Clovis authenticity

[Jbenson]

Here is a follow up to an earlier question. I know that many people fake Clovis points. What can you tell me about mineralization. I’ve heard that some wise guys take a fake point and drop it in cow manure and square nails to form mineralization. Is this true? If so, what is the result?

On this piece, mineralization is thick. It’s hard to remove. Could this be faked and if so, how. If it’s natural, how long does it take to form?

 

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[smokeythecat]

It looks right to me. The patina is in the right places. I don't think cow manure or nails will have much of an effect on a point.

 

[Jbenson]

Thanks Smokey. You mention patina. How can you tell patina has formed? I know that could also be fabricated....just trying to learn

 

[smokeythecat]

I wouldn't know how, just probably acids of some sort. And acids can be very dangerous. I have several Clovis points I have purchased and 1 I found. I am not 100% sure about the purchased ones, but they are all a little "off". That is, not real big, maybe a chip here or there, not the brightest materials out there. I ask myself, would a flint knapper make a clovis to sell to look like mine? In my case the answer was no.

It's peculiar, some people will pay a lot for great looking repros but won't touch a kinda lopsided original.

 

[newnan man]

Fakers now just sell on eBay. They don't bother to fake patina or scuff up the points. They just use Baker to give them a COA and sell stuff that looks like it was just knapped that morning for big bucks. What a scam. There are several sellers who have dozens of perfect Dovetails, Clovis, Dalton's, etc. Banner stones and gorgets by the score, all perfect. Every one with a Jeff Baker C.O.A. I feel lucky when I find a broke! ��

 

[Jbenson]

Who is this baker guy?

 

[monsterrack]

The manure trick has been around for a long time and it will cause a microbe to grow in the stone which will change the color of the outside of the stone. Most artifakers wont take the time to wait on a deposit of iron with rust and so on, so they use chemicals of different types that does the same as mother nature but just a lot faster. Your best defense is to study known artifacts that you have found under a microscope. Get a microscope that is not so strong that you are looking into the stone, because that will not help you. Amscope co. has some good scopes for around $100-$150 look on Amazon. If you buy artifacts it's a buyer beware market because artifakers are getting better by the day and yes they know now to make imperfect points and have been for some time.

Patina and deposits are 2 different things find some real ones on stones out of your area that you collected and study them. A fake deposit will come off with a wooden toothpick when a real deposit wont. 100% acetone is good to wipe down points to see if they have a applied patina and it will not hurt any good patina or deposits. 1 test on points is to place it in water, if the water beads up or wont wet the stone all over ,then it has had a chemical soaked on it and it has filled the pours of the stone up and wont let the water in. There are 100's of chemicals and household stuff that can change the color of stone ,bone and wood and it won't wipe off with anything. You just have to study and even some of the best folks in the field of spotting fakes can be fooled.

 

[unclemac]

...and...don't buy a high value point over the internet....