My grandpa passed down a rug gifted by Navajo members – an expert said it’s worth $10k because of a ‘cult’ emblem

A NAVAJO Indian rug was passed down for generations before it was discovered to be worth $10,000, thanks to its ties to a famous organization.

A guest on Antiques Roadshow explained that the rug was made for his great-grandfather in a trade for him doing dome flooring jobs.

The story goes that around 1930, his great-grandfather was working in Gallup, New Mexico.

The man was a member of the Freemasons, a fraternal organization dating back to the 14th century.

He did some flooring work for fellow Masons and noticed a unique rug in the lodge.

Members told him that the rug was made by Navajo Indians, so he sought out the group to get one.

"Because he was a construction worker, he put in linoleum flooring in some of their buildings on their reservation in trade for this rug," the guest said.

He eventually passed it down to his children, who continued to pass it on to members of the family who joined the group.

"When I became a Mason, my father gave it to me, and I've had it for about 20 years," he said.

Roadshow appraiser Tony Abeyta was thrilled to hear that the rug was from his hometown of Gallup. He is also half Navajo, giving him a special connection to the item.

"I think this called out to me to not only appraise it but to learn from it," he said.

Since he didn't know much about Masonry, he had the guest explain more about the group.

"They believe in God, and they believe in order to serve God, you're supposed to have a positive impact on your family, and on your community, and on the world," he said.

Abeyta also asked for more information on the large symbol at the bottom of the rug that had a G in it.

The guest said it is called the Square and Compasses.

"The G in the middle stands for God. The idea is with the square, it's kind of like a ruler. You use it to make 90-degree angles. You're supposed to live your life justly and fairly and squarely with others," he explained.

"Those things that are pleasing to God should remain in the circle, and those things that aren't fruitful for your fellow man should be outside the circle."

The compasses represented a perfect circle.

I think this called out to me to not only appraise it but to learn from it.

Abeyta was able to give the guest more information about the blanket.

It was made woven with commercial yarn from Germantown, Pennsylvania, he said.

"In the regular world, we call this a Navajo Pictorial. I find the story behind this interesting - it empowers the weaving, it creates some dynamic element," he added.

"I think it's a fantastic example of the connection between people and how we can share the same doctrines of these values."

Abeyta estimated that the blanket could sell for $7,500 in a retail setting but urged the guest to insure it for at least $10,000.

"Dad and grandpa will be interested to know that. They've been wondering that for a while," the guest said.

"For the family, it's the family story. It gets brought out all the time, and new people get to learn the story, and now you've added to it."

FAMILY JEWELS

Abeyta also appraised two silver cuffs made by a famous Native American artist.

The guest said his parents bought them for less than $200 each. They were made by Charles Loloma, a Hopi Native American jewelry artist.

He is widely known as the "Godfather of American Indian jewelry," Abeyta said.

"These [designs] evolved into very complex, large inlaid bracelets with ironwood, coral, and turquoise," he said.

"They got to be very beautiful, but I backpedal to this period, which I like the best."

Both cuffs were signed by Loloma and had the original certifications proving their authenticity.

This helped boost the value of the cuffs to $25,000 and $28,000.

The guest asked why one bracelet was more expensive, and Abeyta said, "Because people like turquoise!"

In another episode, a guest brought a gold belt buckle that almost broke the appraiser's scale.

Plus, see why a grandmother's baseball bat is worth $30,000.