5 piece stackable tiki "totem"?

I just saw an interesting piece in a consignment shop. It's a freestanding wood sculpture consisting of five tikis that look alike, except they stack, and each one diminishes in size--largest one on the bottom (about 18" tall) to the top one (about 5" tall).

All together, it's pretty impressive in size--perhaps almost 5 feet tall.

Each tiki (except for the top one) has a metal rod sticking out of its head that inserts into a hole in the bottom of the next one, which keeps the whole stack stabalized. It's carved from a dense, light-colored wood that has been rather sloppily stained dark. Lots of drips and spatters. I'm sure it's "vintage".

The tag says it's "40's" era and the seller is asking $295

Just wondering if anyone has seen one of these before. I searched here in the archives for awhile now, and on Google, and haven't had any luck. Thanks.

I went back today with my camera. It's actually a little taller than I remembered it. It's every bit of 5 feet (plus a couple of inches). The bottom tiki is a good 2' tall.

I like it....will be interesting to see what feedback the experts weigh in with. Are you going to buy it?

Hey Man-From-Tiki, cool find! These are the Tiki's usually carved in the Philippines and probably out of monkey pod wood. They were sold at tourist shops across Hawaii and can be found in all sorts of sizes, shapes and all sorts of different items.

I don't think it dates back to the 1940's as these seem to be available from the 1960's up to the 1980's. I, personaly, have never seen any information or anything dating these pre-1960's.

I have one that stands about 3' tall but the Tiki on the bottom is not nearly as thick as the one pictured. I have seen big ones (the bottom Tiki) like these by themselves.
It's always hard to put prices on these sorts of items but that sounds pretty high to me. It's not a one of a kind and it was a product that was created in large numbers and specifically for the tourist trade. I guess you pay for what you like but I don't think I would pay over $150 for it.

The only thing rare about it is that you don't see this size that often. Actually.....thinking about it, you said it had metal rods holding the pieces together. I would make a bet that they were individual pieces, sold seperatly that somebody had and decided to put the different pieces together. I bet that it never came from the carver that way. I have never seen any of these carvings with metal used in them to stack or for anything else. Just my opinion so I could be wrong.

Anybody else out there????? What yah think???? Later, TabooDan

[ Edited by: TabooDan 2007-07-23 20:55 ]

Yes, those tikis do look similar in style to a pair of monkey pod book ends I have. I think you are right---carved in the Philippines for the Hawaiian tourist trade. Interesting idea about the rods possibly being added later. It makes sense now that you mention it. Makes me wonder if it wasn't perhaps a floor display in some merchant's shop to show off the different sizes available.

Even if I could get the seller to knock $100 off of it (a big if), it would still be considerably more than I'm willing to pay in light of everything. I'm sort of sorry to pass on it, though. You just don't find things like this that often in my neck of the woods, which makes it a little more tempting.

I really appreciate the help! Thanks.

your right on the money with this style of tiki being common and mass produced but something that large is well worth time in putting an offer in and running with it, ive had a few large tikis but these were post masks at just under four foot and well weathered this is a great indoor piece and would look good any where .thats my buck and a half p.s hows things dan?

Someone has been up the Oregon Coast, ha! Matt & I saw this very piece in an Antique store on the Oregon Coast, I think yours is the same store we saw this in. This is as close as we found of Tiki in Oregon, we did come back with quite a few floats though, good prices. We also found a nice antique float near the Lost Coast Brewery, $10! It's hanging in our lounge as we sip...

We obviously didn't buy the 5 tiered tiki, although we liked it, we thought the price was high and it looked homemade, not of that kind of value. Certainly not a Witco, ha! I figure we would have paid maybe a hundy for it, maybe... But that's us.

Funny note, we asked the guy working there if he knew anything about it. He came over and read the tag, duh... Matt said to him, "I think it's Ku" to which Mr. Information replied, "yes, It is cool"....

enough said...

Thanks for posting the picture! let us know if you happened to find any other treasures in Oregon, we sure didn't! But the beach is great!

Ooops, I don't post here too often, and I didn't see your reply, or else I would have responded.

Actually, it's funny because I wouldn't have taken another look at this old thread at all for updates, but for the fact that I was just at this shop again today and checked on the stacked tiki. It's near the place where I had gone back to pick up a couple of Strikow pieces I posted about in another thread.

Anyway, yes that's the one! (Could there be another?) Funny that you saw it too. It's still sitting there at $295. I might think to make an offer of $100, since I could take it or leave it, but I'd probably get laughed at, which wouldn't be Ku . . . er, I mean cool. It's obvious the seller thinks very highly of it.

My sense of it is that the seller is ambivalent about selling it, since it's an attention getter for his racks of "vintage" aloha shirts next to it.

Yes, while I have made some modest lucky finds, in general, the central/southern Oregon coast is pretty much a tiki wasteland. My finds, such as they are, seem to come in bunches. Aside from the aforementioned pieces, I have found four mugs in the last few weeks or so. I'm going to post them in the "finds" thread.

Oh yeah, you are right about the glass floats--lots around here. Now, if only I can find one washed up on the beach sometime, and not in a shop. My "holy grail" find!