How rare is rare?

[mainejman]

What are your views on the rareness of artifacts..Are artifacts that are only found in certain states rarer than there older counterparts.I guess what im trying to say is if an artifact is rare in its own area would that make it twice as rare.Seeing how they are nonexistent in other areas.Paleo pieces are found everywhere.Would they be considered a rarer find due to their age.Or would a much later find be rarer due to it only being found in certain areas....humor me here im bored..

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[GatorBoy]

Just looking at the sheer number of artifacts posted here the Paleo items are way more rare as far as I'm concerned.
Something 1000 years old vs something 10,000 years old... There's no comparison to me

 

[mainejman]

I would agree except some stuff such as effigies or effigy pipes or bannerstones,some of these things are exceptions in my book.

 

[Hognutz]

Gorgets seem to be rare in my area. Only seen two from my local A/O

 

[mainejman]

I guess there probably isnt a real set of guidelines to go by.But i dont think that older is always rarer.Some of these finds i see on here with ther fine ornamental design or their unique uses make me think that there are several factors in deciding how rare something is.For instance if a stone was from out of the country either brought here premade or finished here.I would think this would be a rarer find than an artifact made here of native stone.I guess its all in the circumstances.

 

[outlawatheart]

heck man I think they are all rare since each is a one of a kind!

I guess there probably isnt a real set of guidelines to go by.But i dont think that older is always rarer.Some of these finds i see on here with ther fine ornamental design or their unique uses make me think that there are several factors in deciding how rare something is.For instance if a stone was from out of the country either brought here premade or finished here.I would think this would be a rarer find than an artifact made here of native stone.I guess its all in the circumstances.

 

[mainejman]

I guess your right outlaw.Im gonna go with ....if you dont have one its pretty rare at least to you.

 

[rock]

Hard stone seems to be rare here. We have plenty of flint and slate but I cant find any hard stone pieces.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Guys , I agree to a degree that Clovis Points and Paleo pieces in general are rare to find, but there are certain areas where people find them like we find pooters. There are collectors in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and that area who have amazing presonally found Paleo collections. I have seen a picture of some of the finest Folsoms ever found from a guy in Colorado who found them all himself. Marks Adams has posted some pics of some incredible personally found Paleo pieces. So I guess what I'm saying is while they may be rare to some of us and in some areas there are places where Paleo pieces are found quite often and not all that rare to pick one up.

 

[painterx7]

I think also grim there are certain paleo pieces that are rarer than others ... I think the same of every time period . There just is a couple items from every time frame that are just hard to come buy .. Fluted Cumberland , birdstones , swords ..ect

 

[rock]

I find some thick pieces that have been worked a inch thick that the plow or disc has hit. I sure would of liked to see what they were when they were whole.

 

[Tnmountains]

Right now a local point worth about $5.00 bucks is rare to me. Called a mouse creek. I can't find one. Anything I do not have from my area is rare to me at the moment. Good question though.

 

[curious kat]

...I suppose that whatever there is the least of...that's rare, no matter what it is. And guess that also applies to whatever "we" don't have....that's rare to us...so guess it's just a matter of perspective.

 

[1320]

Find a Folsom and you get my banner vote! Clovis and George Washington buttons don't raise my excitement levels. The Reaper's reply......yes...what he said!

 

[monsterrack]

JMO to me it means something that does not come around are is found very much at all. Like Reaper said some areas have clovis points just every where and it would be rare for them to find lets say a Pelican point. Something that is rare to me is a almost one of a kind, something that you see in books but hardly ever hear of someone finding one other than arches. I have only found a few whole pots in my life and on the other hand I have a friend that has them stacked in boxes(just the plain ones)He has offered me my pick of ten pots for my owl bead, but I know I may never find anything like that again and then again I may fall onto a bucket of them(I doubt that) but if I did the one I have would not be rare to me anymore, then he and I would talk trade. As other have said something that you don't find all the time is rare to them, but change location and your rare item may become a everyday find.

 

[Twitch]

I've always had trouble finding true arrowheads. I've lived in KY and IL around Mississippian mounds and hunted the areas but I usually find more Woodland and Archaic stuff than Mississippian. I'd rather find a nice 1" Madison than a nice 3" Adena.