War Shirt Fetches $303,000 At Skinner’s Ethnic Sale

Boston, Mass.

:A Plains Indian beaded, quilled and painted war shirt made from two big horn sheep hides and retaining the tail and the dew claws sold for $303,000 at Skinner's September 23 American Indian and Ethnographic Art sale.

The shirt was decorated with multicolored quilled strips, red trade cloth bibs, wrapped ermine tail drops and hair drops. It was collected in the 1870s by Robert C. Townley while on a railroad survey in Minnesota.

A complete review will follow in an upcoming issue.—Fran Mascolo