Hippies were stringing big hole beads on rope back in the day and these had the earthy look that was popular. They are in unused condition, and are very uncommon. They were sold as hippie beads in the late 60s from a bead store near the Haight Ashbury area. In 1967, the hippie phenomena dominated the area and the demand for beads was huge. The owner of this store put out the call that he wanted all types of beads that were either colorful, large, earthenware, or had mystical significance. The hardcore hippies wanted glass or ceramic or earthenware, so that is what most of these items are. The demand started slacking as the hippie phenomena died down and by the mid 1970s, they started selling gold chains and disco related items instead. The hippie items were taken from the front shelves, and stored in the back. The newspaper they were wrapped in was dated 1977, so that's when they put them back there. The most striking thing in the store was an old display of huge African Trade Bead necklaces from the 1800s. They were even selling those sort of beads to the hippies. One of those necklaces will run you about 2 grand now. That place is a real time warp. You could still smell incense around some of the boxes and I kept hearing Jimi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane in my head. Just amazing.