Mysterious Tiki "X" Up For Sale

Okay, it was mysterious, but no longer. With the help of a crack team of Tiki Central Urban Archaeologists, we were able to track down the origins of this rare and historic tiki. Take a look at this link to see how the story unfolded: Mysterious Tiki "X"

No longer mysterious, we now know that the tiki is:

Name: *"Rarotongan Tiki from The Cook Islands”. *
Origin: Samoa.
Imported by: Cargoes by Carter.
Material: "Apitan" hardwood from Samoa.
Approx. Age: Between 45 and 49 years old. Imported in the era of 1956 to 1960.
Other: Possibly sold "out of the crate", with some touchup, sanding & finish by Oceanic Arts.
Original Owner: Dale (or Gale) Sherwood, an old time movie actress, who died in 2002.
Current Condition: Weathered, some termite damage… otherwise, looks great!
Estimated Value: $1200 “as-is”, $2000 in reconditioned state.

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After some deliberation, the owner has decided that she doesn't have the know-how or time to provide the restoration that this tiki deserves. However, she would like it to go to a true tikiphile who will give it a good home and hopefully restore it to it's former tiki glory.

The asking price is $1200.00 "as-is". If interested, please contact the owner Maureen Thompson direct. Her email address is [email protected]. You may also reach her at (310) 578-8277.

The tiki is around six feet tall and very heavy. The purchaser would need to pick it up (several burly friends and a pickup truck would come in handy here). Maureen lives in the Venice, CA area.

Having seen this through, I'm stepping out of the picture now. Good luck & congrats to the lucky person who picks up this treasure!

**Cheers!

A-A**

of course I am interested.
Does the price include the California - Paris shipping ?
If yes, I'll take it !!

Somehow, I think not! But you can always check with Maureen... Come on, Virani - you need a vacation. It's about 80 degrees out here & sunny this January afternoon in L.A. Come on out!

I had two five and a half foot hardwood Tikis shipped from Hawaii to the San Francisco Bay Area and it cost around $800 dollars.
The figure looks like a Cook Island Tiki to me though I'm no expert. Bon chance ami.
tikiboy

Tikiboy,

According to Bob at Oceanic Arts, it's a replica of a Cook Islands tiki that was carved in Samoa, then imported by "Cargoes by Carter" to the U.S.

It may have been sanded and touched up by Oceanic Arts prior to resale here back in the late 1950's or so.

It's hard to get the history of this tiki authenticated beyond a shadow of a doubt because any original receipts are long lost. But I think we've narrowed it down as much as possible. Check out the link at the top of this thread to see how the authentication was done.

Mahalo,

Aaron