpoint in 1935 and took the collection to California, where it has been in storage ever since. Most pieces are Assiniboine, Gros Ventre and Sioux.

Also sold March 8 will be a silver box collection of 40 hand-wrought Navajo-made silver pill, jewelry and trinket boxes, many with turquoise stones, plus two canteens (one with coral), a small dish and five non-Indian pieces (est. $2,500-$5,000); and an early 1900s Plateau beaded pictorial vest (probably Flathead), with rare deer figures, flowers and stars (est. $2,500-$5,000).

Two lots from the first session with identical pre-sale estimates of $1,750-$3,500 are a classic design Sioux antelope beaded pipebag with sinew-sewn and lazy-stitch beading, quilled slats and fringe (circa early 1900s); and a buffalo hide Cheyenne split-horn headdress (bonnet) with sculpted feathers, incised horns, quilled attachments and fine red ochred scalloped edging.

But baskets will dominate the March 8 session. Examples will include a circa-1900 very fine round lidded Klickitat basket with fully imbricated exterior (possibly Yakima), in very good condition (est. $1,500-$3,000); and an early 1900s fully imbricated Puyallup hard basket with geometric pattern in very good condition, with little stitch loss or damage (est. $1,750-$3,500).

Additional noteworthy baskets will include a museum-quality large, fine weave Tlingit basket with polychrome imbricated exterior designs and three rows of rare chevrons woven into the background (est. $2,500-$5,000); and a late 19th century near-record sized Klickitat hard basket with fully imbricated exterior of geometric symbols in fine condition (est. $1,750-$3,500).

Rounding out just some of the first session star lots are a rare, circa 1850 early carved burlwood bowl with handles, found on the lower Columbia River in the early to mid 1900s (est. $1,750-$3,500); and a huge, wide-mouthed storage olla, or Apache basket, with great patina and classic geometric motif, 20 inches tall, with a completely replaced bottom (est. $2,500-$5,000).

Returning to session two on March 9, a pair of rugs is each expected to fetch $4,000-$8,000. One is a huge and classic circa-1940s room-sized Navajo Two Grey Hills floor rug with fylfot crosses and other geometric forms, 74 inches by 116 inches; and a panoramic fine weave rug with many Navajo-like features, 50 inches by 79 inches in size and in very good condition.

Also set to cross the auction block on March 9 will be an early 1900s exquisite flared Panamint basketry bowl with crisp stepped polychrome design, in very good condition, worthy of a place in a museum (est. $3,000-$6,000); and a circa-1990s limited-edition bronze sculpture by artist Bob Scriver (1914-1999), titled A New Camp, 14 inches in height (est. $2,500-$5,000).

Rounding out just some of the day’s expected top lots are an early black-on-red Hopi pottery canteen attributed to Nampeyo, with the original Nampeyo sticker from the 1940s still attached (est. $2,000-$4,000); and a circa 1930s-1950s Apache sunrise dress outfit, with a yoke, skirt, high-top moccasins with beaded designs and fine, hand-cut fringe (est. $2,000-$4,000).

Start times will be 12 o’clock noon (Mountain Standard Time) for the March 8 session and 10 a.m. for the March 9 session. Previews will be held both days from 8 a.m. until the first item comes up for bid. A buyer’s premium of 15 percent will be applied to all purchases (20 percent for phone bidders). Los 1-420 will be sold March 8; lots 500-880 will be sold March 9.

Allard Auctions, Inc., has been selling exclusively American Indian artifacts and art at auction since 1968. The firm is always accepting 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 (888) 314-0343; or, you can send them an e-mail at info@allardauctions.com.

To learn more about Allard Auctions, Inc. and the upcoming Big Spring Phoenix Auction scheduled for March 8th and 9th, please log on to www.allardauctions.com. Allard Auctions, Inc., maintains its home office location on the Flathead Indian Reservation in St. Ignatius, Montana.

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