Slate bannerstone, 4 5/8 inches, Sandusky County, Ohio. Estimate $2,000-$6,000. Courtesy Old Barn Auction.
FINDLAY, Ohio – A rare notched, winged butterfly bannerstone will be offered on Saturday, May 2, in Old Barn Auction’s 387-lot sale of prehistoric and historic Indian artifacts.
A long list of Native-American tribes is represented in the auction inventory, which includes arrowheads, blades, knives, axeheads and other weapons. Additionally, the auction will feature amulets and pendants; effigies, pipes, fish spears and many other desirable tribal artifacts. A small selection of books and other literature pertaining to North American Indians rounds out the sale.
One of the top lots in the sale, the aforementioned bannerstone is made of slate, measures 4 5/8 inches, and came from Sandusky County, Ohio. It is the best bannerstone in the collection being offered by Old Barn, and is expected to earn $2,000-$6,000 on auction day.
More than just functional artifacts, bannerstones are a form of art that appear in varying shapes, designs, and colors, symbolizing their ceremonial and spiritual importance.
For information on any lot in the sale, call 419-422-8531 or e-mail auction@oldbarn.com.
Click here to view Old Barn’s complete catalog.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Banded-slate birdstone, 4 inches, found on McKechron Fram north of Alveston, Ontario, Canada. Estimate $2,000-$6,000. Courtesy Old Barn Auction.
Pop-eyed banded-slate birdstone, 3 inches, extensive provenance, pictured in Birdstones of the North American Indian by Townsend. Estimate $2,000-$8,000. Courtesy Old Barn Auction.