Hudson's Bay point blanket

A Hudson's Bay point blanket is a type of wool blanket traded by the Hudson's Bay Company in western British North America and the United States during the 18th century and 19th century. The blankets were typically traded to First Nations and Native Americans in exchange for beaver pelts.

The value system

In the point system, a blanket of higher point value would supposedly be larger and warmer. A common misconception is that each point indicated a quantity of beaver pelts or Hudson's Bay Company money. Blankets varied in colour and design.

From the Hudson's Bay Company website [http://www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/blanket/history/] :

:Each blanket was graded as to weight and size using a point system. Points were identified by the indigo lines woven into the side of each blanket. A full point measured 4 - 5.5 in.; a half point measured half that length. The standard measurements for a pair of 1 point blankets was: 2 ft. 8 in. wide by 8 ft. in length; with a weight of 3 lb. 1 oz. each. Points ranged from 1 to 6, increasing by halves depending upon the size and weight of the blanket. The number of points represented the overall finished size of the blanket, not its value in terms of beaver pelts as is sometimes believed.

Current use

Point blankets, made in England from 100% wool, are available at the Bay to the present day in three and a half-, four-, six-, and eight-point sizes corresponding respectively to a twin-, double-, queen-, or king-sized bed. Solid colours are available, as is the famous "classic" pattern featuring green, red, yellow, and indigo stripes against a white background. For a limited time a new colour is available. Depending on size and colour, newly made blankets retail at between $240 and $350 USD.

Today the point blankets are made in England by John Atkinson & Sons, a division of A. W. Hainsworth & Sons Ltd.

Collectability

Many early point blankets have survived into the 21st century and have become collectors items. The Oregon-based sculptor Marie Watt (part Seneca) has used point blankets in her sculpture work, which was exhibited in 2004 at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C..

Nowadays genuine point blankets have become very collectible and could fetch prices up to thousands of dollars. The main determinants of value include age, size, colour, pattern rarity and condition. According to HBC Heritage Services, eBay is a good place to check current market values. Particularly collectible point blankets are the Coronation blankets; the one produced for the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II brings approximately $600 if in mint condition while examples of the even rarer, Coronation blanket dating to 1937 have sold for as high as $1300.

Harold Lee Tichenor, point blanket collector and consultant to Hudson's Bay Company has written two books on point blankets and their collectibility:The Blanket: an Illustrated History of the Hudson's Bay Point Blanket (HBC, 2002) and A Collector's Guide to Point Blankets (Cinetel, 2003)

External links

* [http://www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/blanket/ Hbc Heritage - Our History - The Hbc Point Blanket]
* [http://www.witneyblanketstory.org.uk/ The Witney Blanket Story] - comprehensive site about the Witney blanket industry, including manufacturers of Witney point blankets
* [http://www.pointblankets.com/ The Point Blanket Site] - a basic introduction to the history of point blankets and information on dating and evaluation