A much discussed concept, authenticity is still very important to collectors and museums in 2013 with respect to Native American art, but few have examined the dynamic between artist and buyer in relation to how concepts of authenticity affect the exchange. Useful here is a constructivist approach that examines authenticity with respect to local perceptions, values and setting. Existential authenticity is revealed through statements by the potters of Santa Clara and San Ildefonso Pueblos, New Mexico, and object authenticity is derived from attributes of the pot and potter partly from online advertisements for 571 pots. The proxies for existential values predict 39 per cent of the cash value of the pot. Ongoing discussions among all the stakeholders preceding juried competitions conserve potters’ values and support artist agency. These values, as expressed in the pottery, are likely part of buyers’ attraction to the pottery.