I have baskets from different places in the world from different time periods and I have become really good at identifying baskets just by glancing at them.
Most of the baskets I pick up are from estate sales, but others are from other places that are usually my super cheap finds. (These places usually have no idea what they have and are happy selling the baskets to me at their price... (and this makes me happy. (I am unsure at this point how many baskets I have, but I have a lot).
One of the baskets I wanted this week I found at an estate sale that was a real old basket. It was a Pima Native American basket from the mid 1800's (or earlier.) It was a great basket and I didn't have any money because I have been dumping it into my building to get started doing my own business thing.... anyway, the basket was $235.00 and at half price I still did not have the money for it so I passed. I found an antique billiard ball rack for $1.00 that needed to be re-glued underneath the copper corner springs that hold the corners together... And I paid $1.00 for a 1940's soda fountain mixing glass that is worth about $40.00 online, so I did okay since I had less than $20.00 bucks to my name... Anyway, I have numbers hitting me all day from all different directions and I am running into people the sales I have not seen in a while... The antique ball rack can't be bought for less than$125.00 online, so it made for a real nice day if I ever decide to sell my junk.
To make a long story short, my mother happened to stop at the estate sale that had the Pima basket that I found and now I have a super old Pima basket in my collection. (It was a birthday gift.) I can't believe she bought it for me. It is one of those bizarre things. I am still in a state of disbelief.
Normally, I like the baskets that nobody has any idea what the value is and I end up spending a dollar or two on it. However, this is one basket I was supposed to have. Knowing how the estate people blaze though pricing, I may have something super rare. (I'll post photos of it sometime.)
I already had Pima baskets from the 1920's, but this new addition is a keeper. Some of the other baskets I have are and 1860's Asian fish basket, various Tarahumara baskets (The Native Americans who run 140 miles in 4 days barefoot for fun thought jagged mountain terrain.) I have an early Cherokee Ash splint basket I ended up with for $2.50 I'm still sleuthing the particulars. (My neighbor who collects Native American baskets had no idea that he was looking at a Cherokee basket when I let him look at my finds for the day.) I got a Loneburger basket for .25 cents that I will probably sell, a couple old Shakers, and lots of baskets I have forgotten about because I store them stacked inside one another with lids...
I am not really sure what my fascination with basket is but pretty soon I am going to have to start kicking out the less desirable baskets to make room for better ones.
vintage 1920's Pima basket (looks sort of like the two I had already.)
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This is about the closet basket that I could find that would give you an idea of what my basket looks like (except mine is older.) ( image gone )
but if all else fails, it is at the very least a lovely diversion from the "hum drum" of the highway, complete with a fabulous little cafe that serves the best old fashioned bread pudding I have ever eaten. (I think there is rum or brandy in its making. 
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(Thumbs Up)!