Trade FL shell tools for Trade Beads??

[tomclark]

I have quite a few shell tools that need to be appreciated by those who don't have shell. I won't ebay them LOL, but would like to trade for some trade beads, which we have very few of here in FL and I've found only one in all my years of collecting and hunting. Most of these shell tools are common in my area. Everything I have I collected myself at permission sites, private property. I wouldn't really appreciate lithics from other states/places.
I specialize in shell but have enough lithics and only collect FL. But....would like some trade beads from anywhere in the US as a slight diversion from my myopic collection, plus Brunhilda would like them I am sure.
I have a few combos of shell tools, a mini collection of Noetia ponderosa (arca) shell netweights, Strombus alatus (fighting conch) shell "hammers", Melongena corona (King's Crown conch) hammers and Busycon (lighning whelk) hammer/adzes. They are a good assortment of hafted shell tools. Manasota culture. These are all "field grade" which they all are as found, utilized. Some have ancient damage, but I cherrypicked some better. I also have several of the commonest, the king's crown, hammers, of varying "grades". Some real goodness all around.

Anyone interested? Can do it PM if you want to. Boom.
I'm not picky or worried about numbers. Just don't want African stuff, muhaha. Trade beads. No shell beads they would get mixed up with what I have in shell beads from here. I'm downsizing my collection anyway and the shell needs to be shared. Shipping can't be too much...... These artifacts in my collection are just as found and need some mild cleaning and then preservation with gomer's solution to prevent/stop chalkiness. All legal provenance and info on culture, time period, etc.
Tom

 

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[GatorBoy]

Wow Tom wish I could partake. That's a very good offer. I like you am very limited on beads. I have only three.

 

[tomclark]

And in some areas of the country they are so common!!??!?!! I've seen strands of beads from SW FL that were/are selling fairly cheap for something over a hundred years old and sometimes more... I heard of a site where a trading post burned down and the beads were thick where the floor was and melted together. Never got to go there, wah.

 

[GatorBoy]

Good luck and cool Idea.. the beads I have are one octagon blue glass..one ceramic and one I'm not sure is a trade bead.. it looks like it could be.....wait for it...... ASPHALTUM. It might make a good post. Mabey I could get death threats..LOL.. that would rock.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Thanks Tom, I really appreciate that.

 

[ivan salis]

i used to have a great spot to find glass indain beads , heck even found some old "pre cointact" shell beads made by the local extinct idain tribe there.--right up to the time that the county paved it over to make a parking lot for their new paved parks "boat ramp"

 

[GatorBoy]

Sounds so familiar. Would that be that Ais? Sorry Tom.. I should start my own thread.

 

[ivan salis]

no , not the ais ---but the local tribe that lived in the amelia island area this spot is currently called "goffinsville park" iin nassau county --the tribe was wiped out long ago , sadly

 

[GatorBoy]

Ahh..N.Y.

 

[ivan salis]

no northern florida nassau county * nassau

 

[GatorBoy]

Haha... I'm sorry.

 

[ivan salis]

tis ok

 

[centfladigger]

Tom, what are you doing begging on a public forum for beads when we are SURROUNDED by all these goodies. I thought we were friends, friends who go back a number of years,lol The shovel time we have shared, the middens we have dug , wow , my feelings are hurt. Here are some of my( secret location, and still producing) finds, these are 1550-1600`s + spanish contact beads. I found this spanish silver coin tuned into a pendant with it, the metal knife blade and the safety pin, we found silver foil and a few gold foil beads too, I did find solid silver beads. My son has the better eyes for it, he has found a small baggie full after I went through all my residue numerous times.
I also have a frame of the 1830-50`s beads you reffered too, but to tell the truth they arent as desired nor collectable because they were never traded, hold no value in the collecting world and also looks just lie walmart beads to me, the only was you can tell is these clumps of aluminium crosses and beads melted together.
We need to get together and discuss some things, right? I cant have a dear friend outhere begging for OUT OF STATE stuff

 

[centfladigger]

 

[centfladigger]

no , not the ais ---but the local tribe that lived in the amelia island area this spot is currently called "goffinsville park" iin nassau county --the tribe was wiped out long ago , sadly

you are right Ivan, there were some AWESOME sites up your way,alot of spanish contact period things found in all of that area, there was a good little museum in the old jailhouse years back when I was up there working a case. All this stuff destroyed in the name of progress yet we are considered "looters" for what we do....sad

 

[ivan salis]

I know they was -- I used to find good beads at goffinsville park back when it was a "plain jane" dirt park -- one of the best spots was by the big oak tree cl;ose to the waters edge ==when the wind was right ==it would strip off the sand * leaving dozens of the small sized spanish mission type trade beads just laying there to be found * you could see the exact type of trade beads on line at the mission san luis "website"-- both the mission san luis and the "goffinsville" site were wiped out in the early 1700's by the englsh raiding parrtys out of geprgia / south carolina that were headed to st augustine --the burnt and lootedanything spanish they ran across.-- I donated the "pre contact" beads I found there to a local measum for them to verify and display (pre contact stone type beads are quite rare * since once indains could get trade beads easily few made stone beads anymore (it was a hiughly laborous process) --and since their women wanted the "pretty colored glass beads" instead== the measum submitted them for varifaction , but when the state archie verifiers found out how they were found ( by a non professional--ie me) they returned them to the measuem saying that they were "unable to determine" when and where they were made --please note that the only cache of stone precontact beads known was found in st augustine --it was 200 beads in total --since a non professional (as they refer to me as) found some --I think it was sour grapes * I aslo told them exactly where it came from * ps the area had been used asa old oysster canning plant in the early 1900's era and had other things done there as well thru the years ==soyes it was a bit of a dirty , junky area when it was a dirt park type of spot but in the 1700 time frame there was once a indain village there -- and a small spanish chapelet typ[e religious / trade building -- the site was very messed up in a archies veiw since a lot of co mingling was present -- by for a person of an exploring type of nature it was great -- supposedly they had "someone" write off that the area had "nothing important" there --before they paved it over for a parking lot for folks who launched boat at the "new" boat ramp --the person who said nothing was there was either blind or did not know squat --or simply lied--to allow the "modern" park to be built.

when I went later on went to st augustine to a archie confab - that they were having on "underwater shipwreck issues" --I showed my beads and some other artifacts that i had found to a "archie" and told her that they had paved over the"goffinsville" site --her reply was "good then the site will then be protected from "looters" now --

my reply to that was ---I explained that they had "dug out the soil to a depth of about 6 foot to lay in the limerock and asphalt for the parking lot area and trucked off the soil from the site --so there was no more site to "protect" and that all that was "left" of that site was the artifacts that were in my hand that I had "personally" saved.

 

[ivan salis]

most likely those crosses are some form of pewter type alloy ( a silverish colored lead based metal alloy) rather than aluminum

since the metal we know today as aluminum was not made until 1825 and it was in a impure form made in a danish lab.

 

[GatorBoy]

That's how they "protect" alot of them. It was probably the Archy. That said the museum should not keep the beads that was paid to write an assessment survey that showed nothing important.they were building that boat ramp reguardless.

 

[ivan salis]

no nassau county hired a "outside" specialist survey crew to penwhip their ok on the work permits -- just to make it "offical" -- but your right the boat ramp parking lot was going in -- the "inspection" was just filling out the paperwork saying "yes its ok to do it." --easy money for the survey folks.

sorry let me get off this subject -- and not divert the thread.

 

[Tnmountains]

I like that lufkin folding ruler. Have one just like it. Nice post guys cool artifacts. I am always amazed at the shell for death mask and shell gorgets that got brought up to Tennessee. It was highly prized. Thanks for sharing.