Talk about poppin’ tags.
Goodwill offers up African artifacts for sale
Goodwill in Tacoma is beginning to sell African artifacts valued at more than $11,000.
The 55 artifacts, from the mid-19th to mid-20th century, were used in tribal life and for tribal ceremonies. An anonymous donor left the 55 artifacts at the Port Townsend Goodwill store last month.
The items will be sold online at Shopgoodwill.com, a site used to produce the highest prices for items. The site uses competitive bidding to sell high-end fashion, jewelry, art and other items.
Go to the search portion of the site, pick Tacoma in the drop-down menu of sellers, then search for the items.
Goodwill wants the public to know about the online sales. Officials figure if people know valuable goods can fetch a good price, they might be more willing to donate.
“Many people hesitate to donate their high-end furniture, jewelry, clothing, art and collectibles because they assume their treasures will end up for $4 in our thrift stores,” said Dylan Lipert, manager of online sales, in a news release. “My job is to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
(The gallery above shows some of the artifacts, as well as other items that have or will be sold online.)
More than 140 Goodwill agencies provide items for sale online. In the past six years, Tacoma online operations have more than doubled in size and sales from $2.1 million in FY 2008 to $4.5 million in FY 2013.
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Century-old Native American artifact dropped off at Goodwill
SEATTLE — Someone recently donated an old vest to Goodwill, and while that could happen everyday, this one was unusual.
By old, we mean a century old. It’s a beaded Native American vest that’s so valuable, Goodwill couldn’t bear to sell it.
Instead, the non-profit decided to make its own donation. Now, curators from the Burke Museum are analyzing the vest.
It’s an exquisitely detailed piece from the early 1900s. Everything from the color of the beads to the geometric designs to the velvet lining is a clue pointing to the vest’s history.
“Whoever gave it to Goodwill probably knew more about it. They probably knew their grandfather got it while on a train ride through Glacier. That’s the kind of information we’d love to have,” said Robin Wright, Curator of Native American Art.
The vest was inside a trunk, donated to Goodwill in 2006. Someone recognized its value, and instead of going up for sale, the vest went into storage.
Katherine Boury of Goodwill explained, “We have to make the decision, what’s the best use of the donation. In this case because it’s of cultural significance, it seems it would be best to be accessible to everyone.”
Assessors pinpointed it as Native American work from the northern plains.
“There’s been some discussion with various experts about which particular tribe and we’re not able to say precisely which tribe it might be,” said Wright.
It might have been regalia for a pow wow, but at some point, it seems it was sold to a tourist.
Written on the lining – a price tag of $18 – for a vest that probably took several months to make. There is no price on the vest now, and while there are still questions about where it came from, there’s no question where it’s going.
The museum will keep the vest in its collection for the public to see and treasure.
Do you think you have an artifact in your home? Take up to three objects to the annual Artifact ID Day at the Burke on Feb. 9.
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Face it, says auctioneer, not every mask is sacred
Hopi masks snapped up after French court allows auction
Hopi masks auctioned in Paris amid outrage and legal objections
wonder if there are updates on any of these stories and hopefully progress on stopping this from happening… return them to their place of origin
Be a Seed for Change 
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