Arrowhead Collecting On The Web

Transcription

ACOTW
TM
Welcome To
www.ArrowheadCollectingOnTheWeb.com
Volume I, Number 7
November 2009
A Special Feature Of This Issue Is Our Side-By-Side
Comparison Of Ancient And Modern-Made Arrowheads.
Thank you for subscribing to
our newsletter, “Arrowhead
Collecting On The Web”.
I hope you enjoyed the sixth
edition, Volume I, Number 6, of
our digital on-line newsletter,
the October, 2009 issue.
“Arrowhead Collecting On The
Web” provides an on-going
series of articles and graphic
presentations of information
related to the many different
aspects of finding and learning
about the relics of previous
cultures which remain to be
found today.
This seventh edition addresses
the following topics:
• How long have people been
using the land where we
live? One reader’s Grandfather assembled a collection
in their part of Nebraska
which reaches back in time
for over 300 generations.
Her collection includes every
major cultural design of
hunting weapon since Clovis
hunters tracked the now
extinct species of giant bison
and other megafauna at the
end of the Ice Age. ACOTW
is privileged to share a look
at this amazing collection.
• How can we tell the
difference between ancient
arrowheads and modernmade reproductions? We
will look at several ancient
points and compare similar,
If your Grandfather put together a collection of arrowheads and other artifacts
from the region where he lived, and you even had the opportunity to help him
find some of the points in that collection, and then you inherited that collection
from him, you should look at that collection carefully and see what is included.
For instance, one of our readers has sent in a number of photographs of items
from her Grandfather’s collection, which she helped assemble. Check out the
some of the exceptional, ancient hunting artifacts which he found and documented, in her collection today. (Pages 5-7 in this issue.)
but modern, arrowheads to
view several aspects of
knapped material which can
help us separate authentic
ancient points from modern
“flint knapping” handiwork.
(This begins a series of articles
on this critical subject.)
• How did you get the “bug”
to collect arrowheads? (One
of our readers suggested, and
contributed to get the ball
rolling, a series of articles from
readers to share the beginnings
of this fascinating obsession.)
(continued...)
ACOTW
TM
Our editorial objective is to
help our readers become longterm, even serious collectors of
arrowheads, over the years to
come. There are several things
which we hope to accomplish
for you in this process:
• Help you find new points
and understand what it is
that you are finding;
• Help you to learn about all
the different aspects of
collecting;
• Help you to recognize the
different kinds and styles of
collectable arrowheads and
other implements;
• Help you to understand
about the life ways of the
cultures represented by the
stone tools which remain;
• Help you to discover ways
to find good and desirable
arrowheads from other
sources, such as eBay and
special subject web sites;
• Help you to learn about
point quality and
authenticity, so that you
understand about point
value and character;
• Help you understand about
modern flint knapping, how
new points and implements
are made, how to recognize
them, and how to appreciate
those items for the skill and
the craftsmanship of the
work which they exhibit;
• Help you to recognize that
some people still try to sell
unsuspecting collectors
items which may or may not
be what the item is
described to be, that you
should be careful when you
think about buying points
for your collection;
Volume I, Number 7
• Help you to learn about
authentication services and
their value to you as a
collector.
As we do these things, we will
maintain your readership and
interest in our newsletter for
many years to come.
Thank you for your participation, and your interest in
Web”.
Sincerely,
F. Scott Crawford
Carrollton, Texas
The cave art shown on the last page of
“Arrowhead Collecting On The Web”
is from the “Cave of the Hands,”
located on the Pinturas River in
Santa Cruz Provence, Argentina.
It was made thousands of years ago,
by native peoples, perhaps in comingof-age ceremonies, since the painted
hand images are the size for youths
about thirteen years of age. The
photograph was made in the cave by
Mariano Cecowski, in 2005, and is
used with permission through
Wikipedia.com
Member AACA
© 2009. All Rights Reserved.
www.ArrowheadCollectingOnTheWeb.com
F. Scott Crawford, Carrollton, Texas
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About The Author
From the time when I was 13 or
14 in the forested foothills of the
western Oregon Willamette Valley
and found my first arrowhead, an
obsidian “bird point,” in a field my
dad had plowed for an experimental crop of maize, I have
always wondered about the
people who used these stone
tools, how they lived, and what
became of them.
Some friends had collected
Indian artifacts in the desert
areas of eastern Oregon and my
brothers and I all enjoyed looking
at their display of those arrowheads. So, to find some points of
our own, on the family land, was
particularly exciting. After that,
whenever we were working in the
bean fields, or tending livestock,
or moving irrigation pipes, or just
wandering across the back 40,
we always would keep an eye out
for bits and pieces of worked
stone, tools and points, to add to
our growing collection.
Today, I still keep an eye out for
remnants of past cultures. And
as the world has changed so
much, I can now do much, but not
all, of that wandering and learning
on the internet, on the world wide
web. That’s how I came to be
collecting arrowheads on the
web, and why I began to put
together this newsletter, for
others across the land who also
are interested in “ Arrowhead
Collecting On The Web”.
FSC
p.s. There is still a time and a
place for criss crossing a plowed
field, or walking along the banks
of a stream, just to see what you
might find. Knowing where to
look and how, is part of what we
plan to explore in the pages of
Web.” Read, learn, find, enjoy.
p.p.s. You are invited to visit my flint
knapping web site:
www.Arrowhead-Maker.com
November 2009
ACOTW
TM
Getting Started With Collecting Arrowheads ... How Does That
Happen? A Reader’s Story Idea Invites You To Share.
good rain. It got to be that we would
go out in raingear while it was still
pouring down rain, just to beat our
neighbors to the punch. Sometimes
we’d run into each other, them doing
the same thing against us.
by Kelly Griffin, Portland, Oregon
I grew up on the north end of Tampa
Bay, Florida. A state park fence
separated our yard from Phillippe
Park, named for Odet Phillippe, chief
surgeon for Napoleon, who was later
credited with settling the area
permanently and introducing
grapefruit to the New World. I
always thought the park was
misnamed, however, because the
entire focal point of the park was the
huge oyster shell mound made for the
lodge of the chiefs of the ancient
aborigines, the Tocobagas, who were
the largest community of inhabitants
of Tampa Bay and had lived and
thrived there for thousands of years.
It astounds me that Phillippe Park still
doesn’t have a significant memorial or
placard for what it means historically.
It was the official spot where Pedro
Menendez de Aviles and Panfilo de
Narvaez of Spain came ashore in the
new world in the mid 1500s and put
an end to the Tocobagas in very short
order with active force and passive
diseases they brought with them.
Today, the place is a very wellgroomed “picnic park”, with a
wraparound concrete seawall, paved
pathways, play areas for young kids,
volleyball nets, permanent barbecue
grills, with everything neatly turfed
and groomed with St. Augustine
grass. And, with that, no signs
remaining of the rich history that
supposedly set it aside as a state park
in the first place.
*****
When I was a kid, though, Phillippe
Park was so much more primitive,
and appealing, and wondrous.
Volume I, Number 7
*****
Painting by an historical artist in Florida
depicting the Tocobaga native people
harvesting fish in Tampa Bay.
(picture credit: Hermann Trappman).
Everything within five hundred yards
of the mound remained basically
unchanged from the years before, and
there was no seawall to stop cliff
erosion at the steep shoreline. I can
remember a glorious old oak tree that
leaned way out over the water, and
erosion had undermined most of its
root structure, creating the most
wonderful, natural kid’s “secret cave”
you could ever want.
I couldn’t even guess the number of
times I went artifact hunting at
Phillippe Park as a kid. It was always
something to do when there was
nothing to do, and there was never a
time I can recall that I came back
empty-handed. The park was fully
littered with clay pottery shards, and
flint and chert scrapers and “pieces of
things” weren’t uncommon to find
laying almost anywhere.
We even had kind of an ongoing
contest with our neighbors whenever
tropical monsoons happened; the
downpours in Tampa Bay were so
heavy that they could change artifact
hunting altogether from one day to
the next. Because the mound and the
area around it added elevation to the
area, there were lots of spots for
gulleys and small washouts during a
3
As a young artifact hunter, I
remember my only real goal was to
find “a perfect point”. It was fairly
common to find broken halves of
large lance points and spear points,
but, for some reason, what I always
really wanted and hoped to find was
a whole, perfect, run-of-the-mill
arrowhead. The common point was
called the Pinellas point, which was
nothing more than about an inchand-a-half tall isosceles triangle of
flint or chert. Nothing fancy, but
finding a perfect Pinellas point was
what told me I was an “official”
artifact hunter.
It seemed that everybody else but me
could find points. Looking back as
an adult, though, the other stuff I
found is much more rare and
desirable as artifacts. I found two
exquisite conch shell pendants (one
of which the local historical society
asked if I would donate), the upper
half of a clay pendant, another flat
shell ornament and some very nice
pieces of pottery. Most of the pottery
to be found was plain and
unadorned, but it was always nice to
find a piece of rim, and twice my
brother brought home a piece that
had an integrated figurine or other
embellishment. We found some
evidence of the Spaniards’ presence
there as well; pieces of white
flatware with indigo patterns, part of
a wooden comb with a pattern
carved on it, and a blue glass trade
bead. I even found a rusted bayonet
entangled deep in the roots of a palm
tree, however I’m pretty sure that
was from some time in the 1800s.
But, for some reason, those treasures
didn’t quite qualify as good enough
finds in my mind. What I really
wanted was a perfect Pinellas point.
*****
(continued...)
November 2009
ACOTW
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Top center are the two perfect Pinellas points I found next to each other. To the right and below them are four ornaments; one flat shell,
the upper portion of a clay pendant and two complete conch shell pendants (they ground off the outer shell and made the pendant from
the inner core). You can even see where they’re notched for attachment. Those are the ones the local historical society asked me if I
wanted to donate. Below the pendants, from the right, is a “turtleback” scraper and two clay pottery shards. To the lower left is a
fragment of Spanish plateware. The tall point in the center I suspect might be a tool of some kind, maybe a drill. The point in the upper
left is perfect, and I’ve always wondered why the base was shaped that way. The remaining base-notched point was one I found when I
was a young kid hiding in the branches of an oak tree, spying on a young couple making out on a blanket nearby. I spotted the point
from up in the tree about twenty or thirty feet away on the ground.
One Saturday, with nothing to do, I
went out hunting for the jillionth time
on the side of the mound. I looked for
awhile and had made the turn back
and was working my way toward
home when, just off the side of the
path I was on, I looked down and saw
a very small, tan-colored patch in the
dirt. You’d never see it if you weren’t
looking for it. I picked it up and
wiped it off; I blinked a couple times,
and I could feel my heart starting to
race. It was a perfect Pinellas point. I
clasped it in my fist, did a little cheer
Volume I, Number 7
to myself and then ran all the way
home to show my mom. She made
me a tuna sandwich for lunch, and I
told her I was so excited that as soon
as I finished I was going to go back
out to look for more stuff.
I guess from just superstition or
something I went back to that
identical spot on the mound to look,
but I also thought to myself, “Just
because I found my first perfect point
here, why would I expect to find
anything else here?”
4
I looked down and found another
perfect Pinellas point... this one even
nicer... in almost the exact spot where
I’d found my first one.
That day I was an artifact hunter.
Kelly Griffin
November 2009
ACOTW
TM
For Hundreds Of Generations, The Buffalo Herds Were A Major
Resource For Those Who Were At One With The Land. Evidence
For This Vast Span Of Time From A Single Nebraska Collection:
Looks like a Knife River Flint Clovis
Point, Paleo-Indian cultural period,
circa 13,000 B.P. (Before Present, is
based on 1950 A.D. as the reference year.)
About 2-7/8” long, very nice form.
Looks like an Agate Goshen PaleoIndian cultural period, circa 12,500
B.P., or possibly a Clovis Point, with
minimal fluting, circa 13,000 B.P.
About 3” long, very nice form.
(All of these photographs were provided
by Stephanie Roberts, to illustrate a few
of the points in her Grandfather’s
collection, from a relatively small area in
north/central Nebraska. The notes and
descriptions are the editor’s thoughts.)
Looks like a Chert Folsom Point,
Paleo-Indian cultural period, circa
12,000 B.P. About 1-3/4” long, nice
form. Possible restoration at tip?
Volume I, Number 7
Looks like a Flint Clovis Point, with
normal base-thinning fluting, PaleoIndian cultural period, circa 13,000
B.P. About 3-7/8” long, nice form,
made with fine pressure flaking.
Looks like a resharpened Agate Folsom Point, and two other Paleo-Indian dart
points of agate or flint, made from chips with minimal pressure flaking along the
(continued...)
edges. Ages around 12,000 B.P. All shown actual size.
5
November 2009
ACOTW
TM
Looks like a Jasper Goshen dart point, a resharpened Quartzite Folsom Point,
and a Jasper or Chert Clovis Point. Ages around 12,500 B.P. for the Goshen Dart
Point, 12,000 B.P. for the Folsom Point and 13,000 B.P. for the Clovis.
Looks like a Quartzite Scottsbluff
Lance Point, from the latter PaleoIndian period, around 10,000 B.P.
Note the impact fracture at the tip.
Looks like a resharpened Flint Folsom Point, a Jasper Paleo-Indian dart point, a
broken and resharpened Agate Clovis Point, and a possible Agate Clovis Point.
Ages around 12,000 B.P. for the Dart Point and the Folsom Point and 13,000 B.P.
for the Clovis Points. All shown actual size.
Looks like a Quartzite Scottsbluff Dart
Point, from the latter Paleo-Indian
period, around 10,000 B.P.
(All of these photographs were provided
by Stephanie Roberts, to illustrate a few
of the points in her Grandfather’s
collection, from a relatively small area in
north/central Nebraska. The notes and
descriptions are the editor’s thoughts.)
Looks like a Chert Paleo-Indian dart point, an Agate Paleo-Indian Goshen Dart
Point, and a Chert Clovis Point. Ages around 12,500 B.P. for the Dart Points and
13,000 B.P. for the Clovis. All shown actual size.
(continued...)
Volume I, Number 7
6
November 2009
ACOTW
TM
Looks like an extensively resharpened
Agate Spear Point or Knife, from the
late Archaic period, from 3,000 to
6,000 B.P.
Looks like a Flint Calf Creek or other
large base notched Spear or Knife,
from the middle Archaic period.
Looks like a Flint Calf Creek Spear or
Knife, from the middle Archaic
period, around 6,000 to 8,000 B.P.
Volume I, Number 7
Looks like an Agate or Flint Lance
Point, from the late Archaic period,
around 3,000 to 6,000 B.P.
Looks like a Chert base-notched Dart
Point, from the late Archaic period,
from 3,000 to 6,000 B.P.
Looks like a Quartzite Corner Tang
Knife Blade, from the latter Archaic
period, around 3,000 to 6,000B.P.
(These photographs were provided by
Stephanie Roberts, to show her Grandfather’s Nebraska collection. The notes
and descriptions are the editor’s.)
Looks like two Flint or Agate sidenotched Dart Points from the late
Archaic Period, 3,000 to 6,000 B.P.
Looks like a Flint or Agate side-notched Dart Point from the Middle Archaic
period, 6,000 to 8,000 B.P., an agate corner-notched Dart Point from the Late
Archaic Period and a Jasper side-notched Dart Point from the Late Archaic,
around 3,000 to 6,000 B.P.
7
November 2009
ACOTW
TM
e-Mail Letters To The Editor:
October 18, 2009
Hey Scott,
Here is the story of our finds in
central Oregon.
My wife’s uncle owns a considerable
plot of land (ranch) in the juniper
country of Central Oregon, east of
Bend.
One can grow detached from nature
living in the metro area of any city
(we reside in Portland) and so we
decided to head out to his ranch for a
week-long getaway to what was, for
us, unknown country.
Upon arriving we discovered there
was little to no water on the entire
ranch (save the occasional cattle
pond), eliminating any sort of fishing
and reserving activities to either
hiking or horseback riding. The dust
and considerable mid-day temperatures drove us to choose horseback
riding and on our second day there,
took off at daybreak for a ride.
My wife’s uncle had informed us of
several dried-up lakes which, if you
get there early enough, sometimes
will have deer grazing on the sparse
grass that pokes through the alkali
mud. We chose the closest one and
set off on a 2 hour rocky ride with
little more than a cattle path to guide
us.
The lake must have been no more
than 5-6 feet deep at its prime and
looked to presently contain a few
inches of water on a wet year. Steep
banks surrounded the entire lake,
which lead up to a nearly continuous
level terrace.
As we were passing over one part of
the terrace we noticed black flakes
everywhere, sometimes so thick one
couldn’t move without stepping on a
dozen or so. I thought it may be an
archeological site but was unsure due
to my lack of experience on the
matter. My suspicions were
confirmed, however, when I noticed a
point sticking directly out of the
ground. I picked it up and about that
time my son yelled that he found one
as well.
broken ones. We reported the news
back to my wife’s uncle who assured
us that there were many such sites
around that lake and in other places
on the ranch, telling us to feel free to
pick up whatever we could find.
A few hours later we had found four
nice points and several handfuls of
He showed us a collection that he had
framed and hung on the wall of a
Volume I, Number 7
Top is an undisturbed artifact in the dry soil of the ranch in Eastern Oregon. The
volcanic ash rich soil clings to the point even afer the point is pulled from the ground.
8
couple hundred points that he had
“happened upon” while working.
The points were all shapes and sizes,
most beautifully made and all from
obsidian.
Upon our return, we purchased
literature on point typology and have
(continued...)
November 2009
ACOTW
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determined that the points we found
that day are of the Cascade/Early Leaf
type and among the broken pieces
were Windust and Cougar Mountain
points. The thrill of holding
something that likely hadn’t been held
for thousands of years and fashioned
by an unknown people for an
unknown purpose sparked something
within me and I have been an avid
collector ever since.
It has only been a little over a year
since our first finds but we have
already returned to the site numerous
times and have sought out new sites
only to be rewarded with more
ancient finds. Our “whole” or “all
there” finds have included Windust,
Cascade, Silver Lake and Haskett
types from our initial site and Elko,
Pinto Basin and Gatecliff from other
sites on the ranch. While we are no
experts, I think it’s safe to say that
people have been occupying the
property and leaving traces of that
occupation since early archaic times.
How exciting!
Your publication has been another
great find for us, giving us a wealth of
knowledge on the subject as well
motivating us with stories of great
finds sent in from your readers.
Please, by all means, keep it up!
Jason Davis
October 22, 2009
Sorry for the delay. We have
Windows 7 launching today and have
been busy all week.
Here are pics from our most recent
visit to the ranch. This is a 4”
Windust or Cody complex knife. The
insitu pic is just that, I hadn’t even
touched yet and called for Daniel to
come over and take a photo. The
following pic is only a few seconds
out of the ground. I will try and get a
cleaned up pic for you as well since it
has beautiful mahogany obsidian
striations.
Top isthe same Cody or Windust Point, cleaned up, showing the streaks of mohogany
color in the obsidian. The second photograph is an edge view to show additional detail of
this fine point’s design and workmanship by the aboriginal knapper.
Below are three additional excellent dart and spear points or knife blades from the ranch.
Each one is a different style of blade, from Pinto Basin on the left to an excellent Cascade
on the right.
Thanks!
Jason
Publisher’s e-mail address:
fscottcrawford@
arrowheadcollectingontheweb.com
Volume I, Number 7
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November 2009
ACOTW
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How Can We Tell The Difference Between An Ancient Arrowhead And A Modern-Made Reproduction Point? Let’s Take A
Look At Some Of Each Side By Side And Note The Differences.
These two points are magnified
about six times their actual size, so
that we can look closely at a few
details which can help us note age
and authenticity.
The first thing which we can
observe is the surface of the stone
from which each point is knapped.
The agate point on the left has a
surface patination wich makes it
appear aged. It has changed color
Volume I, Number 7
from exposure, since we can see
the true color of the stone at the
very tip of the point, where there
has been a tiny break. The tip was
split when found. A remaining
portion came off after the point
was found by the author in 1963
or 1964 in western Oregon.
The Texas flint arrowhead on the
right shows a number of thin,
clear hinge pieces still holding on
10
at the end of the pressure flake
scars. In an ancient point most of
these would have fallen off due to
uncounted freeze/thaw cycles.
Any remaining hinge flakes
would also have soil or mineral
deposits accumulating at the
hinge line, in the notches and even
under the remaining flake ends, as
with the agate point. This point
was made in 2009 by the author.
November 2009
ACOTW
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Two Pairs Of Matching Arrowheads, Each Of The Same Stone,
In The Same Style. Can You Tell The Ancient From The New?
These two pairs of points are
magnified about 3 times their
actual size, so that we can look
closely at a few details which can
help us note age and authenticity.
Again, the first thing which we
can observe is the surface of the
stone from which each point is
knapped. The colorful agate
points on the left have a fresh
surface in all visible locations.
The edges and corners are sharp,
crisp, clean and undamaged.
A few hinge flakes remain at the
end of the pressure flake scars.
These are the translucent, thin
pieces hanging on still; they
appear almost white in contrast to
the solid material around them.
Volume I, Number 7
There are a couple of crushed or
hanging-on hinge flakes in the
notches of the left side point in
this pair.
northern California have seen
enough moisture expansion and
contraction to peel them away.
In comparison, the entire surface
of each red and tan jasper point in
the right photograph, rather than
bright and fresh, features a duller
and aged finish on the stone; this
is the patina left by exposure to
the elements. Even though these
points were sheltered in a cache
when found, the passage of time
has dulled the surface. This is
visible in the photographs.
It is evident that each pair of
arrowheads was made of the same
source stone, and that each set was
designed and knapped by the
same hand, probably at the same
time. For an ancient set of
arrowheads, this was a remarkable
and amazing find. They were
found by Pat Welch in Siskiyou
County of northern California in
1970, in an apparent cache, with
several other undamaged points.
In addition, there are no
remaining hinge fracture pieces
still hanging on. The hundreds of
cool winters and hot summers in
The two agate points in the left
photograph were made by the
author in 2009, from two small
slabs cut from the same stone.
11
November 2009
ACOTW
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Two Gunther Serrated Style Arrowheads Made Of Transparent
Obsidian. How Can You Know Which One Is Ancient Or New?
The surface of the gray,
translucent obsidian arrowhead
on the right reflects light, but it
has a duller finish. This is the
effect of the “hydration rind”
formation which occurs on the
outer surface of obsidian, from
exposure to water over a long
period of time.
These two obsidian points are
magnified about 7 times their
actual size, so that we can look
closely at a few details which can
help us note their relative age and
authenticity.
Again, the first thing which we
can observe is the surface of the
stone from which each point is
knapped. The transparent
obsidian point on the left has a
fresh surface in all visible
locations. The edges and corners
are sharp, crisp, clean and
undamaged. The points of the
serrations remain pointed in
appearance, even at this
magnification.
The intersecting edges along the
sides of the flake scars, where the
pressure flaking removals overlap,
have a rounder, not so sharp look.
The points of the serrations all
look rounded at this enlargement,
rather than sharp like on the
other point.
Plus, the corners of the base
tang appear more rounded
and smooth; this could be
due to the design, though it
can also be due to exposure
and corrosion, similar
to the rounding and
smoothing effect visible
on the serrations.
A couple of hinge flakes
remain at the end of the
pressure flake scars. These are
transparent, thin pieces hanging
on still; they appear almost
white in contrast to the
clear or streaked material
around them.
The corner at the end of the
base tang is still very
squared away and freshly
angled, with no weathering.
This Gunther point
was found in the
1950’s in Shasta
County of northern
California, by
Frank Estes, and
is no. RR 303 from
the Robert Roy
collection.
This point is made from
“Midnight Lace”
obsidian from Glass
Buttes in eastern Oregon.
It was made by the author
in early 2009 as part of
a study on the
knapping of the
Gunther style of
arrowheads.
You can obtain an
electronic pdf file
copy of the 20-page
write up about this
Gunther style
arrowheads study
from the author’s
Flint Knapping
web site:
www.StoneBreaker-FSC.net
Click the link for “AA&A Review”
Volume I, Number 7
I purchased it
from Michael
Knighton at
Renegade
Artifacts in
2009. His
eBay ID is
“1muduck2”.
His eBay
store is also
called Renegade Artifacts.
Mike’s new website is named:
www.ArtifactsAmerica.net
12
November 2009
ACOTW
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These are three modern-made reproduction arrowheads which are excellent examples of
the skill and quality of today’s flintknappers. These were made by Matt Strehle, who
lives in Pennsylvania. You can see more of his work at www.modernstoneworks.com
or occasionally on eBay under the ID: “flylaps”. I am pleased to show some of his work
as a good example of skill and craftsmanship. His artwork is exceptional. And he always
sells his stylized arrowhead and dart points clearly identified as modern work.
A Word To The Wise, When You Consider Buying Artifacts On
The Internet Or In Person From An Individual Or A Company.
Do not let the
excitement of a
new find distract
you from careful
consideration of
the authenticity
and the history
of the point or
tool you are
contemplating.
If a story sounds
too good to be
true, likely
it is too good
to be true.
Develop a relationship with
the seller so
that you can
decide the
level of trust
you can place
on his or her
word.
Ask for as full
an account of
the history of
the point as
may be
available.
This is called
the “provenance” of the point.
It should include the name of
the finder, the place, the date,
and a description of the circumstances or special conditions
under which the discovery was
made. Also you should ask for
a full list of previous owners of
the point or tool, if you are not
obtaining it from the original
finder. Whenever possible, you
should inquire about and even
require a certificate of authenticity from a respected source.
Almost any collector to whom
you speak will have a story of
how he bought a point from
Volume I, Number 7
someone whom
he thought was
trustworthy, only
to find out later
that the point was
either unknowingly
or deliberately sold as
authentic,
2-5/8” x
3/4”
when
in reality
was a
modern
copy or
reproduction
point. In
addition,
when
you are
looking at
possible
“PaleoIndian”
artifacts,
it would
be well to
keep in
mind that
in most
parts of
the country,
they are
very rare. I
know lifelong students
of archaeology who have
worked all
over the country on projects
covering the many eras of
13
human occupation on
this continent who
have only ever found
one or two authentic
Paleo-Indian relics
such as a Clovis
spear point or a
Folsom dart point.
When these points
are discovered in
scientific excavations they are celebrated and then
carefully cataloged
for future study
and scientific
reference.
If they are found
on private land,
these points and
tools are most
often preserved
and put away,
well out of the
public eye. And
sometimes, if a
collector has a
good PaleoIndian point
which has been
certified and
authenticated, he might be
tempted to sell it, but this
would be quite unusual. No
artifact dealer would ever want
to sell a high quality Folsom,
Clovis or Cumberland point,
for example, without suggesting a substantial price.
I say this to caution you and to
encourage you to carefully
consider claims of age, culture
and authenticity which you
will hear from collectors and/or
sellers of possibly ancient
artifacts.
November 2009
ACOTW
TM
A Close-Up Look At The Edge Treatment Of A Modern-Made
Stone Blade, Knapped From A Cut Slab Of Jasper, Ground To A
Pre-Form Shape To Minimize The Pressure Flaking Finish Work.
This Bullseye Jasper knife blade or
spear point was made by my
friend, Clifford Carney, of
Las Vegas, Nevada. The
jasper is from out in the
desert north of Las Vegas a
couple of hundred miles.
I am showing this blade to
illustrate the technique
which you will often see in
modern knapped pieces.
You see, this was made from
a ground pre-form. Cliff cuts
the jasper into slabs, then he
cuts the slabs into the rough
outline of the piece he intends
to pressure flake. However,
before the pressure flaking
stage, he grinds the piece close
to the desired lens-shaped cross
section. It is also heat treated, to
make the jasper a little easier to
work; this also gives it the glossy
surface which you can see.
After the pressure flaking, he
trims the “deltas”, the high spots
remaining at the edge, between
each large pressure flake. Using a
smaller tool, he removes 3 or 4
small flakes to eliminate the high
spots and leave a sharpened edge.
The small flakes which are visible
are typical of this finishing step
for what knappers call “flake over
ground” preforms.
Cliff sells his knapped pieces on
eBay, and always identifies his
artwork as modern. His eBay ID
is “Stonefusion.”
If you are looking at a piece which
someone is telling you is ancient
and authentic, and it looks glossy
and perfect like this, with this
style of edge treatment and
uniform large pressure flaking
like this, you should definitely
consider that it is possibly a piece
of modern flintknapper’s art, and
that probably it is not ancient.
Volume I, Number 7
14
November 2009
ACOTW
TM
Old Stone Age
Handaxe (Paleolithic),
age 200,000+/- years.
Artifact Authentication Services
& Certificates Of Authenticity
You can use a
jeweler’s Lupe 8X
magnifier, just to
begin the high
enlargement
examination of an
artifact, to look for
edge wear and
tool marks.
Authentication and evaluation
services for artifacts from all
over the world are available
from a number of highly
respected sources.
Some offer these services for
regional items, since they
specialize in Western, or South
Western, or South Eastern, or
North Central or North Eastern
artifact types.
And most of the authenticators
have web sites. Read up on
their services, learn about their
specialties, obtain pricing and
timing information, and determine how to send items for
authentication and evaluation.
Here are some well known and
respected authenticators:
Dwain Rogers
Texas Flint Authentication
4102 Birch Avenue
Temple, Texas 76502
Telephone: 1-254-791-5520
Jeff Baker
Baker Authentication
www.BakerCOA.com
P.O. Box 772
Paragould, Arkansas 72451
Telephone: 1-870-239-9722
Volume I, Number 7
Bill Jackson
Jackson Galleries
www.JacksonGalleries.com
P.O. Box 1005
Mount Sterling , Kentucky 40353
Telephone: 1-800-466-3836
Fax: 1-859-499-0160
Tom Davis
Davis Artifacts, Inc.
www.TomDavisArtifacts.com
P.O. Box 676
Stanton, Kentucky 40380
Telephone: 1-606-663-2741
Ben Stermer
Western Typology
www.WesternTypology.com
44207 W McClelland Dr.
Maricopa, Arizona 85238
email: [email protected]
Jeb Taylor
Jeb Taylor Artifacts
P.O. Box 882
Buffalo, Wyoming 82834
Telephone: 1-307-737-2347
Ken Partain
www.kensrelics.com
7044 Market Street
Dover, Arkansas 72837
Telephone: 1-479-331-3486
Sam Cox
www.SamCoxArtifacts.com
968 Floyd Drive
Lexington, Kentucky 40505
Telephone: 1-859-351-5675
15
http://www.Stormbroek.com
A European artifact gallery,
which offers quality antiquities
from all historic eras, and all
areas around the world.
eBay Store: Stormbroek
Scottsbluff Spear
Point, late Paleo, early
Archaic period, age
8,000 to 10,000 years.
eBay store: SWArkArtifacts
eBay ID: “razrbk”
Dealer located in Arkansas, features
authentic artifacts from the south/
central United States, many with
Certificates of Authenticity.
eBay Store: SWarkArtifacts
November 2009
ACOTW
TM
Two “Gunther” Barbed & Serrated Arrowheads And A “Wintu”
Style Point, Knapped By Matt Strehle. Two Are Montana Agate
With Spot Inclusions, The Other Is Carnelian Agate.
These three modern-made
reproduction arrowheads are
excellent examples of the skill
and quality of today’s flintknappers. These were also
made by Matt Strehle. You can
see more of his fine work at
www.modernstoneworks.com
or occasionally on eBay under
the ID: “flylaps”.
I am pleased to show some of
his work as a good example of
skill and craftsmanship.
Volume I, Number 7
1-1/2” x 3/4”
16
His sense of design and attention to detail is exceptional.
There is good discipline in
evidence by the consistent and
even spacing of his pressure
flaking and edge serrations
Matt always sells his stylized
arrowhead and dart points
clearly identified as modern
work.
November 2009
Authentic Grade 10 quality,
tan and red jasper “Gunther
Barbed” arrowhead from
Siskiyou County in northern
California, found in 1970
by Pat Welch. Shown here
actual size, 1-1/2” x 3/4”.
STOP!
If you collect arrowheads, before you buy
another point, make sure you read the critically
important information about the difference
between ancient, authentic artifacts and modern
made reproductions. You will find this information every month in the e-magazine “Arrowhead
Collecting On The Web”. Copies of the most
popular types of authentic projectile points and
tools are sometimes sold as ancient. On occasion
this happens innocently, through ignorance.
Honorable flint knappers will inform you of the
fact that their points are modern-made. They are
proud of their artwork and will sign it with a
diamond scribe or with indelible ink. Yet, too
often, slick operators, with fraudulent intent,
will let you believe or even tell you that a
modern-made piece is ancient in origin. They
are trying to separate you from as much money
as possible. You should deal with someone
whom you trust...and be careful even then.
Require signed provenance for your purchases;
certificates of authenticity whenever possible.
Always remember that if a story sounds too
good to be true, it usually is too good to be true.
Being forewarned is forearmed. Accurate knowledge and practical understanding can give you
peace of mind about the artifact collection you
are building. Make sure you read the e-magazine “Arrowhead Collecting On The Web” every
month. By the way, your subscription is free.
Arrowhead Collecting
On The Web
TM
© 2009. All rights reserved. F. Scott Crawford, Carrollton, Texas. http://www.ArrowheadCollectingOnTheWeb.com

Arrowhead Collecting On The Web

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