Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art (171)

This outstanding Olmec jade standing figure is 5 3/4" long. The jade is high quality and opaque. There is no restoration or repair. Very rare and beautiful. It has excellent provenance and comes with a COA from Bill Breckinridge. There are many modern fakes on the market of Olmec standing figures. If it does not come with a COA from a reputable authenticator and is low priced, it is most likely fake. The last picture is for size reference only. This sale is only for the one piece pictured...

This is an extremely rare Olmec opaque blue jade perforator handle. It is 5 1/2" long. I purchased it from Michael Robbins in 1989. It appears to be a shaman in flight perhaps holding onto a transformational creature. The deep facial features, elongated head and deep cleft are classic. This one grabs hold of you and won't let go. It has one of the most eerily entrancing Olmec faces I have seen. It is ex. Sotheby's. It was authenticated by a forensic laboratory. All paperwork goes to buyer.

This stunning pure gold and quartz necklace is from the El Bolo treasure. It was found by treasure hunters who struck a deal with the Colombian government, the Bank of Colombia and the local peasants whereby the treasure was divided up by some formula. The Royal Family of Saudi Arabia purchased many of the best pieces including full body suits. Artifacts from this treasure can be readily identified by the extreme purity of the gold which is 23K...

This incredibly rare Olmec spoon is made from Robin's egg translucent blue jade. It has a perfect classic Olmec mouth which is very hard to find. These spoons were used for ceremonial snuffing of hallucinogenic substances by shamans. It is 4 1/4". It has beautiful patina and weathering is obvious. I purchased it from the famous collection of Michael Robbins from Santa Fe in 1992. The last picture is a spoon sold by Sotheby's several years ago. The hammer price was $330,000.

This extraordinarily rare Costa Rican jade axe god is the finest I have ever seen. It is female which is very rarely seen. It is a whopping 8 1/2", the largest I have ever seen. It has an extremely detailed headdress carving with a beautiful septum on the back. It is made from fabulous translucent true jadeite. It is perfect in every way. I purchased it from the famous Michael Robbins collection in 1990. Comes with a forensic Orenda Labs COA. This is simply the best of the best.

This is an extremely rare jade picture-plaque that dates to the Late Classic Period around 700 AD. In my 40 years of collecting, I have never seen one for sale. These plaques all belong to one school of carving known as Nebaj-type plaques because the first specimens to be found in situ in the Mayan area come from Cache 14, Mound 2, at Nebaj, Guatemala. All are made of special varieties of jades of Class 3. This type of jade tends to decompose, as in this specimen, which lends to its authenticity...

This fabulous carved tablet has been attributed to the Chavin culture, Peru and has been dated to 600BC-300BC. It depicts in shallow relief an anthropomorphic zoomorphic figure squatting upon a double bar. Exotic birds, snakes, saurian beasts and fantastical creatures are depicted in a transformational environment. The entire design is bi-symmetrical. Two pairs of holes have been drilled 1/5th from the top of the tablet...

This is one of the most fascinating and unique artifacts I have ever seen. The axe is 5 1/2" from top to bottom and the handle is 7". The handle has been broken off in antiquity at the end which is a plus for me because you can see the internal cross section of the wood. The haft is completely fossilized (84% calcium carbonate). The calcification of the wood is such that a species analysis could not be successfully performed on it, but it was determined that it was probably conifer...

Shell gorgets are among the rarest and most beautiful of prehistoric art objects encountered in the United States. Most have been found in the Southeastern United States and are associated with various cultures from Woodland through Late Mississippian. This outstanding example is 4 7/8" long. It has no restoration or repair. It has beautiful patina. This one is the "Buffalo Style" which is the most elaborately decorated of the shell masks...

This extremely rare miniature Olmec Jade standing figure is 2" tall. It is made from the finest quality completely translucent jade with the color being evenly distributed throughout. It stands alone on its tiny feet attesting to the great detail of perfect balance and to its authenticity. Small figures such as this are harder to make than the larger ones and are much more scarce. It comes with a Bill Breckinridge Laser COA. This piece was $12,000.

A quirk of history went on in China in the late 1990's. They were building dams similar to our Tennessee Valley Authority dams. The government allowed archeologists and treasure hunters to dig in the areas where the land was about to be flooded. The result is that the average collector, through the internet, had the opportunity to acquire the most precious and valued treasures of China. Ancient Chinese jade is much more than a collectible; it is a great investment in ancient history...

This jade skull is yellowish green and is from the Hongshan Neolithic Culture. It was dated to 6700BP-4900BP. It is 1 7/8" long and 1 5/8" wide...

I have seen and collected many bird celts and axe-gods over the years. This one ranks near the top for the type. The quality of the carving is extraordinary and the jade material is wonderfully colorful. It is 3 5/8" long. It is from the Las Mercedes, Linea Vieja area. The blade is narrowed as well as deeply cut back at the waistline. The eyes are marked by drill pits set in a broad groove. A pair of knobs on the head resemble the local great horned owl. The beak is deeply carved and well define...

This extraordinarily rare Olmec Quartz dagger or possible bloodletter was found together with the above jade dagger. It was made from a long quartz crystal of gem quality with no inclusions and ground to shape. This piece is 5 1/2" long. This Olmec artifact is of the finest workmanship and material. The effigy is in a classic Olmec pose. The artifact was in four pieces and glued back together perfectly under a microscope by Dennis Bushey. The breaks were clean and no material filler was needed. ...

This beautiful Costa Rican pendant is from the Atlantic Watershed. It is beautiful translucent true jadeite, specific gravity tested. It is 4 1/4 inches long. The string-sawed separation between arms and body and legs are highly sought after and very rare. The figure's legs are a two-headed serpent. It has beautiful patina. An overall outstanding piece. It is priced way below market value. Purchased from the famous Michael Robbins collection in 2002. This piece has been examined by a forensic la...

This extraordinarily rare Olmec Jade dagger or possible bloodletter was found together with the below quartz dagger, This piece is 4 1/2" long. The little Olmec man on the top is only 1 1/4". You can imagine the amount of work that went into creating and carving this miniature little man using only abrasion. Sculptures such as these are every much of a marvel as the great Olmec heads and the intricate Mayan temple carvings. This is truly a masterpiece in miniature. This artifact is of the finest...

This beautiful Olmec maskette is 36mm long and 27mm wide. It is made from transparent high grade flawless quartz with very high energy. It has a very solid hole at the top center making it perfect to add a gold loop for everyday wear as a pendant. It is nicely scooped in the back. There are two things that make this piece extremely rare and desirable. The first is the size. In 40 years of collecting, I have seen only two authentic Olmec maskettes that are this small. The other is the jade pendan...

This is an incredible Cougar Mountain found in Oregon. It is made from beautiful tranlucent orange agate. It is 8 1/2" long. Dates to 10,000 BP. Perfect condition. Great provenance. I purchased it in 1988. It comes with a Gregory Perino COA. I personally sent it to him so I know the COA is not a fake. None finer.