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Cherokee Silver Presentation Pipe Tomahawk c. 1810

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
Cherokee Silver Presentation Pipe Tomahawk c. 1810
The lot features a fine authentic Presentation Grade pipe tomahawk attributed to the Cherokee Native American Indians in the early 1800’s. The piece is from an early estate family collection at the Black Mountain Indian Reservation in North Carolina. The piece features a hand-forged iron head using the “pierced eyehole method” as described by Milford Chandler on page 65 in the Peterson Tomahawk book. The head has forged chevrons, forged moldings and an octagon-shaped pipe bowl with nicely hand-filed lines. The piece is likely from a British Blacksmith manufacture for trade with Easter Indian tribes as it is stamped with a broad arrow hallmarked on one side and B.O. on the reverse side, which indicates the British “Board of Ordnance”. At the eyelet hole shows a copper plate affixed with scroll hand engraving with a stamped date of 1810 and a stamped British Union Jack battle flag. The solid wood haft handle is made of old striped tiger maple and has a hand-carved bone smoking tip along with a silver bands artfully applied at the eyelet hole in a chevron design and at the smoking tip. Overall the piece has a nice, deep shiny patina and is in excellent well preserved condition. Presentation pipe tomahawk war clubs such as this were almost exclusively presented to Chiefs and tribal dignitaries. Provenance: From the ex-collection of Guthman in Virginia and Dewey Scruggs collection. Overall a truly wonderful and scarce piece that measures 23 inches in length with a 8 inch long head with 2 ½ inch blade.