North American Auction Company
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Last Chance September 2025 Passed Lots Sale - End Sept. 19th

Mon, Sep 15, 2025 02:00AM EDT - Fri, Sep 19, 2025 02:00AM EDT
  2025-09-15 02:00:00 2025-09-19 02:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Last Chance September 2025 Passed Lots Sale - End Sept. 19th https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/last-chance-september-2025-passed-lots-sale---end-sept-19th-20620
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Timed Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot
Lot 87

Stunning Great Lakes Double Human Effigy Pipe Bowl

Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000
Starting Bid
$5,500

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 absolutely stunning Great Lakes double human effigy steatite and silver pewter inlaid large pipe circa 1780-1840 with COA from the ex-Donald Cooper collection; Paris, France collection; Rising Star Farm Krystal Leslie collection. This is truly a sale highlight and might be the finest human effigy pipe ever offered on the public market. The pipe shows a large size and is carved from black steatite having a wider band at the pipe stem connection end with long, round body tapering towards the tall bowl. The entire bottom edge of the pipe has a ridge keel of steatite pierced with nine holes and a expertly carved scalloped edge inlaid with silver pewter with a band of steatite down the central vein. The keel flows into the T-shaped bowl showing a curved keel with silver pewter inlay having a fully body human effigy carving seated upon a platform leaning against the tall bowl which shows a warrior’s human effigy man’s head facing the other direction with expertly carved facial features, inlaid mother of pearl eyes and at the bowl top ridge inlaid with silver pewter in a zig-zag sawtooth pattern with a ridge line in the center. The stem connection shows further artful circle and line zig-zag silver pewter inlay running all the way around the pipe with another sawtooth zig-zag pattern and band design. This is by far the most intricately carved and inlaid human effigy pipe from the Great Lakes offered for sale and one of the only double human effigy examples. Provenance: Ex-Donald Cooper Michigan collection, collected from Rising Star Farm July 21, 2015, ex-Krystal Leslie Rising Star Farm Summer Shade, Kentucky collection, ex-private Paris, France collection; comes with a COA Certificate of Authenticity from Rising Star Farm Krystal Leslie noting the piece as being Native American 1840. The only other similar examples of a double human effigy Great Lakes pipe was sold by Bonhams in their June 2011 auction for $46,360; the Ojibway Catlinite Effigy Pipe Bowl Attributed To Awbonwaishkum or Pabahmesad, Manitoulin Island, Canada originally at Sotheby’s December 1993 then again in Sotheby’s American Indian Art May 2015 with an estimate of $200,000-$300,000 showing a double human effigy pipe; and the example from circa 1760-1780 in the Musee McCord Museum of Canadian History in Montreal collected by Sir George Duncan Gibb. The pipe is in museum well preserved condition with no major breaks, no visible repairs and stunning condition. Measures overall 8 1/8-inches long by 3 5/8-inches high by 1 5/8-inches deep. For a comprehensive study of effigy pipes from the Algonquin-speaking inhabitants of Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, including a consideration of the symbolism associated with the depiction of liquor vessels, see Brownstone, Arni, 2011, pp.54-63. For additional references: Harper, 1971, pp. 174-175; National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. Cat. No. 12/105; Royal Ontario Museum Toronto, Cat. No.HD15A.

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