An aspect of the appraisal business I enjoy most is uncovering unknown treasures for our clients that have been in hibernation in dusty attics or cluttered garages for the last 30 years. In some cases these valuable items are "Hidden in plain sight", masquerading as the cat's dinner dish or as a covering for a rather nasty stain or rip on an old easy chair. The item pictured above is one such article we came across recently, it had been disguising itself as a couch throw since the 1940's, the couch being a favourite for a long line of family dogs.

What this piece really is of course, is a circa 1880
Navajo Chief's blanket, originally wore much like a cape
rather than used as a blanket. Values for these blankets
depends on what period they were produced and their
condition. The style of Chief's blankets evolved over
time and today are generally fitted into three periods
or phases:

First Phase
These Chief Blankets are the rarest and simplest
in design, having broad stripes and strong colour contrasts, often using scarlet and indigo on the outside and centre sections. The stripes were meant to drape on the body with a rainbow like effect.

Second Phase
In second phase Chief Blankets, nine blocks of stripes
start to appear. The scarlet and indigo stripes became
coloured blocks, creating patterns of stripes, rectangles
and triangles.