You have to watch when crossing the boarders since anything over 100 years old is classified as Antique and beads fall into another class, since they can be classified as "Ceremonial Cultural Significant"
The bear claws better have a licence number engraved in them somewhere. Those FWS boys like to use zip ties for their job security and Rendezvous are some of their best summer vacation times out of the office .

I used to make and sell "scalps" at rendezvous made from the tips of cow calf tails. They are nice and wavy. I would skin them and then stretch them round and let them dry. After dry I would add a little blood for more realism. Even though I was asked by wide-eyed tourists what they were and where I got them, I always told them the truth.

Moosetrot

Beautiful
And if ya needing a buckskin shirt made by Dad back in the 80’s I’m your huckleberry. Recently decided to sell both since no one in the family can fit.

I did a lot of studying on the Russian-American Fur Trade in Alaska and the Northwest. Word had it the Russians would trade 2 blue faceted beads for a Sea Otter pelt. They would then take the pelt to China and sell them for the equivalent of $1500. No wonder the Russians called them "bobri morschki"...brown gold.

I have a bunch of the Russian Blue beads. Back in my rendezvous days I was one of the biggest antique trade bead dealers in the Midwest.

Moosetrot

He was also one of the few people to make nipple belts.

Any idea what the good "white hearts" are worrh nowadays? I still have quite a few strings of the good ones, what i call the rose-red ones, not the orangish-red one which are more recent.
Also, do you have any idea of the value of the cobalt blue, wound Peking beads, old ones.

I have been out of the game since the late 80's Waggler, so really don't know where the market has gone.

Moosetrot

this outfit advertises them for $3.00 apiece, 12-14 mm. Seems legit.

Details
Gorgeous glowing antique Chinese wound beads in a sapphire blue. Early 1900's. These are handmade beads and may be slightly irregular in shape and size, which adds to the unique and genuine quality and beauty of the bead. These are 12 to 14mm. Imported in the 1920s by China Trading Company in Seattle. These beads are popularly called Peking glass but are not true Peking glass, These wound beads were made in Boshan, Shandong province in China. Before 1911, beads of this type were used in Mandarin Court jewelry. Package of 2.

https://www.earthlyadornments.com/p...ng-glass-beads-12-14mm-2-pcs-b11-bl-2127

^^^^^
Wow, $3 per beads, looks like I better post my beads for sale.

I made myself one with black bear claws, but drilled them length wise so they would lay flat, polished them up, put old trader beads between them and some brass beads, it looks great with my leathers and some other canine tooth necklaces with it of different animals. Yours looks great as well !

Still trying to get some dollars saved for a brown bear to make one out of, but doubt that's going to happen in my life time !

Grit, every year except this year because of covid, Alaska Trappers Association auctions off Alaska Fish and Game brown bear hides. Many, most perhaps,. are summer DLP kills. So the fur is junk but the claws are good. I want to say $350 -$400 should get you a decent set of claws. Maybe a little more but not much. The good bears, big and good fur can go for a couple grand. Of course you have to take the whole hide but once it's your's the only thing you can't do is sell it. Fur Rendezvous State hide and horn sale likely first weekend in March, Iditarod start weekend, downtown Anchorage. Plane ticket, rental car and motel room you can buy a bear, or 2! One of only very very few ways to buy legal grizzly bear claws that I know of. Totally Legit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-XJtPQM3Zo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPcBCBIuP2U

Thanks D
Was not aware they did this, thanks for the info, appreciate it, have friends that live in Palmer, of course don't know where that is to where the auction is., LOL but it gives me another reason to get up there !!

Palmer is about an hour outside of Anchorage. I just added a couple videos of the auction.