✅ SOLVED Old Copper Indians blade ?

Might want to put this one in the "What did I find" Could be anything. Looks nice and old.
 

Considering you found it where a bunch of farming equipment parts and other historical discards were piled up the likelihood that it is one of those types of things is very high it looks like homemade tine of some kind probably a replacement part for farming equipment
 

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If I was a farmer and I needed to replace one and what I had at the time was copper you bet I would make one out of copper.
Why on earth would some old Native American artifact just happen to be in a pile of European garbage?
 

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Thanks Charl for comments and inspiration to keep on the trail of discovery. you never know where it may lead.
 

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With the socketed handle in particular, it certainly resembles an Old Copper Culture piece....

moreartifacts

I think it's likely what you suspect it is. JMHO.

Here's a socketed knife from the above page, with the one from the thread shown below it. Virtually identical in size at over 8" as well. Yep, that's Old Copper Culture. Hell of a find for something someone tossed away! Congrats, your suspicion paid off:icon_thumright:
The earlier farmer likely found it and tossed it; not hard to envision at all. If you don't know better, it happens. And, it's a great size in not too bad condition. A clear case of one man's garbage is another man's treasure! Found in Mn., and socketed and made of copper, got to give Old Copper some thought. In this case, I believe you can mark this solved: it's an Old Copper Culture Socketed Knife. Killer!! Good instinct picking it up, Rocsteddie, you scored big time! A find like that is actually banner worthy in that size, condition, and rarity. IMHO. And I so voted.
 

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GatorBoy said:
If I was a farmer and I needed to replace one and what I had at the time was copper you bet I would make one out of copper.
Why on earth would some old Native American artifact just happen to be in a pile of European garbage?
Click to expand...

I promise this is not meant to offend ya Gator Boy, but a farmer would know it wouldn't work. Hard to get welds to hold on iron and steal for anything that rips the ground. The copper would bend or break nearly as soon as it sunk into the ground. Just know from being around it many years. And again, the statement is not meant to be insulting or condescending.

It sure does appear to be a handmade copper knife or the like, but as to how old I don't have a clue.
 

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I get Gator's point about the location of the find, but I also find artifacts thousands of years old laying on top of the ground with 19th century house trash. Stone of course, not copper.
 

theviking said:
I get Gator's point about the location of the find, but I also find artifacts thousands of years old laying on top of the ground with 19th century house trash. Stone of course, not copper.
Click to expand...

And on occasion, stone tools like axes can be found in colonial stone walls. I think if a person simply considers the piece was found in Old Copper Culture country, and the fact it's identical in form to a socketed knife, complete with the perforation at the base of the socket, and showing great age; well, unless somebody faked a socketed knife and tossed it there, then I honestly, and humbly submit that I correctly identified the piece . It's an Old Copper Culture socketed knife; it's exactly what it looks like. No reason to think it's fake off the top, perhaps, but I'm sure that could be determined by having the right people examine it. Sounds like it just came up with other "junk" the farmer threw in a trash pile. I might do the same if I knew nothing about the earlier cultures in the area, or if I didn't care one way or the other. It's $$, though; always helps to know what your tossing....
 

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GatorBoy said:
If I was a farmer and I needed to replace one and what I had at the time was copper you bet I would make one out of copper.
Why on earth would some old Native American artifact just happen to be in a pile of European garbage?
Click to expand...
That's a good question . I have hundreds of artifacts that were mixed with trash glass / tin / iron / glazed pottery / nails / old car parts / and the list goes on farming mixes the earth like a giant blender .
 

Clearly it is a socketed knife. The age would be 6-10,000 years old, but I cant see someone over there making a fake archaic copper knife. The colour looks somewhat suspect but hard to tell from the photos. I'd say look at other examples here on tnet but you can no longer really see them as they are lost in this thread now. It had its own place here but someone thought it would be a good idea to get rid of it. Oh well. Other places on the net as references.
 

I believe that is an area know for copper and copper culture artifacts. It does however look to be in exceptional shape for metal 6-10,000 yrs. old. I have zero experience with copper tools so I'm just saying what came to my mind. Nice find for sure, I think there is a copper site TNET?
 

Thanks to all. Still digging and scratching.
 

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how neat is that!Here are a few example out of a book "1998".These ones, the handles are made more solid and overall not as massive as your's.looking at its edge , I wanna say theirs no doubt that's what it is.Glad it worked out bending it back straight for you,would have been a heartbreaker if it snapped.I have broke allot of stuff trying to shape things back,nothing as nearly old as that!.Sometimes it is best to just leave them alone,but not in that case.Looks good!congradulations on that awesome find! 003.JPG004.JPG005.JPG
 

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Excavation of discards is what I live for.
 

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Some great preservation on that one congratulations
 

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