A NAVAJO Indian rug was passed down for generations before it was discovered to be worth $10,000, thanks to its ties to a famous organization.
An Antiques Roadshow guest explained that the rug was made for his great-grandfather in exchange for him doing dome flooring work.
two
two
The story goes that around 1930, his great-grandfather worked in Gallup, New Mexico.
The man was a member of Freemasonry, a fraternal organization that dates back to the 14th century.
He did some flooring work for other Masons and noticed a unique rug in the shop.
Members told him the rug was made by Navajo Indians, so he reached out to the group to get one.
read more about valuable items
“Being a construction worker, he put linoleum flooring in some of his buildings on the reservation in exchange for this carpet,” the guest said.
He ended up passing it on to his children, who continued to pass it on to family members who joined the group.
“When I became a Freemason, my father gave it to me, and I’ve had it for about 20 years,” he said.
Roadshow appraiser Tony Abeyta was thrilled to learn the rug was from his hometown of Gallup. He is also half Navajo, which gives him a special connection to the item.
“I think it required me to not only evaluate it but also learn from it,” he said.
As he didn’t know much about Freemasonry, he asked the guest to explain more about the group.
“They believe in God and they believe that to serve God you must have a positive impact on your family, your community and the world,” he said.
Abeyta also asked for more information about the large symbol at the bottom of the rug that had a G on it.
The guest said it’s called Square and Compass.
“The G in the middle represents God. The idea is with the square, it’s like a ruler of sorts. You use it to make 90-degree angles. You must live your life fairly and honestly with others,” he explained.
“Those things that please God should remain in the circle, and those things that are not fruitful for others should stay outside the circle.”
Compasses represented a perfect circle.
I think this required me to not only evaluate it, but also learn from it.
Tony Abeyta
Abeyta was able to give the guest more information about the blanket.
It was made with commercial yarn from Germantown, Pennsylvania, he said.
“In the normal world, we call it Navajo Pictorial. I think the story behind it is interesting — it strengthens the weaving, creates some dynamic element,” he added.
“I think it’s a fantastic example of the connection between people and how we can share the same tenets of these values.”
Abeyta estimated the blanket could sell for $7,500 at retail, but asked the guest to insure it for at least $10,000.
“Dad and Grandpa will be interested to know about this. They’ve been asking themselves this for some time,” said the guest.
“For the family, it’s family history. It gets brought up all the time, and new people learn the story, and now you add to it.”
Antiques Roadshow’s Best Finds
Antiques Roadshow has been helping people put a price on their treasures since 1979. Here are some of the most interesting finds
FAMILY JEWELRY
Abeyta also appraised two silver bracelets made by a famous Native American artist.
The guest said his parents bought them for less than $200 each. They were made by Charles Loloma, a Native American Hopi jeweler.
He is widely known as the “Godfather of American Indian jewelry,” Abeyta said.
“Those [designs] it evolved into large, very complex bracelets inlaid with ironwood, coral and turquoise,” he said.
“They were very beautiful, but I went back to that period, which I like the most.”
Both cuffs were signed by Loloma and had the original certifications proving their authenticity.
This helped increase the value of the handcuffs to $25,000 and $28,000.
The guest asked why a bracelet was more expensive and Abeyta said, “Because people like turquoise!”
In another episode, a guest brought in a gold belt buckle that almost broke the evaluator’s scale.
Plus, see why grandma’s baseball bat is worth $30,000.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
