people questioning finds (north american artifacts)

[captain redbeard]

Well. Recently I've come across finds in a couple areas and because I'm a "newbie" and because of the amount of finds in a short amount of time that I've found on top of the fact that others have been hunting the same areas for years makes people question my finds. I see where they are coming from, but I try explaining that it really only takes a handful of dirt to hide something like an arrowhead/tool/worked object for many, many years. I bust my ass searching for these artifacts and I feel when I find these things they are legit without a doubt, but I also see where they come from. Their opinion (I know they are like *******s, everybody has one) is that who's to stop someone from making their own and just spreading them out in an area known to artifact hunters? I understand sites, ruins, burials and whatnot have been overrun by amateur artifact hunters since wayyyy before my time, it just makes me wonder sometimes with the amount of finds on top of the variety of finds.
perhaps I'm overthinking the subject and there is way more out there to find than has been found, but...

My question is, have you come across people like this? and How do you go about explaining it? ( without being a professional archaeologist ) maybe a lot of people who hunt are more knowledgeable on the subject and maybe no matter what you do haters will be haters, but it still lingers.

 

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[relic nut]

You can't let people like that bring you down. Those kind of people are everywhere. I don't do this hobby to please or impress other people. I know the facts of my finds and enjoy sharing and learning about them with people who respect this hobby. That's why I joined this forum. People who don't care or believe what I know to be true can move on. This is a great place to share your finds and I look forward to seeing them. HH RN

 

[Peyton Manning]

guess I never thought of anyone tossing new points in a field. How many are you finding in an area?

 

[captain redbeard]

I agree with you Relic Nut, This hobby is a personal interest of mine and I get so excited not only finding broken pieces of history, but shards of history (flint). I also take pride in my finds and enjoy sharing them with people. I try explaining to the best of my knowledge what they are and where they come from, but some people just can't be pleased. To some its too unreal finding something 250-10,000 years old out there in a field. It can be discouraging at times.

 

[captain redbeard]

Jeff-Gordon, I've found in one field, that's been hunted for years...many pieces of broken ( some whole ) flint points/tools that from what I have looked up to be pieces from many different "eras". When I look at these and the references I go by, I think WOW!! natives from different eras for hundreds of years settled this same exact area, or the references I use are way off, or.....

 

[Keppy]

I have never had that problem ..The reason ... I never tell or show what i find except to my family .. And who ever i sell my items to ... There is no reason for any one to know what i find...

 

[captain redbeard]

How can you say there is no reason for any one to know what you find? that's like saying noone on this site has any reason to see what anyone finds in any topic, north american or not...What is the point of this site then? I've seen people on this site take pride in what they find and enjoy showing it to others, as well as others taking enjoyment in seeing what other people find.

 

[NCPeaches]

I agree with you Relic Nut, This hobby is a personal interest of mine and I get so excited not only finding broken pieces of history, but shards of history (flint). I also take pride in my finds and enjoy sharing them with people. I try explaining to the best of my knowledge what they are and where they come from, but some people just can't be pleased. To some its too unreal finding something 250-10,000 years old out there in a field. It can be discouraging at times.

I think people in general have a real hard time understanding just how old this stuff is and have had more than one look at me in disbelief when I tell them the projectile points I find are between 4,000 and 4,500 years old, they just can't fathom it. As far as "seeding" a site, well I guess some people with a sick sense of humor might do that for the fun of it, but we all know there's some wackos out and about lol Just enjoy your finds and don't be too concerned with what other people think if you can. I know the "site" in my back yard has never been documented so people around here find it hard to believe, but it's there and there's no changing that fact. It's even harder for them to understand that at one time the Catawba Nation was beyond huge in this area and just goes to show how history books have taught a distorted view of everything, such a shame :-(

 

[NCPeaches]

I have never had that problem ..The reason ... I never tell or show what i find except to my family .. And who ever i sell my items to ... There is no reason for any one to know what i find...

I will never understand how people sell what they find, I know I could never sell something that means so much to me.

 

[captain redbeard]

And who's to say it isn't family that are questioning my finds? this is general discussion after all. Chances are you didn't SELL your items to your family...

 

[jamey]

i have only hunted for a a little while compared to some,but i have seen some crazy stuff,some will put thier brokes in a spot so as to throw you off on finding the good sites,go as far to fix them with wax to make them look even better,they have been making stone tools for over a million years,thats too much to comprehend.as for were your at there was ice covering your area say 12,ooo years ago,not much time at all if you think about it,you could find things before the ice i would think.they are every where,it just takes mother nature too uncover them for me as i do not dig.i go were people have found them before and they wll find them there still long after i am gone.think about how many stone tools were made in a million years

 

[mainejman]

Everybody who has ever found any thing questionable has know doubt been through this.There are only opinions on here some more informed than others.It is peoples nature to doubt and from time to time people will post some pretty crazy stuff on here.They have either been duped or just don't have the experience.All that usually gets worked out on these post usually in a friendly matter.Check out my avatar it brought on quite a discussion a few years back.Most folks don't come across points made of slate and some people are better than others at voicing their skepticism in a manner that don't piss people off.Take the good with the bad.I liken it to eating if it tastes good eat it if not spit it out.Just watch where you spit it....mjm

 

[GatorBoy]

Nice analogy.. Great visual

 

[joshuaream]

Captain,

What are you finding and what are people questioning? The authenticity of the finds or the fact they are actually artifacts? (Fakes vs Geofacts.)

I've seen a lot of newbies find thousands of relics that aren't really relics (geofacts) or are debitage and flakes (actual artifacts) that the newbie calls rare artifacts (Clovis, Folsom, Dovetail, Cumberland, Birdstone, Bannerstone, Hopewell effigy pipe, etc.)

Let's see what you are finding and the people on the forum can probably help identify things for you.

Joshua

 

[captain redbeard]

I think its mostly the fact they are artifacts and the fact they are still around. I think with recent interests in modern knapping and whatnot (not sure how many actually do it) it gives some of these people a reason to question my finds (no one on this site). Everyone else summed it up pretty good, haters gunna hate. Finding these things in a field that's been plowed and walked since the early 1900's makes it hard for them to believe I guess. Its not that I've found a TON of stuff, but the fact I go to the same field and find things everytime. I know where I walk it was a site(s) there's no doubt in my mind at this point, just wanted to know if people ran into other people like this.

 

[Keppy]

How can you say there is no reason for any one to know what you find? that's like saying noone on this site has any reason to see what anyone finds in any topic, north american or not...What is the point of this site then? I've seen people on this site take pride in what they find and enjoy showing it to others, as well as others taking enjoyment in seeing what other people find.

To each his own there is more on this site than telling what i find .... And there is a lot of us on here that do not tell ..

 

[Keppy]

I will never understand how people sell what they find, I know I could never sell something that means so much to me.

I do not get attached to any item's . .. I am not a collector or hoarder ... And like i said before there are a lot on here that do not tell what they find ... And there is more to Tnet than telling about your finds... To each his own i do my thing you do yours ...

 

[rock]

@ captain.....does your field get turned (plowed)? If so when that happens depending on how deep it gets turned it will mix up all periods of finds from all times in the past. Even if it doesn't get plowed anymore it sounds like it has before. If it was a good area for game and living for all times there will be many different people living there from all time periods. The fields I hunt I have found time frames of artifacts from Dalton (not much) to all the way to Mississippian. Most of the finds are late Archaic to Mississippian for me. That could be why you are finding different time frames of artifacts. On the haters just ignore them and go about your business and by all means don't tell them where you are finding them or you will start finding less. Good luck

 

[Tnmountains]

I think its mostly the fact they are artifacts and the fact they are still around. I think with recent interests in modern knapping and whatnot (not sure how many actually do it) it gives some of these people a reason to question my finds (no one on this site). Everyone else summed it up pretty good, haters gunna hate. Finding these things in a field that's been plowed and walked since the early 1900's makes it hard for them to believe I guess. Its not that I've found a TON of stuff, but the fact I go to the same field and find things everytime. I know where I walk it was a site(s) there's no doubt in my mind at this point, just wanted to know if people ran into other people like this.

No I have never run into anyone like that. There are millions and millions more stone age tools then any coins,bullets,buttons or anything from contact forward. Those guys were here chipping away on rocks for 13,000 years or more. We have only been here a little while.
Any good site will be used thru out history. Under most cities are buried stone working cultures. Keep your chin up knowledge is key!
HH

 

[NCPeaches]

To each his own there is more on this site than telling what i find .... And there is a lot of us on here that do not tell ..

Yes to each his own and if you don't want to tell then that is fine. For lack of a better word I'm a collector but I collect only what I find on my own property, and that is my own.