More From the Elmer Grimm Collection

Here are some more examples of the documentation I have of some of the Elmer Grimm collection.  This is a small representation of the photos I have of flint and other frames of relics.  Elmer took care to keep the points with the information about who he bought the relics from and where they were found.  I'd be happy to share information I have including photos if you are seeking documentation for any Ex Elmer Grimm piece.
 jamesbarnett1@hotmail.com
Enjoy!!

About The Elmer Grimm Collection Book

Above: Collector Elmer Grimm

I am in the process of writing a book about the Elmer Grimm Collection.

Who was Elmer Grimm?  Elmer Started Collecting when he was about this old. (This is him holding his first collection of Indian artifacts)

Elmer started his collecting with Indian artifacts.  They were inexpensive and he was fortunate enough to find a number of farmers who were willing to sell him their collections of artifacts found on their farms.  He had a great appreciation for Native American history and culture.  He took his family on vacations out west each summer.  They spent many summers on the reservation at Wounded Knee, SD.  He purchased many things from the Indians there.  After a few summers of doing this, he found that they would expect him each summer and they would bring the artifacts to him.  He felt it a duty to preserve these precious remnants of a culture for future generations.  He paid close attention to his record keeping and each artifact came with information about where it was found or who owned it.   Later in his life he turned his attention to Civil War Swords and other important historical artifacts. 

 Elmer Grimm passed away about 13 years ago and between then and now the majority of his collection has been sold through collector friends of his.  All that remains are a few pieces that hold more sentimental value to his family.

About the Book

I have already written about 400 pages for the book including chapters on  Swords, Knives, Firearms, Civil War, Military, Americana, Powder Horns, Indian Misc, Tomahawks, Bows, Pipes, Trade Silver, Indian Rugs, Bead Work, Pottery, Birdstones, Stone Tools.

 Soon to come are sections on Flint, Slate, Necklaces & Beads, and Bone Tools.

Each artifact described in the book will have pictures of all supporting documents I have about the artifact.  For example.  While on vacation July 1969, Elmer purchased a U.S. Army Saddle Bag full of hide tanning tools from an Indian in South Dakota.  These are the items I have to support the provenance of this particular artifact.

 Photo taken by Elmer Grimm of Indian Bag

 Photo of the Indian holding the bag he sold to Elmer. 

Photo taken from a slide photograph developed Jan 1970.

Photograph of this Indian's home

Above:  One of 3 information cards about the saddle bag.  This one has the name of the Indian, where he lived and the price paid for the bag.  The other cards give the date of purchase and one tells about Elmer's impression of the Indian's home (pictured above). 

Elmer had a type writer that typed in cursive.  Elmer's wife said that he never knew how to write in cursive, so he enjoyed using this typewriter.  This cursive type is a signature way of knowing an item came out of Elmer's collection.

Elmer Grimm (left) with Arthur George Smith (Sarge Smith), who taught Elmer a great deal about collecting and authentication of Indian artifacts.  Together they both published articles in the Ohio Archaeologist.  Other close friends Elmer had included Steve fuller, Jim Dresslar, Tommy Haas, Jim Hovan, Ed Valerius, Bill Tiell, Jim Ritchie, Dr. Schultz and Ron Rospert.  Collectors I know associated with Elmer include Richard Kirchoff, Don Ball, Bill Myers, Don Young, Roger Long, Paul, Gray, Jack Hooks, Jeff Dearth, Frank & Martho Otto, Hal Geer, Carl Smith, David Taylor, Tom Parker, John Veverka, Dean Majors, Alvin Waite, Keith Barker, Dave Hays, Henry Sedlon, Dr. Olaf Prufer, Donald Hern, Al Donkin, Clive Gildersleeve, David Kerecz, John Anspaugh, Robert Kuck, Arthur Gilham, Bill Kish, John Horne, Mike Higgins, Claude Britt, Art Rehn, Howard Loitwood, Don Williams, Harold Geer, Hank Jacoby, Orean Barney, Robert Converse, John Dyck, Dale Barney, Kohlbergs, Donald Beer, Thomas Minardi, Robert Kuck, C. M. Jones, Gene Summers, Lar Hothem, Kirk Whaley, Gary Litherland, Ivan Sexton, Dale Schroeder, B. F. Gabringer, Milford Chandler, Al Donkin, Carl Rynolds, Dr. Gordon Meuser, Raymond Baby, Max Shipley, Martha Potter, Hubert Wachtel, John Sarnovsky, Ed Galitza, Dean Majors, Donald McBeth, Eugene Hirzel, Jan Sorgenfrei, Stanley Copeland, Cameron Parks, and Earl Townsend.  Many of Elmer's friends have helped me to put together information for my book.

Elmer Grimm & Jack Hooks
Click on link below to hear part of a conversation they had about collecting.  The conversation took place Sept. 10th, 1987.  The talk about archaeologist Donald Macbeth and collectors Sarge Smith, Copeland, Dr. Meuser, Raymond Vietzen, and Ernie Good.  They talk about how to catalog a collection and the appreciation of artifacts over time and how this is turning into a rich man's hobby.  Some parts may be of little interest to collectors, but I'm sure those who knew Elmer and Jack and others will really enjoy this.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B3K8JWCdCdRFRHpKTy1nWEM1WTQ

(There is one spot in the recording that has a loud burst of sound, so use inexpensive speakers)

For more information about the Elmer Grimm Collection contact jamesbarnett1@hotmail.com

Provenance: The need to share information

This is a photograph of one of Elmer Grimm's display cases taken from a slide dated Nov. 1960.  I have a closeup of this and other display cases.  I prefer to share these with collectors who own pieces from Elmer's Collection.  Contact me at jamesbarnett1@hotmail.com for more info.  I get a lot of satisfaction from being able to help collectors prove their relic is from Elmer's collection.  I know that if you can prove that an item was collected a long time ago, it adds to the probability that it is real. 

Advice From The John Painter Book

This week I read the book, American Indian Artifacts: The John Painter Collection, by John W. Painter.  Anyone who has read his book knows that John Painter's collection was one of the best documented collections in the United States.  Provenance means authenticity and authenticity equals greater enjoyment for the collector and thus a greater dollar value for the collectible.  In his book, John Painter described the lengths he went to to determine the origin and provenance of a pair of moccasins.  He had documented the dates of each phone call he made and letter he wrote to a museum and the dealer he purchased the artifact from.  I was impressed with his desire to keep provenance with each of his artifacts.  This is a desire that Elmer Grimm also had.  John painter described how artifacts frequently come onto the market and change hands a number of times before finding a final resting place in a more permanent collection.  He talks about the shame it is that provenance is not kept with the artifacts through all these transactions.  Many times provenance is not obtained from the original seller of the artifact.

The Need to Share Information

I expressed a desire to write a book on the Elmer Grimm collection to Elmer's wife.  She was excited about the idea.  She allowed me to search her house, attic and Elmer's old files.  She gave me about 5 boxes of Elmer's files, paperwork, notes, photographs, slides and negatives.  I was allowed to take any and all paperwork related to artifacts.  I also went to collector friends who had some of his records and digitally copied all of their records.  I purchased about every Ohio Archaeologist from 1950-1999.  Elmer wrote many articles and his artifacts are pictured many times over the course of those 50 years.

After getting this mountain of paperwork home and scanning it to my computer, I realized I had a daunting task and an enormous responsibility.  I am the only one who has this information and Elmer's wife has given it to me freely.  I need to share it with Elmer's collector friends and his family.

I started the project of writing this book in Nov. 2009.  From Nov. 2009 to April 5th 2010 I dedicated free time to scanning information to my computer, organizing pictures, developing negatives, and scanning slide photographs.  On April 5th, 2010 I began writing the first chapter of the book, The Elmer Grimm Collection.  I’m sure there will be many editions, because hopefully new information will continue to come to me about his collection.  I hope to never stop learning about this amazing collection.   I've printed a preliminary copy for Elmer's wife that consists of about 400 pages. 

I'm finding that I don't have all the information Elmer had.  Some of the information went with the artifacts that are no longer around.  This information will be important for me to obtain.  I also know that there are many artifacts that have come onto the market that lack much of the provenance Elmer fought so hard to obtain.  In the spirit of Elmer Grimm, John Painter and other collectors who appreciate solid provenance for their artifacts I offer my assistance to any collector seeking more information for their Elmer Grimm artifacts.

If you have artifacts from the Elmer Grimm Collection I would love an e-mail.  I'm sure I have something to share with you.  jamesbarnett1@hotmail.com

Examples of Provenance I have for Elmer Grimm Artifacts

Indian holding branding iron Elmer purchased (slide dated 1968).

Name of Indian will not be mentioned here.

Elmer's son holding museum sign describing brand shown above (slide dated 1968).

 Raw hide Indian saddle.

Elmer took a photo of the Indian he got this saddle from.  His first name is tattooed on his left arm. 

The picture is dated Jan 1972. 

Elmer made a card describing details of the purchase and the provenance of the saddle.

Elmer Grimm put numbers on most of his artifacts.  I have his original notes with the key to know what each number means.  In the case of numbers with an "S" before them, they are from the Arthur George Smith collection.  I have a notebook full of pages just like the ones shown above.  The pages contain tracings of different small artifacts from "Sarge Smith's" collection as well as a Arthur Smith's description of each.  I would be happy to provide copies to collectors who have Ex: Arthur Smith flint, slate, pipes, etc.  If you have a number on your artifact, I can tell you what it means and get you the information associated with that number.

Old photograph of birdstone Elmer Grimm purchased from LaDow Johnston. 

Pictured in Ohio Archaeologist Vol. 4, #3, Jul. 1954, Pg. 26.

Sketch Elmer made of "Doc Johnston" birdstone

Elmer Grimm's notes about the provenance of this birdstone.  I have similar sketches and notes for a number of other birdstones from his collection as well as numerous photos of his birdstones in his display cases.

I have numerous photos of Elmer holding artifacts from his collection as well as photo's of him standing with his display cases.  Here he holds a hafted squaw axe.

Some gorgets, pendants, shell, slate and flint artifacts have been split up from their original frames over the years.  I see some so-called ex-Elmer Grimm artifacts come onto the market that I've never seen before in all my photographs.  I'm sure in a lot of these cases auction companies have no concrete proof of provenance.

Photograph of Elmer's friend Jack Hooks holding Glacial Kame beads from the previous photograph.

I see some frames of flint like this one from the Donkin Collection of Hinkley, OH that have been split up and sold off.  Sometimes pieces are attributed to Elmer and sometimes not.  Sometimes they say they are from a specific farm and I know they are from another, because I have a photo of the original frame.  Most original frames from Elmer's collection have tags like the one seen above, with cursive type.

I have been very closely associated with the Elmer Grimm collection and would love to be of assistance to any collector.  My goal is to learn more about Elmer's Collection and help his fellow collectors enjoy their artifacts more fully.