In sixteenth-century continental North America, trade beads (sometimes called aggry and slave beads) were decorative glass beads used as a token money to exchange for goods, services and slaves (hence the name). The beads were integrated in Native American jewelry using various beadwork techniques.

Antique and Vintage Trade Beads from over thirty years of collecting.

The Wandering Bull Shop offers customers an large selection of antique trade beads. Including but not limited to Chevron, Padre, Skunk or Eye Beads, Blue Russian Beads, Vaseline Beads and Venetian Millefiori Beads.

Crazy Crow Trading Post offers a selection of reproductions of these earliest and most popular glass trade beads, such as chevron beads made initially in Venice. These beads make a nice addition to various traditional Native American regalia, as well as fur trade era rendezvous outfits and accoutrements.

There are several entries in the various journals kept by the expedition members about how hard it was to trade for food with any of the beads they carried, except the plain and blue and white ones. Bead prices varied with location, demand, and how bad Indians wanted a particular bead.

We carry a large selection of high quality, authentic trade beads. Hundreds of strands in stock, including glass trade beads, antique african trade beads, vintage venetian trade beads, Chevron trade beads, czech trade beads, and more.

Authentic trade beads can usually be identified by their worn appearance and the ingrained dirt of several ages; whereas modern reproductions tend to have flattened ends, drilled holes and even a slightly beveled finish.

2024年7月2日 · Each bead is a piece of history, reflecting the intricate web of trade and cultural exchange that has shaped human civilization. By examining the material, historical context, craftsmanship, condition, provenance, and market trends, appraisers can accurately determine the value of trade beads.

Designs ranged from "watermelon" striped chevrons and Millefiori "thousand flower" beads, to intricately designed lamp-work beads in the 19th Century, yet all had one purpose; commissions by which merchant ships visiting Africa and Asia, could trade for valuable materialistic wares including palm oil, furs, exotic nuts and savory spices.

2013年8月25日 · According to historians, it’s likely that strands of these small, polished ‘sea eggs’ were introduced to Africa by Chinese merchants sometime around the 9th century, making them one of the earliest types of trade beads to be used as a medium of exchange anywhere in Africa.