ID my find, please.

[Out Of Time]

Found a couple of killer artifacts today.

Would love some help ID-ing the point. It's got to be a type, right?

Here's a worked quartz cobble. Most likely a hammer-stone. But a very nice and one that must have been prized.







Here's a nice little obsidian knife. It's unbroken.





Here's the killer point. Not sure of the type or material. It's an exceptional find for me.







Can somebody type this?

 

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[old digger]

It sure would be nice if your general locality was known. The quartz item may have been brought into your area, and may have had some value if it was. It's possible that it was being made into a discodial (sp), or a game piece, or some other type of tool. Here in the mountain states it is somewhat common to find quartz stones that have been washed and eroded into nice rounded specimens. When I am out hunting I try to find some of the nicer ones that are less fractured, and also look for the larger specimens.

Your other items, the points look rather nice also.

 

[Out Of Time]

Forgot to mention I'm in Napa , California.

 

[rock]

You did very well today Tomf

 

[Tdog]

I'd say that quartz piece is a hammer stone, very nice. southfork has "The EYE" for typing those west coast points and material.

 

[monsterrack]

Those are great finds in my experience quartz crystal don't make a good hammer stone at least not for the lithic material in my area. It could be like Old Digger said a preform for a game stone. Either way they are some nice finds.!!!!!!

 

[Tdog]

I don't think that's a quartz crystal piece. More quartz hammers here than you can shake a stick at. Most with cortex still present as this one but his has exceptional symmetry. Still, it's not perfectly round for a game stone. Fred Flintstone's car would roll smother that this piece.

 

[Sunny Side]

Those were the kinds of quartzite spalls that were used to work hard stone like granite, basalt and gabbro. There was a spot in Clermont co. Ohio were many many axes were found. We believed it was a stone tool work shop of sorts. Only and acre or two. There were many of these spalls found just exactly like yours but not as pretty.

 

[Quartzite Keith]

Those were the kinds of quartzite spalls that were used to work hard stone like granite, basalt and gabbro. There was a spot in Clermont co. Ohio were many many axes were found. We believed it was a stone tool work shop of sorts. Only and acre or two. There were many of these spalls found just exactly like yours but not as pretty.

That was my thought as well. My angle comes from having actually done it. A chunk of quartz like that with lots of jagged edges works really well for pecking out axes, etc. As work progresses the rough spots wear down to smooth edges. Once all smoothed over like that, you either have to break pieces off to roughen it back up, or dump it and get a new hammer. I found the pure quartz like that worked especially well if the working surface was kept wet. Little bits of quartz would come off with each strike and stick to the wet surface being pecked, then be mashed into the stone being shaped on subsequent strikes. This seemed to speed up the process some.

 

[Out Of Time]

Stupid of me not to say these were found in Napa, Ca.

I have found chunks of quarts in the creeks around here but not a ton and never more than small-ish irregular chunks.

This piece has been flaked off in places but seems to be a basically round rock.

To me, that makes me think it was brought in.

Whether it's a hammer-stone or not, is a different question.

Whatever, I'm stoked to have found it.

 

[Out Of Time]

It sure would be nice if your general locality was known. The quartz item may have been brought into your area, and may have had some value if it was. It's possible that it was being made into a discodial (sp), or a game piece, or some other type of tool. Here in the mountain states it is somewhat common to find quartz stones that have been washed and eroded into nice rounded specimens. When I am out hunting I try to find some of the nicer ones that are less fractured, and also look for the larger specimens.

Your other items, the points look rather nice also.

Stupid of me not to say these were found in Napa, Ca.

I have found chunks of quarts in the creeks around here but not a ton and never more than small-ish irregular chunks.

This piece has been flaked off in places but seems to be a basically round rock.

To me, that makes me think it was brought in.

Whether it's a hammer-stone or not, is a different question.

Whatever, I'm stoked to have found it.

 

[Out Of Time]

Those are great finds in my experience quartz crystal don't make a good hammer stone at least not for the lithic material in my area. It could be like Old Digger said a preform for a game stone. Either way they are some nice finds.!!!!!!

I've read that quartz was valued by native doctors in California.

monsterrack reckons quartz isn't ideal for a hammerstone.

This piece has been knapped (chipped) to be more rounded, and thinned in top and bottom.

Can only speculate that it was prized, but perhaps unfinished.

All guesswork.

 

[Out Of Time]

I don't think that's a quartz crystal piece. More quartz hammers here than you can shake a stick at. Most with cortex still present as this one but his has exceptional symmetry. Still, it's not perfectly round for a game stone. Fred Flintstone's car would roll smother that this piece.

Not quite a wheel, no.

But it has been chipped into on several spots around the side and both top and bottom.

These seem to be for refining the shape.

I think this was probably a round-ish rock to start with.

Never find rounded quartz cobbles around here, which gives this piece significance.

 

[Out Of Time]

Those were the kinds of quartzite spalls that were used to work hard stone like granite, basalt and gabbro. There was a spot in Clermont co. Ohio were many many axes were found. We believed it was a stone tool work shop of sorts. Only and acre or two. There were many of these spalls found just exactly like yours but not as pretty.

I can see how quartz could be an excellent abrader, but this piece shows flake scars, but not obvious pock marks you would expect on a hammer-stone or signs of wear associated with abrasion.

I'm coming to the conclusion it's not a hammer-stone, though I don't know what it really is.

 

[Out Of Time]

That was my thought as well. My angle comes from having actually done it. A chunk of quartz like that with lots of jagged edges works really well for pecking out axes, etc. As work progresses the rough spots wear down to smooth edges. Once all smoothed over like that, you either have to break pieces off to roughen it back up, or dump it and get a new hammer. I found the pure quartz like that worked especially well if the working surface was kept wet. Little bits of quartz would come off with each strike and stick to the wet surface being pecked, then be mashed into the stone being shaped on subsequent strikes. This seemed to speed up the process some.

I love this kind of information.

I'm trying to imagine how it could function for a task, and you can tell me first hand. Thanks.

What do you think of the fact that I see no evidence of grinding. Instead, it seems like cortex is chipped off on the top, bottom and also around the edges.

Quartz doesn't photo well so I'm not sure you can see what I mean...

 

[old digger]

I'm not saying that it could not be a hammer stone, because I have found hammer stones used by the same type of materials. I have found similar quartz material that looks like they may have tried to use as hammer stones and they seem to break apart to easily. (Usually in two pieces) I just feel that, that type of quart would fracture too easily.

 

[Quartzite Keith]

I love this kind of information.

I'm trying to imagine how it could function for a task, and you can tell me first hand. Thanks.

What do you think of the fact that I see no evidence of grinding. Instead, it seems like cortex is chipped off on the top, bottom and also around the edges.

Quartz doesn't photo well so I'm not sure you can see what I mean...

No evidence of grinding is expected. If used as I I speculate, it would be for pecking only. Quartz is not a good abrader because it is too hard. As a result it quickly polishes and gets too slick to effectively abrade. Better is softer stone like sandstone because it will keep wearing away so the surface stays rough.

 

[MAMucker]

On the two points..
Dang if the two don’t share a distinct base shape. Could the 1st be an exhausted example of the exceptional 2nd?

Btw: it is exceptional!!!

 

[Out Of Time]

On the two points..
Dang if the two don’t share a distinct base shape. Could the 1st be an exhausted example of the exceptional 2nd?

Btw: it is exceptional!!!

Got the word from south fork.

The brown one's a Houx Contracting Stem. I'm certain he's right based on the specs at PPnet. Plus I've learned to trust him on anything western.

It is a fine piece. Probably the best I've found.

As for the other smaller one, that's has a slightly asymmetrical blade leading me to call it a knife, he didn't say.

It's definitely has a contracting stem....

 

[southfork]

Great day Tom your day maker is a very nice Houx Contracting Stem point / Coastal Contracting Stem Cluster . Type site is in lake county CA LAK 261 AT Clear Lake this is my best guess based on where found .