Leroy Schmaltz signed carving

Found this from a local Vancouver tiki bar that closed down from the pandemic, and sent a message to Leroy’s son who verified the sharpie doodling is his dad’s work - which he apparently didn’t often do for people.

I think a lot of people in this forum might appreciate the fact my wife told me to windex the sharpie off, but I made sure to authenticate first! LOL

I’m looking for some info on this as it’s hard to find the value or when these were made etc. I just see that there are some hanging around Disney tiki bars.

Thanks!

It probably was carved from their duplicating machine, using the master carved by Leroy. Since he signed it, more than likely he hand painted it. This item, #402 New Guinea Shield, was listed in the 2010 price sheet, (for painted) at $220. Its definitely worth more than that now as a collector piece.

Gorgeous find! This is one of Leroys most famous pieces and the fact that he painted and signed it makes it a true gem. I'd dump all your windex down the drain just to be safe! ; ) Lol! At the Oceanic Arts auction they sold the master carving and wall sample. Check out my screen shots from the auction, this should give you some good info on the piece and its value. I'd say it's worth about $2k+ in today's tiki market but some times these things go for far more if a couple buyers battle it out at auction. As far as when it was made, i would guess the tiki bar bought it when they opened and use that date to help gauge its age... Any chance this tiki bar has other leroy pieces for sale still? I'd love love love one these for my home tiki bar! Thanks for sharing your find and congrats!

[ Edited by TikiHunter on 2023-08-05 22:13:06 ]

Wow thanks for the detailed information! Very much appreciated. I found a few Fiji war clubs yesterday I’ll post about too if you have input on those! The Tiki Gods are giving me some good finds lately.