Upper Lake Shopping Tips by atufft

Oliveria Antiques: Pomo Indian Basketry

California Indian baskets are arguably the most valuable collectible basketry in the world. The nomadic California Indians crafted extremely tightly woven and decorative baskets of all types, but by the 20th century the practice of crafting basketry was virtually extinct. I'm not sure any tribal members today know how to craft basketry at the level of skill found only in museums and some antique shops. In fact, the vast majority of California Indian basketry is now found only in museums. There are a precious few specimens in some antique shops, and a very good one is in Upper Lake. The owner of this shop has collected these baskets his whole life, and so the price tag on these are in the thousands. He also has a lot of other great western collectibles. Don't expect to pay with your credit card though. Oliveria Antiques takes only cash.

Nearby there are several other antique stores with western junk of lesser interest that may take credit cards.

What to buy: The California Indians baskets here are very rare and clearly the best think to buy if you can part with the cash in large amounts...Sorry I don't have photos of the baskets here.

What to pay: Hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per basket.

Theme: Antiques