THE HAWAIIAN ADZE, THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL

These Adzes were obtained from a collector on the Island of Hawaii.  They were found while diving in the waters off Kona.  This display of adzes shows different types used for different types of "carving."  I like them since you can see the growth of coral on them.  As you can see several of the adze are quite large.  The flat adze with the coral growth is wide and narror and was obviously used for cutting wood such as working on a canoe.  The longer adze in the bottom of the picture was used for cutting.  The smaller adze could have been hand held and used for finer work such in carving bowls.  This is a very nice collection of Hawaii Adze.

SELLING ARTIFACTS

I often get calls from collectors that want to sell their artifacts or get values.  Sellers need to know values are difficult to determine without actually viewing the artifacts.   A slight chip or crack can devalue an artifact by many dollars.  Sellers also need to know that in today's market common artifacts have dropped in value.  Unique artifacts with good provenance have by enlarge maintained value.  What I suggest sellers to do is take good pictures and measurements.  Provide a description of the artifact(s) such as where it was found, provenance of the piece (what collection it came from) and any useful information.  At least that way a general sense of value can be determined. 

Sellers should realize that there are two kinds of buyers.  One buyer wants an artifact for their personal collection and the other wants to resell the artifact.  Usually a collector will pay more for good pieces while the reseller needs to make a profit and may offer less.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Aloha, Steve

Hawaiian Artifacts and Bottles

Aloha:  Collecting Hawaiian Artifacts has been my major avocational interest for over 40 years.  I took it to a new level in 1992 when I opened Hawaii Stones & Artifacts at Antique Alley in Honolulu.  Last year I expanded my shop and moved to 736 South Street, Honolulu, HI where I display Artifacts and Bottles and manage my eBay store.  Check out www.hawaiiancollectibles.com for my website and link to the eBay store.  I get a lot of questions from collectors about the type of Artifact they have and its worth.  I receive calls and emails with pictures.  To be honest it is extremely difficult to value both Artifacts and bottles without actually viewing them.  The reason is that there can be slight cracks or abrasions in bottles that can not be accurately described or photographed that greatly lower value.  The same is true with stone Artifacts.  If you have questions you should check out www.hawaiiancollectibles.com that gives my view of values.

Some have asked me why I created an eBay store.  I have discovered that the interest in Hawaii Artifacts and bottles is not just limited to people in Hawaii.  It is world wide.  I have bought and sold Artifacts from all over the world.  My wife remembers the large boxes that I turned into shelves in the garage when Artifacts arrives from Europe (I had to get some value for the packing and shipping costs).  Ebay allows me to share information with anyone and opens avenues to the purchase and sale of Artifacts that is limited when your only contacts are in Hawaii.

In future blogs I will discuss unusual artifacts and bottles and share collecting experiences.  I welcome comments and your stories.

Aloha, Steve Goodenow