North American Auction Company
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Trails of Tradition: Parade Saddles, Beadwork & Western Auction

Sat, May 16, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-05-16 11:00:00 2026-05-16 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Trails of Tradition: Parade Saddles, Beadwork & Western Auction https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/trails-of-tradition-parade-saddles-beadwork-western-auction-23448
Join North American Auction Company on May 16th for our Trails of Tradition: Parade Saddles, Beadwork & Western Auction. This is a wonderful collection of items including one of the largest Ted Flowers Saddles and Riggins Silver Mounted Parade Saddle item collection, Bruce VanLandingham Sundog, the Historic and Important ex-William H. Guthman 18th-Century Presentation Silver Mounted Pipe Tomahawk, and other collector items including Native American Beadwork and Weapons, Western History, Photos, Great Northern Calendars, fine Navajo Jewelry, Americana, and Luxury Jewelry. Visit Live.Naabid.com
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Lot 88

18th-C. Presentation Pipe Tomahawk ex-Guthman

Estimate: $50,000 - $75,000
Current Bid
$15,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
This is an exceedingly rare and important 18th-century American Indian Revolutionary War period presentation grade silver inlaid pipe tomahawk from the ex-William H. Guthman (1924-2005) and Allan Glaser collections, extremely similar to the record setting General Richard Butler pipe. This 1700’s piece is an example of a true masterpiece of American Indian weaponry, this shows a hand forged head with hand engraving, silver inlays, silver capped eyelet, and very rare removable threaded pipe bowl, will bowl still present. The haft is further adorned with silver inlaid bands that are hand engraved as well. The blade has a crescent cutting edge and the left side features extensive hand engravings with a flourishing design coming down from the top showing an engraved and inlaid silver / brass half-moon which is flanked on either side and above with a radiating star design. The right side shows a similar flourish that extends form the top and a hand engraved radiating sun in splendor pattern with the sun having human face accent cut into the blade. Furthermore, the teardrop shaped eye shows more highly engraved surfaces with a silver diamond shape with radiating star at the center that is matching on both sides. The eye is covered in heavy hand molded ridges, and the top of the pipe is forged with a stepped raised square with threaded pipe bowl insert. The bowl is threaded to the eye and has a highly worked pattern with many molded ridges. The pipe is paired with a Tiger Maple hardwood haft handle with two large silver bands inlaid and a bone smoking tip with artfully turned finish having a rich old-yellowing color. The head is secured to the haft with a silver inlaid cap. The handle shows high relief carving with a turtle and rattlesnake patterns. The pipe was said to have been collected from the Iroquois of upper New York State, the carvings indicating incorporation into the turtle clan of the Iroquois, along with timber rattlesnakes being common in the area. There is a pierced hole at the center of the haft that likely held a silver friendship chain or drop at one time. For reference this piece is very similar to the General Richard Butler signed and Lt. McCellan inscribed silver mounted, and inlaid presentation pipe sold by Morphy Auctions in May 2020 for a record setting $648,000. The Butler pipe showed the same pattern of head with nearly identical hand engravings showing a crescent moon on one side and sun on the other as well as a threaded bowl (images of the Butler pipe are shown for reference). Provenance: From the ex-collection of William H. Guthman who later sold the piece to Allan Glaser of Dallas, Texas. William H. Guthman (1924-2005) was a museum consultant and dealer in colonial and Federal period Americana, was an exhibitor at Winter Antiques Show for 32 years, a regular on Antiques Roadshow for 5-seasons. Many pieces from his collection of militaria sold at Sotheby’s in 2003-2005. He was the author of 6-books and numerous articles on colonial weapons and accoutrements, as well as a Pulitzer Price nominee for March to Massacre: A History of the First Seven Years of the United States Army; a member of the American Society of Arms Collectors, the Company of Military Historians, a past president and member of the Board of Directors of the Kentucky Rifle Association and overseer of Old Sturbridge Village. Guthman was known to own American Revolutionary War period tomahawks such as the example sold in his “Native American Guthman Collection” auction by Trotta-Bono / Bonhams and Butterfield circa 1790 American Presentation Pipe Tomahawk which sold for $150,000 in 2006 (a picture is shown for reference of this pipe). For additional references of similar pipes see Harold Peterson. American Indian Tomahawks. Museum of the American Indian: Heye Foundation, 1965. p. 108, no. 135 illus. Also for reference see the nearly identical pattern pipe sold by Sotheby’s New York in their January 2024 sale which also was owned by William H. Guthman and sold for $45,568.87. The entire club has a deep shiny patina from honest age and use and overall is well preserved in good condition. Head measures 7.5-inches in length and total length of the club is 20.5-inches.

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