The Collectors
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Show and Tell – Coloured beaded snake with “Turkish Prisoner 1916”
Friday 19 October 2007
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Doris from Western Australia sent in the photo for this week’s Show and Tell item via our website. The item is a beaded snake made in Turkey by a prisoner of war in 1916.
Thousands of these were believed to have been made by prisoners as part of the activities in Allied camps during WW1. They were typically sold as souvenirs to soldiers in market places, and in return gave the POWs a small amount of money.
While the majority of the snakes produced are thought to have come from Egypt, it’s also believed beaded snakes came from other areas where there were camps such as Mesopotamia, Malta, Palestine and England.
Gordon says since the snake is in very good condition for its age, it’s worth about $400.
