Many of us grow weary when we peruse online beads for sale and see them grossly misidentified, and/or prices hyper-inflated. eBay heading: "American Indian Trade Beads NorthWest Territory 1800's". This latest discovery on eBay of "Trade beads 1800's, Origin: N.W. United States", with a price tag of $225.00 had me livid- and it had a signed "certificate of authenticity" no less! At bottom of riker box was also a paper stating: "These Are The Type Of Beads That Were Traded to Native Peoples Around The World In The 1600's to Mid 1800's. This Strand Shows Great Age With A Nice Patina. 24 Inch Strand With....".

These are obviously West African, Ghanian- Krobo "sand beads" AKA powder glass beads. They are older (like ~25-60 yrs. old) than most you see (and nice in their own right), but usually I sell for around $25-$65 Retail depending. These were not traded with the Native Americans (except perhaps at a recent Rendezvous!). I contacted eBay checking the box that said something to the effect Item falsely represented (they don't have an exact box to check).
Also- on main page description "Grade 6 See Images Been Restrung to Natural Materials of Period"...Rafia !!!- LOL! Restrung- right...

Thanks for advice. I do contact seller store when I see dyed coral (new Bamboo Coral) sold as Antique and Natural/undyed. Some people have items on consignment and don't realize the person's huge impressive coral beads are not worth $600., more like $15. So sometimes it's a matter of the seller being "used" and maybe not knowingly trying to deceive. But ultimately the seller is responsible for anything they are selling in their store. Typically I PM the seller and let them know I suspect the coral, bead strand or whatever may not be as represented, and usually I get a Thank You I'll look into it- it's a consignment, or I'm selling for a friend.

Apparently the Bead Business is even more cut throat these days, and buyers need to not only beware but should rely on and deal with reputable bead Dealers for expensive purchases, or investment level beads. Thanks for any feedback you can throw my way.

P.S. I'm sure the Powder Glass bead experts can give me a more precise age range on this strand in particular. I think some I have are similar and are older - but nicer- and I've understood those to be more like 60+ years old. So I'll be interested to get more info generally.

Here are links to my Pinterest: http://imgur.com/a/I2wrO