Howard Swayne, a retired stone mason contractor, was not planning on coming home with a set of pre-Columbian gold pieces when he visited a friend in New Mexico. But the rare objects caught his eye, and Swayne couldn’t help feeling they were not-to-be-missed.
The collection includes a gold frog pendant and a gold collar, both dated circa 800-1,500 AD, and several other pre-Columbian gold pendants.
When Swayne saw the pieces for the first time, the gallery was about to ship them back to their owner. “Wait a minute,” Swayne said, already considering purchasing the pieces.
“And I slept on it and I woke up the next day and I bought them,” he says. Although Swayne has not made a habit of buying pre-Columbian gold artifacts, he says he enjoys buying and selling art.
Swayne says he knew he wanted to do something with the gold but he wasn’t sure what. Once again, shut-eye provided the answer.
“I went to sleep with that question in my mind and I just woke up and it came to me,” Swayne says. “Give it to charity where the money can help someone.”
Because the pieces will be sold at an auction, the price for the collection is not set. However, the whole collection has previously been for sale for upward of $450,000. Swayne believes the pieces would make a great donation to a museum or work well as a private collection, but he points out that the main purpose of the auction is to benefit the Red Cross.
“Bottom line is I feel like if I was ever in a jam, I would want someone to help me,” Swayne says, “so I try to reach out as much as possible to help others.”
These pieces can be viewed at Morven Farm at the Red Cross’ Second Annual Red and White Affair from 4pm to 9pm Saturday, September 26. Freeman’s will auction them off online October 6.