Trade Beads Page

This page contains mostly "bead" items which fall into 6 different categories 
1) Trade beads, glass beads manufactured in various European countries
    and used for trade between the Europeans and the Native Americans,
    mostly from the 18th through 19th centuries
2) Shell beads, used by the Native Americans as adornment and/or
    inter-tribal bartering. These come in two different forms
   A) Whole shells often strung into a necklace
   B) "Pieces" of shell, (especially the Abalone shell) which were "cut" into
        various shapes and drilled for pendants or necklaces, many of these
        were also "incised" by the natives for additional decoration
3) Dentalium, a conical-shaped shell used as "Wampum" money,
    especially in the western coastal states
4) Metallic, often tubular beads which were made by the Native Americans
    after first contact with the Europeans, and which were made from many
    different European metallic items, such as rifle parts and even old files
5) Stone beads, which are VERY old and were mostly for adornment
6) "Beaded" items such as purses having intricate beadwork are also grouped
    on this page
 
For other "Ornamental" items and pendants, please visit our "Bone & Shell"
pages. These contain more elaborate incised and carved ornamental pendants
made from bone, stone or shells

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
RMTB1 A very rare Mogollon 18" drilled  Recovered in 1,800.00
steatite and turquoise bead necklace Navajo Co., AZ
in perfect condition and having a  (Anasazi Territory)
gorgeous polished steatite bird effigy
pendant as the centerpiece. It dates
between 1150 and 1275 A.D. and
comes with a Hyatt SOP

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
MHTB364 A very nice 29-3/4" strand of highly polished Found in 2000.00
and drilled blue-black steatite disc-shaped Contra Costa Co., CA
beads with a single double hourglass shaped
bead. Quite a rare offering

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
MHTB887 A fairly rare 32" strand of  Clamshell disc Recovered in 500.00
beads each measuring between 5/8" to 3/4" Colusa Co., CA
and being bi-conically drilled with polished  
edges.  Published in Lar Hothem's Ornamental
Indian Artifacts, page 280, plate 1, number 2

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
FDTB1 A very nice and rare set of 42 drilled and polished All of these were found  2,500.00
stone beads and 1 turtle effigy carved out of steatite. together at the same site on
A very rare offering from the Columbia River consisting the Columbia River near
of 1 drilled steatite pendant (top center), 4 round The Dalles, OR in 1950
polished stone beads (top), 1 double drilled steatite
"drop" pendant (2nd item above the turtle effigy), 1
steatite disk bead (above the effigy) and 36 ground,
polished and drilled kidney shaped beads/pendants.
This is a very rare, museum quality offering !

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
DATB547 A very unusual drilled brown   Warner Valley, OR 85.00
stone bead having incised lines all
around it's circumference. Quite a 4/26  mx
scarce item coming from this area ON-HOLD

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
MHTB646 A 33-1/2" strand of medium - large Recovered from a site near 200.00
white pony glass trade beads. Grimes in Colusa Co., CA 
Published in Lar Hothem's
Ornamental Indian Artifacts, page
293, plate 4, number 2 Ex: Michael Hough

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
MHTB648 A very delicate, very attractive and rare These were acquired from the 650.00
44" strand of Dentalium shell beads Nez Perce on the Umatilla
(Wampum) comprised of shells from 1" Reservation around 1920
to 1-1/4" long, interspersed with baby
blue and red white heart trade beads.
Published in Lar Hothem's Ornamental 
Indian Artifacts, page 358, plate 1 Ex: Michael Hough

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
MHTB649 A nice 36" strand of white Recovered near 225.00
pony trade beads in a great Grimes in
variety of assorted sizes Colusa Co., CA
Ex: Michael Hough

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
MHTB651 A very nice 28" strand of white and    Found near Grimes 175.00
redheart pony beads. Similar to others in Colusa Co., CA
published in Lar Hothem's Ornamental
Indian Artifacts, page 293, plate 2 Ex: Michael Hough

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
DGTB11 A very nice 32" strand of very Northern California - Purchased 120.00
old white and off-white glass from an estate auction where the
trade beads in excellent condition documentation listing specific site
information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection 
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB12 A highly attractive and totally intact beaded wrist Undocumented, most likely 300.00
guard used as decorative apparel for dances. Southwestern in origin
Age is estimated as being from the 1920's and
the beautiful sky-blue opalescent, red, green,
yellow and blue beads have the original sinew
fiber stringing as well as the original leather end
clasps. Quite a scarce collector's item

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
JFTB1 A VERY stunning 29" strand of Recovered near 275.00
opalescent glass trade beads. Yakima, WA
This is the first one of this type 
that we have ever seen; certainly
a rare and most attractive strand Ex: Charley Mitchell

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
JFTB2 A most interesting 30" strand having a    Found by Dick Hanning 175.00
VERY NICE assortment of different on the Columbia River
tradebead types which includes very near The Dalles, OR
small facetted Russians, black and tan
seed beads and much more, including
one white cylindrical bead

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
JFTB3 A nice 32" strand of white  Found by Dick Hanning on 110.00
tradebeads in excellent condition the Rouge River in Oregon

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB13 A set of 3 rolled copper From areas around the  25.00
cylindrical trade beads having Columbia River, most likely
some corrosion from age on the Oregon side

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB14 A set of 3 rolled copper From areas around the  25.00
cylindrical trade beads having Columbia River, most likely
some corrosion from age on the Oregon side

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB15 A set of 3 rolled copper From areas around the 25.00
cylindrical trade beads having Columbia River, most likely
some corrosion from age on the Oregon side

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB16 A set of 3 rolled copper From areas around the 25.00
cylindrical trade beads having Columbia River, most likely
some corrosion from age on the Oregon side

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
DWTB1 A nice 22" strand of white Recovered from a 85.00
and red glass trade beads Nevada desert campsite

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB1 A very nice 30" strand of very Northern California - Purchased 120.00
old white and off-white glass from an estate auction where the
trade beads in excellent condition documentation listing specific site
information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection 
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB2 A very nice 34" strand of white Northern California - Purchased f 125.00
and iridescent blue-white glass rom an estate auction where the
trade beads in excellent condition documentation listing specific site
information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB3 A very nice 36" strand of white Northern California - Purchased 140.00
and iridescent blue-white glass from an estate auction where the 
trade beads in excellent condition documentation listing specific site
information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB4 A very nice 30" strand of white Northern California - Purchased 120.00
and iridescent blue-white glass from an estate auction where the 
trade beads in excellent condition documentation listing specific site
information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB5 A very nice and attractive 30"  Northern California - Purchased 135.00
  strand of red, lavender and white from an estate auction where the   
pony trade beads in excellent documentation listing specific site
condition information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB6 A very nice 29" strand of white Northern California - Purchased 120.00
and iridescent blue-white glass from an estate auction where the 
trade beads in excellent condition documentation listing specific site
information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB7 A highly attractive 35" strand of Northern California - Purchased 130.00
  mostly white and tan with a from an estate auction where the   
couple of black and red pony documentation listing specific site
trade beads in excellent condition information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB8 A very nice 37" strand of white Northern California - Purchased 140.00
and red glass trade beads in from an estate auction where the 
excellent condition documentation listing specific site
information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB9 A very nice 31" strand of white Northern California - Purchased 110.00
and red with black centers glass from an estate auction where the 
trade beads in good condition documentation listing specific site
information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
GBTB10 A very nice 23" strand of pure Northern California - Purchased 85.00
white pony trade beads in from an estate auction where the 
excellent condition documentation listing specific site
information was lost; these came 
from a HUGE Pre-World War II
Northern Californian collection
and judging by the way the
collection was packaged by the
finder, it is assumed that he went
off to war and never returned

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
MHTB247 A very long 36" strand of white, From northeastern 150.00
purple and red venetian trade beads California
    Ex: M. Hough  

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
MHTB248 A 34" strand of white From northeastern 125.00
venetian glass trade beads California
    Ex: M. Hough  

Item: Type: Provenance: Price
MHTB257 A assorted 28-3/4" strand of a  Northwestern states  200.00
wide variety of glass trade beads dating from the 1700's
with 7 red "feather" beads into the 1800's 9/30  larlay
    Ex: M. Hough ON-HOLD

End of  Trade Beads page

Count 32

 

 
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