About Santa Fe

Welcome to Sherwoods Spirit of America. We are Santa Fe’s premier gallery specializing in Native American artifacts and historic Americana. We offer the finest examples available from every corner of America – from the Northwest Coast, Eastern Woodlands and Great Basin to the Great Plains.

Whether you are a serious, accomplished collector or just starting on your collecting journey, we are sure you will find something of interest to you! We are pleased and proud to share these marvelous collectibles with you.

Because our gallery offerings are very eclectic and diverse, we are often asked, “What is the focus of your gallery?” The answer is simple: “American history and a passion for historical artifacts.” People also ask, “Are these types of collectibles a good investment?” to which we reply, “Great things are always great.”

To be in the historic collectibles business, you must be a collector. Collecting is not based on a simple “buy and sell’ premise. Having some 50 years of experience in acquiring my personal and business collections, I consider myself to be somewhat of an authority on the items in which we deal. I have seen many changes over the years – not only in the area of pricing but also in the availability of fine collectibles. As an amasser myself, for the people new to collecting or advanced collectors, concerns are clearly understood. In order to further reassure our clients, we have Certificates of Authenticity available that support the representations we make about historic artifacts we offer.

If you have an historic collection you wish to dispose of, it is not difficult to market these artifacts. As with everything handled at Sherwoods Spirit of America, personal dialogue and interaction is enjoyed with each of our clients; and at any time, we are happy to discuss your collection.

We invite you to visit Sherwoods Spirit of America in Santa Fe, which is located in the historic Kaune Bandelier House. Your collecting interests and needs are of paramount importance to us. We are more than happy to demonstrate this through our personal attention to your specific details.

Thank you for your interest in our gallery. We very much look forward to seeing you soon!

Michael D. Kokin
Owner

The Historic Kaune Bandelier House
This structure, a splendid example of the Territorial style, first appears in the records of Santa Fe county in 1867. The Territorial style is typified by the use of adobe construction, brick parapets, flat roofs, the presence of pediments above the doors and windows, and a portal running the length of the building. In 1966 (although the house has been altered and enlarged over the years and devoid of the brick parapet), the Historic Santa Fe Foundation deemed this structure worthy of preservation.

The first deed of record is the sale of the property to Marta Romero y Maynas, dated February 1, 1867. In 1873, John Schumann bought the property. In 1885, Schumann rented the property to Adolf Bandelier and his wife Josephine. Bandelier was the pre-eminent archaeologist of his time, best known for his work at the Pecos Pueblo. Bandelier and his family rented the house for only six years, until 1891. Subsequently, the house was rented by Henry Kaune and his wife Elizabeth, who was a second cousin of Bandelier. The Kaune family lived in the house until 1982, when the youngest daughter of Henry S. Kaune passed away. To many Santa Feans, the house is more commonly known as the "Kaune House."