Here's a terrific, Fred Harvey era, Thunderbird pin that we purchased from a highly respected pawn trader in northern Arizona.

The pin measures 2+1/2" long and it weighs 6.3 grams.

As with most, vintage, Native American made jewelry there is no artist's hallmark nor any indication of the silver purity.

The pin features traditional hand stamped designs plus a hand stamped repousse style application at the center.

State laws regulate what information pawn traders are allowed to give out, however we were told that the pin was made by a Navajo artist during the early to mid 1900's.

Since this trader is considered an expert regarding vintage Indian made jewelry, we have no doubt that the information he passed on to us is correct.

This is a totally handmade piece which means that every part, and every decoration, was made by the artist. Even the pin and clasp were handmade, which is quite unusual. Most artists, even back in the mid 1900's, used pre-made attachments on the back.

Over the years we've seen a few similar thunderbird pins however none were made nearly as well as this one was.

Please see the pictures displayed above to see the beauty and quality of this wonderful example of Native American made "tourist" jewelry.

Despite it's age and travels this wonderful old beauty is still in remarkably good condition. It can use a bit of cleaning but we'll leave that for it's next owner. Our policy is that we don't clean dead pawn or vintage jewelry as most collectors prefer to receive these older pieces "as is".

Although there is no stamp indicating the purity of the silver, the obvious patina strongly indicates that it was made with sterling silver. We do not test for sterling as the chemicals in the testing kit tend to stain the silver.

Notes:

All pictures are enlarged to show details.

The coin in one of the pictures is a quarter.

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