NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN TRADE COIN SILVER HAIR COMB 1820

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AMERICAN COIN SILVER "INDIAN TRADE" HAIR COMB c.1820 Up for auction is a fascinating piece of early Americana: a coin silver hair comb made for the "Indian Trade". This is part of a body of items that was produced by American silversmiths to the order of the U.S. Government, fur traders, and other entities engaged in trade with the Native American population. "Made for the 'Indian' ( sic ) Trade, the overall design is kept realtively simple. The most important requirement of this type of ornament was a highly polished surface; when ordering trtade silver, fur traders usually specified that it be 'thin and well-polished' (Barbeau, Marius. "Deux Cent Ans d'Orfevrerie Chez Nous." Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada , 3rd ser., 33, sec. 1 (1939): 183-91.) The thinness kept the silver relatively inexpensive, while the brilliant polish assured its appeal to Indian recipients, who valued objects with curuscating qualities. Native Americans lavishly adorned themselves with silver objects: pendants, crosses, brooches, and hair ornaments like this one. The silver served both as an important meduim of exchange and as a symbol of status. Items like this hair comb were produced en masse from 1775 to 1825 to satisfy the demands of the Native American population and the fur trade. ...These relatively crude pieces could be produced easily, suggesting that they werenot the products of master artisans, but were made by their apprentices...or were contracted out to lesser independent silversmiths. These objects were sold in bulk to fur traders such as the Hudson Bay Company and the North West Company, who exchanged them with Native Americans for furs." (Excerpted from Quebec and Related Silver at the Detroit Institute of Arts by Ross Allan C. Fox of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1978, p.70.) This comb is decorated with deeply engraved foliage accross the top border. Below the foliage, the central figure is an American Eagle, its wings outspread, a strand of garland from the border in its beak. T are arrows clutched in the eagle's claws (seen under the left wing) to one side, and foliage to the other. The eagle has a shield adorned with stars and stripes accross its breast. Flanking the eagle are flowers to either side. The lower border is decorated with a simple pricked motif. CONDITION: Excellent for a piece of this nature and age. T is no erosion or rubbing of the details of the decoration. It is incredibly crisp, as seen in the photos. T are two small splits to the lower part of either side of the comb. One (left) has been soldered, the other (right) has been partially repaired. Both splits are most likely to be original, in that they occurred when the comb was soldered to the decorative element. T is also some minor bending to the comb teeth (see photo). HEIGHT: 4 inches (10.2 cm) WIDTH: 4 1/8 inches (10.5 cm) WEIGHT: 15dwt. (24 gr.) The Butler's Thumb is a business dedicated to selling fine, rare, and interesting objects in silver and other precious metals from all over the world. We are a team of two, husband and wife, based in the UK, and we have a combined 52 years of experience in antique silver. This is our only business, and we take it very seriously. We want all of our customers to be happy, so if you are not completely satisfied with your purchase LET US KNOW! We will do our best to remedy whatever the problem may be as quickly as we can. All that we require is that you contact us within seven (7) days of receipt of the item. We are happy to combine shipping on multiple items. Please enquire. WE REGRET THAT, AFTER HAVING HAD FAR TOO MANY ITEMS GO MISSING EN ROUTE, WE CAN NO LONGER POST MERCHANDISE TO EBAY MEMBERS IN AUSTRALIA. IF YOU LIVE IN AUSTRALIA AND YOU WISH TO BID ON ONE OF OUR ITEMS, PLEASE CONTACT US BEFORE BIDDING TO DISCUSS ALTERNATIVE SHIPPING ARRANGEMENTS. read more

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