Trade beads

[Mike Cleven]

At 06:52 PM 3/11/99 -0800, David Robertson wrote:
>Klahowyam,
>
>I'm no expert on these things, but the following excerpt from an
>incredibly extensive source may be of interest:
>
>>From the current catalog of Rings 'n' Things, Spokane, Washington
>(telephone toll-free 1-800-366-2156), page 144:
>
>Dutch "Dogon" Beads
>
>"Dogon" or "Hudson's Bay" Beads
>
>These are old trade beads.  Most have some chips, pits, or scratches.
>They all have approximately 4mm holes.
>
>#22-435  Dutch Blue and White Beads
>24" strand of rounded and oval beads.  Mixed colors:  Mostly periwinkle
>and medium blue, with some semi-translucent sapphire and cobalt, milky
>blue, and opalescent clear/white.  All are worn, some are chipped.  Also,
>a 40" semi-graduated strand of 9x11 - 40x20mm beads, all various shades of
>white and clear.					$67.50
>
>22" strand of very mixed, roughly graduated beads from 11x8mm to 22x19mm.
>Clear, white, various blues, translucent yellow, and a light green and
>black.  Some are VERY chipped.				$40.00
>
>
>#22-437  Dutch Blue & White Beads
>24" strand of 12x8mm to 19x24mm beads, a variety of colors, some chipped
>							$37.50
>
>23" strand of 25 21x15mm - 25x19mm white beads.  The 5 center beads are
>quite brown over the white.  Perhaps they were buried for a while?
>							$75.00
>
>2:24" strands of rounded beads from 15x18mm to 18x20mm.  Most are royal
>blue, some are towards turquoise.			$90.00

These last would be the camosack or camosun beads that were the premium of
HBC beads; very well-made, richly coloured, often faceted; made in Bohemia
or Moravia, rather than Holland.  It's quite possible that the archivist as
somehow erred in attributing the meaning of "Dutchman" to Holland.......

Camosack beads would have the highest value to a modern collector, by the
way, and I note that the last-named are the most highly-priced.....

Mike Cleven
ironmtn at bigfoot.com
http://members.home.net/ironmtn/

The thunderbolt steers all things.
                           - Herakleitos