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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

Hi Randall,

I have a few of those, and though I don't have a concrete answer regarding the date of origin, I've always thought that based on the characteristics of Chief Wahoo, these were produced in the mid to late 1940s and early '50s. Just about every piece of vintage Indians souvenir memorabilia that I have that has the old-style Wahoo and that I know for sure the date it was produced is from the 1940s or maybe 1950-51. Most items starting after feature the more modern Wahoo (without the "hook nose.")

I have a couple different styles of these, including a colorized version, that I'll scan and post later. I usually see these sell for around $50-$75, depending on how clean they are. (Except for the first one I ever saw, about seven years ago, when I paid close to $200. Oops. )

I don't see them pop up all that often and think that for the prices you can get them for, they're a pretty good bargain. Assuming you like that sort of collectible.

Hope this helps,

Rob

Edited to add scans:

Here are two that are a little different than yours, a colorized version and another that has more of a copper look to it. By the way, both of these measure just less than 4.5 inches in diameter.