Collecting artifacts from well-known, old time collectors is very
rewarding for me. They tended to keep better records than many of
todays collectors. They also were very willing to share their collections
with others by regularly attending artifact shows as well as writing
about and picturing their collections in archaeological journals
and collector books. I try to capture as much provenance information
as possible in my collection catalog including everywhere one of
my collection pieces has been pictured. When I acquire an old time
collector artifact, I check the older volumes of Who’s Who
in Indian Relics and both volumes of Bobby Onken’s Legends
of Prehistoric Art. Next I look through my old journals and other
archaeology books. I’m amazed how often I’ve found artifacts
pictured, although that fact was not passed along by the seller when
I acquired the piece.
One of the collectors I’m especially fond of collecting is
B.W. Stephens (1897 - 1971). An artist, he owned a commercial sign
company and lived in Quincy, Illinois. His friends called him “Steve.” It
took me over 20 years to find out his first name was Beverly. Every
time I saw his name in archaeological journals or Indian artifact
collector books it was always “B.W.” He amassed two large
Indian artifact collections during his lifetime. He put together
his first from the 1910s to the early 1950s. It was one of the finest
collections ever assembled in Illinois. He sold this first collection
in 1953 when he received a large monetary offer from Dr. T. Hugh
Young of Nashville, Tennessee that he didn’t think he could
refuse. He put together his second collection from the mid-1950s
until his death.
Stephens was meticulous in for both collections. On each artifact
he placed a distinctive 5/8 inch round white label handwritten in
India ink which included his collection index number and the county/state
information where the artifact was found. He also kept a detailed
catalog on everything he collected. Even copies of his catalog are
collectible now because of the history he captured, including: when
he acquired the piece; from whom he purchased it; where it was found;
the type of artifact and material it was made from; its dimensions;
the previous owner(s); how much he spent; and if he subsequently
traded or sold the piece. He often included a small hand drawn outline
of the artifact. Today’s collectors should take a lesson from
Stephens and try to capture as much information and history as they
can for their collections. You might not get all of the information
for every artifact and that is okay. Get as much as you can and save
it in your catalog. If you don’t capture the history now, it
will only get harder or even impossible for the next collector. Lastly,
you need to make sure the history is passed along to the next collector
when the artifact leaves your collection.
I tell people I am NOT a pottery collector but that hasn’t
stopped me from “accumulating” around 200 ancient and
historic pottery pieces over the years. The six ancient pots in Figure
1 were previously in one of Stephens’ collections and now reside
in the Selmer collection. From left to right:
• The superb red painted Quapaw water bottle is 7-1/4 inches
tall and was found at Carden Bottoms in Yell County, Arkansas. It
was in Stephens’ first collection (his original collection
label PO-100 is still affixed) and is finely made.
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