North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Wild West Wonders: May Collector's Auction Event

Sat, May 18, 2024 11:00AM EDT
Live Now   2024-05-18 11:00:00 2024-05-18 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Wild West Wonders: May Collector's Auction Event https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/wild-west-wonders-may-collectors-auction-event-15617
Join us for our next premier auction event, the Wild West Wonders May Auction. The sale includes 100's of rarities from the West, Native Americans, American history, and more. Join us on May 18th at 9am Mountain Time.
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot
Lot 135

Sioux Buffalo-Head Themed Spontoon Pipe Tomahawk

Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000

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

The lot features a unique Buffalo-Head spontoon pipe tomahawk attributed to the Sioux of South Dakota. Several examples of Buffalo head pipe tomahawks have been sold or in publications such as the example in Harold L. Peterson 1965 book “American Indian Tomahawks” on page 136 figure / photograph 284 attributed to circa 1880-1900 Assiniboine Indian with Buffalo Head blade. Also see “Indian Tomahawks & Frontiersmen Belt Axes” by Hartzler and Knowles for another Buffalo Head tomahawk. Another loose head was sold by Cowan’s back in April 2013 from the Chandler-Pohrt collection as well as another tomahawk sold by NAAC in October 2020 from a large Eastern Montana museum collection that was accompanied with paperwork from Barlow Antiquities of Virginia. The tomahawk has a spontoon blade with Buffalo theme, with upward horns, eyes and nose hole cutouts. The head is on an older wood haft handle with dark coloring, shiny patina and rows of brass trade tacks. There is a later added drop tied below the gripping area which exhibits Indian tanned hide ties holding braided hair with old hawk bells, two large black bear claws, a section of Indian tanned hide with glass trade seed beadwork with a red ocher dye, and some rabbit fur. The spontoon blade has a flat iron spontoon blade with flat cut bottom blade, upturned basal process like buffalo / bison horns with typical eyelet and bowl. Provenance: From a private collection in Ohio of Native American antiques. Head measures 9 ¾ inches in length and total length of 19 ½ inches.