GUEST: My grandfather got this for me.

I was 12 years old when he gave it to me.

Uh, but he gave me this for my birthday.

You know, when you're 12 years old, you're kind of looking for a bicycle or something like that, and I got this.

At the time, I didn't realize really what I had, but now I do.

And so, it was a great gift that he gave to me.

He paid $12 for it, at an auction.

APPRAISER: This book occurred at a remarkable moment in American history.

These are albumen photographs.

They were derived from a glass negative.

They were developed in 1873...by a photographer named W.G.

Chamberlain.

Born in 1815...died in, uh, 1910.

He was, uh, very active during the Civil War.

He then emigrated out to Denver, where he really settled in.

He took pictures of Yellowstone, but he focused on Native Americans.

And in this particular album, there are 25 mounts, double-sided.

There are 50 photos here.

90% of them are of the Ute tribe.

This gentleman is wearing a Western shirt gotten from a trader or a military individual.

Around his waist, he's wearing a Navajo blanket, and across his shoulders he's got a baldric, or a bandolier bag, made undoubtedly by the Ute people.

He's wearing a top hat that he would have gotten in trade, which he clearly would have valued very, very highly, because he would have seen non-Native folks, traders, military individuals wearing top hats.

This gentleman... in his headdress, he's got a crescent right above his forehead.

It's called the naja.

He's wearing trade bead necklaces.

This picture...has a Ute warrior, but notice he's got a top hat on.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: He couldn't have those feathers in the top hat unless he had earned the right to have an eagle feather in his hat.

This means he's an accomplished warrior.

But what's totally remarkable, in the hatband, on his top hat are three or four photographs, tucked into that headband.

To have a photograph is a little bit threatening, particularly back in the day.

These folks sometimes referred to photographers as shadow catchers, and they were a little bit nervous about someone having their image in their hand.

Here he's showing them off in his hatband.

It's just a remarkable photograph.

We know, because of the first page that in 1873, Eliza W. Lyon put this album together.

She clearly is the same individual that did all of the inscriptions under the images.

It's the same handwriting.

On a retail basis...I would value this at about $25,000.

GUEST: Well, that's better than 12.

(chuckles) Wow.

Yeah, that's, uh... that's pretty good.

APPRAISER: You'd be very comfortable at $35,000 insurance value.