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Robert L. Walker
This is a record of 9 ancient pots from the estate of Robert L. Walker (Bob). The photos were taken in 2005 soon after Bob's death. Since then, 7 of the pots have been stored in well packed boxes, first at Art Handlers, then at home. Two are on shelves at my house. On Aug 15, 2022, I opened the boxes and compared the pots with the photos. There do not seem to have been any changes.
Information about each pot is given, copied from the appropriate entries from the estate art appraisal of July 5, 2006 by Joan Caballero and from Bob's notes concerning each purchase. Copies of those records are in the pdf files linked here:
Click here for a pdf copy of the entry (# 62) in Robert Walker's estate appraisal from 2005 for 8 of the pots. The overall ITEM name for the entry is "Group of Eight Prehistoric Vessels". The DATE is Ca. 1100-1400. The ORIGEN is American Southwest. The condition for all is listed as original.
Click here for a pdf copy of the entry (# 6) in Robert Walker's estate appraisal addendum for the final pot. It is the middle one shown in the photo. The ITEM name is "Group of Three Pottery Items. DATE is Pre-Historic Ca. 1100 AD. The other two pots shown are not currently available.
The following are copies of Bob's notes about the items. They usually include purchase date and price and often location. Unfortunately there not a lot of information about on where the pots were originally found, although several do have a ruin name and a number that might reference more extensive information somewhere. The "Shop in Kanab", where several were purchased in the 1960's, was a business that claimed to have a museum license that allowed them to dig up the artifacts. There was a small museum in the shop, but the main business seemed to be selling the pots, as I recall. Bob's notes include some origen information including numbers that might refer to the exact location or to an entry in some sort of records made when the pots were obtained. Someone with appropriate background and access to records might be able to pinpoint where they came from. While I was with my father when we visited that shop, I was still in high school and my memories are pretty fuzzy.
My attempts to figure out the name of the shop with Google kept turning up Moqui Cave. But my memory is that the shop was in a normal building, not a cave. Further work with Google AI suggests that it might have been Western Hills/Nature's Showcase. But I have no firm evidence that I have yet seen (I haven't looked through all of Bob's photos and records yet).
The pot with appraisal number 62-4 is marked as "restored" in Bob's notes. I have an old memory of there being one or more ancient pots that had been rebuilt from shards and maybe even had missing bits filled in. This pot may be like that. I see faint lines where pieces might have been joined. But a sufficiently good job was done that it is not immediately obvious to my unpracticed eye. Pot 62-7 has also had some repair. At least one piece is probably glued back in plus a 1/2" x 3/4" missing bit looks filled in.
Here are links to Bob's notes: I have also copied the contents onto the entries on this page for the readers convenience. The large increases in value/price over the many decades he owned the items is clear.
Bob's notes about items P101, P102, and P103 which are items 62-1, 62-7, and 62-6 of the appraisal. Note that Bob's notes and the appraisal disagree about the diameter of P101 (appraisal 61-1). In Dec. 2025, I measured it to be 11¼".
Bob's notes about items P112 and P113 which are items 62-3 of the appraisal and item 6-2 of the addendum to the appraisal.
Bob's notes about items P116, P117, and P118 which are 62-5, 62-8, and 62-4 of the appraisal.
Bob's notes about item P162 which is 62-2 of the appraisal.
I found the a receipt for 8 items purchased at The Feather Moon on 6-26-1968 including several listed below. I also found a paper with price/identity tags for items purchased at the store in Kanab, probably in July 1964. Click here for a copy of these two documents. Unfortunately this still gives no real hint of which store it was in Kanab. The Kanab items shown are P-102, P-113, P-115 (not available) and P-112.
Adapted Aug. 15, 2022 from a similar page among the 2005 estate photos
and updated in July 2026.
Estate Appraisal Item 62-1: Large Jar. 9½" high x 10½"
diameter. Horizontal black bands of pale design with large fire clouds.
$4,000. RESEARCH: Southby's 11/1999, Lot #134, large Kayenta banded
canteen, 8½" dia., in better condition sold for $4,887.
Bob's Notes Item P101: Kayenta B/W bowl. d. 11½" h. 9"
$150. Purchased at the "Feather Moon" on Canyon Rd., Santa Fe, 6/26/68.
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Estate Appraisal Item 62-2:Bowl. 4¼" high x 6¾
bdiameter. Kayenta. Red with black key pattern at opening, fire clouds.
$1,200.
Bob's Notes Item P-162: Kayenta. Black on Red. d.
6¾" h. 4¼ $60.
There are two stickers on the bottom. One says something like DAY in
the corner. It gives a price of $60 and the information KAYENTA
40010-8F. The "4" might be a "#". The second sticker says #E1 then
NWB-ABNSTKE ZOYNX I'd guess that would allow it's origin to be traced
with access to the right documentation.
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Estate Appraisal Item 62-3: Jar. 4¼" high x 6½"
diameter. Red bow ties, two horizontal bands with diagonal lines
on orange surface. $1,800
Bob's Notes Item P-112: Pot from Black Axe Ruin (#134)
d. 6½" h. 5" $28. From shop in Kanab, July 1964.
One photo shows a recent, post appraisal sticker on the inside
that says 63/3. That appears to be incorrect as this is clearly
the item 62/3 seen in the appraisal page linked above.
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Estate Appraisal Item 62-4: Bowl: 3" high x 6¼" diameter.
Gila polychrome. Bold black and white pattern interior, red plain
exterior. $2,000.
Bob's Notes Item P-118: Gila Polychrome, (restored)
d. 6¼ h. 3½ From shop in Kanab.
Photo marked June '68. No price shown. There is a sticker on
the bottom (see photo) which says Gila Polychrome. The sticker
inside is related to recent post-estate bookkeeping.
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Estate Appraisal Item 62-5: Jar: 4¼"high x 5" diameter.
Ramos polychrome with polychrome linear pattern. $750.
Bob's Notes Item P-116: Casas Grandes bowl, polychrome.
d. 5" h. 4½" From shop in Kanab.
No price given. Photo in Bob's book marked June '68.
The pot has a sticker on the bottom which says RAMOS POLYCHROME
CA. AD. 1250-1365.
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Estate Appraisal Item 62-6: Bowl: 3½" high x 7½
diameter. Black and white interior design, plain gray exterior. $2,400.
Bob's Notes Item P-103: Kayenta Pueblo II bowl d. 9" h. 5" $60.
Purchased at the "Feather Moon" on Canyon Rd., Santa Fe, 6/26/68.
There are two stickers on the bottom. One says KAYENTA Pueblo II. The
other says 118. I'm not sure of the vintage of the 118 but it might
refer to records from the original recovery. This is not item 118 of
Bob's records. That one is shown above.
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Estate Appraisal Item 62-7: Bowl: 4" high x 9" diameter.
Black and white design in interior. plain gray exterio with fire
clouds. $2,200.
Bob's Notes Item P-102: Pueblo II bowl. d 7½" h4" $27.
No purchase information is given in Bob's notes. But the tag
is one of those stuck to a sheet as seen in the scan referenced
above. Others on that sheet were listed as purchased at the shop
in Kanab in July 1964. The tag has an identifying number #339B.
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Estate Appraisal Item 62-8: Jar: 6" high x 7½
diameter. Late Ramos Polychrome. Parrot motif, large zig
zag line on body with chips in rim. $750.
Bob's Notes Item P-117: Casas Grandes Bowl "Parrot" design
Ramos Polychrome ca. 1300-1360. d. 7½" h. 6½ $95
Purchased at the "Feather Moon" on Canyon Rd, Santa Fe, 2/26/68.
I have a copy of the receipt for this an several others. There
are 4 stickers on the bottom. One is blank or worn out. One
says LATE RAMOS POLCHROME. Another says PARROT POT. The last says
DATES 1300-1360. This is all included in Bob's notes.
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Estate Appraisal Addendum Item 6b: 4¼" x 6½".
Anasazi bowl with simple black bands on white field. Two drilled
holes at the top for hanging. Abraded surface. $250.
Bob's Notes Item P-113: Puerco Puebly (sic?) II Seed bowl (#971C)
d. 6½ h. 4¼ $22. From shop in Kanab, July 1964.
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