Here's what we've all been waiting for!  It's the official definition of "Native American Trade Beads" as presented by Jamey "Beadman" Allen, the resident expert in the beadcollector forum.

"Native American Trade Beads" = Beads traded to American Indians.  Period.

Meanwhile, all the "provenance" you need is some statement that the beads are from some old estate auction with the claim that the beads were dug up somewhere in "Native America", wherever that is.  This is how the forum people "authenticate" their NATBs.

This is really neat!  The denizens and inmates of this forum are the very people recruited by eBay to police the bead auctions, so if this is what constitutes "Native American Trade Beads", all you hustlers and pickpockets are now safe!  Think of the possibilities!  How about Native Australian Trade Beads"?  Would these be "Beads traded to Australian Aborigines"?

So professional!  "Beads traded to American Indians"?  Which ones are those?  Is there a catalogue of such beads?  Do they have to be the actual ones?  Or can they be the same types of beads that got "traded" (another misused term) elsewhere?  It's all fantasy and total hypocrisy.  Watch out you sellers of beads!  You can get your listings cancelled if these forum people don't like what you're listing, as if they somehow know the "provenance" (another misused term) of every bead.

Ultimately, there's no such thing as "Native American Trade Beads", especially glass ones and, by now, thousands of buyers have been duped by this phony romantic concept.  Beads don't change origins (true "provenance") based upon where they're found, nor does their value.  And, most of the time, they aren't even "trade" beads.  It's as if they've all been "traded" when, in fact, they're all just prosaic commodities.

Yes, so professional!  Jamey "Beadman" Allen and the beadcollector forum people are making a mockery of their hobby and continue to insult serious bead collectors.  Keep up the comedy routine!

Write to me and I'll tell you how to get to the bead police forum.  I'm sure they'll be happy to obfuscate a simple situation even more.