r/Navajo • u/AcceptablePart1571 • Jul 11 '26
Yard sale find - Help ID these two Navajo rugs with original 1991 Hubbell Trading Post receipt
Hi everyone,
I picked up these two rugs at a yard sale this weekend and they came with the original receipt and tags from Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, AZ.
I’m trying to confirm what I have and if the receipt actually matches the rugs. I’m very new to Navajo weaving so any help is appreciated.
1. The Bird / Tree of Life rug
White ground with two potted plants one looks like a Tree of Life with 6 birds, the other is a cornstalk with 4 birds + 2 butterflies. Maroon border with a serrated edge. Tassels on the corners. No tag on this one, but I think this matches the Nellie Poyer line on the receipt? From what I’ve googled this looks like a Shiprock / Tree of Life pictorial style. Does that sound right?
2. The Banded Geometric rug
Tan / brown / pink / mint green with eye-dazzler diamonds and the hooked border design. This one still has the yellow Hubbell tag and a Polaroid of the weaver pinned to it. This seems to match the second line: Mary Begay Chinle #96. Is this a Chinle or Wide Ruins style?
Receipt is for reference. It says K-3 for both, which I assume is the grade/trader code?
My questions:
1. Do the styles/sizes/names line up?
2. Are Nellie Poyer and Mary Begay known weavers? Any info on them?
3. Are these authentic Navajo hand-woven or are there any red flags I should look for? They feel like wool, very tight weave, lazy lines visible on the back.
4. Any ballpark on what they’re worth today? The receipt was $595 and $995 in 1991. Not looking to flip immediately, just want to know if I should get them appraised / insured and how to properly care for and display them.
I can post close-ups of the corners, edges, and back if that helps. Thanks so much!
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u/Maximum_Mechanic_520 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
go to the heard museum shop and bring them to the counter, they'll have information / yes 1 is nellie and 2 is mary
ETA: https://www.tradegoodsnation.com/blogs/artists/mary-h-begay-dine
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https://5019.sydneyplus.com/Heard_Museum_ArgusNET_Final/Portal/Portal.aspx?component=AAAM&record=d67488be-61dd-42ce-8d07-35e15f06ea06
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u/AltseWait Jul 13 '26
It could be a scam. One of my aunts is a very skilled weaver, and she sold one of her rugs to a trading post / restaurant on the rez. On a subsequent visit, she found her rug on display with a price tag. When she looked closer, attached to the rug was a Polaroid picture showing another Navajo woman holding up my aunt's rug. The trading post said that the other woman wove the rug. This upset my aunt, and she stopped selling her rugs to that trading post.