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Cheyenne Beaded Sheath & Knife 19th Century

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 2,500.00 USD
Cheyenne Beaded Sheath & Knife 19th Century
The lot features a beaded hide sheath with knife from the Cheyenne Native American Indians of the 19th Century. The sheath is comprised of Indian brained tanned buckskin with a fringe-cut back edge and shows traditional geometric Cheyenne beadwork in all glass trade early seed beads. The beadwork includes a chalk white background with design in cobalt, greasy green and red. The knife included in this lot shows a pattern of blade which has been documented by John Baldwin in his 1997 book “Early Knives and Beaded Sheaths of the American Frontier” as a “scalping knife”. The trade knife is a known Plains used style and shows a two piece hardwood grips with copper brass rivets and brass trade tacked design. One side of the knife shows diagonal parallel “tally” marks thought by some to indicate kills. Provenance: The set was originally collected in Wyoming by author and collector Dr. Colin Taylor from a Cheyenne Indian family in the 1960’s. The piece was later sold to his colleague and fellow club member Cyrus Eaton of London, England in the 1980’s. Knife is 9.25”L. Digital Copies of Baldwin's book documenting scalping knives is shown for examples sake.