...Last fall's record auction prices notwithstanding, many categories of tribal art can still be found for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. At Sotheby's next week, a Ndebele beaded mapoto (apron) worn by women to show that they were married, is expected to sell for $1,200 to $1,800. A beautifully detailed South African spoon, carved from ivory, might sell for around $3,000; a Senufo wooden spoon is likely to bring around $1,200. Small stools and chairs might run between $1,000 and $4,000 at a gallery. Bowls and heddle pulleys--parts of working looms decorated with small carved sculptures--can range from $500 to $1,500.

Minimasks and Kissi pennies. While it's rare to find a mask for under $6,000, many people enjoy collecting miniature masks that replicate the larger ones. Affrica, a gallery in Washington, D.C.,offers a variety of minimasks from the Guinea Coast region, some of them only 2 inches tall. The miniatures were created to represent true masks that had been damaged or retired, and were carried by the person associated with the larger mask as a means of identification. They start as low as $350 and can run into the thousands. The least expensive collectible at Affrica, curiously, is one type of tribal currency. The slender stalks of wrought iron--"Kissi pennies"--were used in Liberia around the turn of the century and were each worth one British penny. They now sell for $10 apiece.

It's best to buy from a dealer you trust, since a growing number of fakes are turning up on the market...