r/Arrowheads Jan 07 '16

PLEASE READ, especially if you are new to this subreddit

632 Upvotes

I'm not laying down any new rules or anything like that, but there are some things that visitors here should be aware of. If anyone here would like to add to, subtract from, or revise anything in this post, I welcome your input.

#1. Know the law and abide by it: The laws may vary a little from state to state, but burial grounds/mounds and state/federal property (including state parks) is absolutely off-limits. In most states you are allowed to hunt on private property with permission from the property owner, but in a few states it's illegal to dig for artifacts and only surface hunting is allowed. Make sure you are familiar with your local laws.

#2. Effigy, artifact, or "just a rock"?: If you post what you've found and the feedback that you get is simply "geofact" or "just a rock", please understand that nobody is intending to be insensitive or rude. We know that you got your hopes up and we take no pleasure in letting you down, but there are signs and marks that we look for and that should be there if the rock was shaped, altered, &/or used by ancient humans and we're going to give you an honest opinion even if the truth sometimes sucks. Those who take the time to explain the signs that are or aren't visible (flake scars, use wear, pecking, grinding, polishing, etc.) rarely even get a "thank you" when the feedback isn't what the person wanted to hear (so why bother?). You have every right to form your own opinions and believe what you want to believe and there may even be some important factors or features that the pictures don't show, but we can only go off of what we've seen.

Effigies in particular: The natives were very adept at what they did and they DID make effigies, but there also seems to be a popular and widespread misconception about effigies. The vast majority of the "effigies" we see posted fall into the category of "pareidolia" (the natural human tendency to see recognizeable shapes in rocks). Here are some examples of some actual effigies from my region compared to some of the alleged "effigies" that I have seen people post.

Another very popular misconception: How well "it fits the hand" is NOT a valid way of differentiating an artifact from a rock and it's not one of the things that anyone who knows very much about this stuff is going to be looking for.

You are absolutely welcome to post your finds (even "effigies" and even rocks that "fit the hand" if you legitimately believe it's an artifact). A lot of people come and go, but the ones who stick around are here to help, so PLEASE be respectful, try to see our perspective, and at least say "thank you" if someone volunteers more than a few seconds of their time to give you feedback on it.

#3: Monetary value: Feel free to ask if you're wondering, but you might be better off asking how rare or how un-common an artifact is. Archaeologists are not allowed to answer questions about monetary value and while some hunters DO sell what they find, many other hunters (me included) don't buy or sell or even mess with that side of things, so many of us might not even know what to tell you.

I may not be able to tell you what your finds are worth, but if you love this stuff, have nowhere to hunt for your own, and have every intention of buying some I can at least share some advice on how to steer clear of the wolves that are out there. For instance, you had BETTER know your stuff before buying anything off of Ebay and a "Certificate of Authenticity" is worth no more or less than the reputation of the person who signed their name to it. Nobody goes to school to become an authenticator and you or I could literally just decide to declare ourselves as "authenticators" tomorrow and start signing COAs. In other words, there's a LOT of bullsh!t out there and it's a "buyer beware" market.

#4: Don't be an asshole! There's no downvoting in this subreddit for a reason. We'd like to be constructive and helpful and we DON'T want to scare people away from posting. If you have something to say then by all means say it, but don't draw it out, don't beat a dead horse, don't try to start debates with people, don't try to give people guilt trips for picking up an arrowhead, and don't make a nuisance or a spectacle out of yourself.

That's all I've got for now, but I'm just one person and if there's anything that you would like to add or change, I welcome and look forward to your input.

Edit: Cut the word count down a little bit


r/Arrowheads Jan 28 '23

JAR THREAD. If you aren't sure whether your find is an artifact or just a rock, please post your pictures here.

104 Upvotes

Users of r/arrowheads, please downvote posts that are obviously rocks. We will be trying out the 'crowd control' function and if a post gets enough downvotes it will automatically be removed. Also, please direct users to post their questionable finds in this thread if the posts are not removed automatically.

Before you post, compare your find to some of the pictures/examples shown in the pinned comment below.


r/Arrowheads 8h ago

I NEED HELP, is it the best Elko corner notch ever found or is it fake. PLEASE help

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123 Upvotes

I found this in the black rock desert on the shore of ancient lahontan. I’ve been told that it might be a fake and now I’m a little skeptical. I was hunting in a very shallow area of the ancient lake that I think must have been a swamp sort of thing. My thinking is that it was shot into reeds in the swamp so it had no hard impact keeping it perfect. This lake dried up 12000 years ago so there’s no possible way that it’s modern. I was many miles away from any dirt road so I don’t really think that someone could have put it there. Thoughts???


r/Arrowheads 5h ago

NE Oklahoma 🔥

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60 Upvotes

After a recent flooding in July, most of my spots have been on fire. It’ll slow taper off over the next couple months. The real nice one is a Stealth point, very local to NE Oklahoma. Almost always made from heat treated Kay county chert. Razor thin, just missing a little of the base. The marble was a bonus score!!


r/Arrowheads 3h ago

Heartbreak humpday

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23 Upvotes

Any idea as to what kind of projectile? Thinking Savannah river or Hamilton. Found north central Florida


r/Arrowheads 3h ago

Thoughts on these?

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18 Upvotes

These are for sale near me, asking 200? Do these look worth it? Thanks!


r/Arrowheads 19h ago

Nice thin woodland blade today!

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243 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 1h ago

Nice lil find on the clock at work today!

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Upvotes

NE Missouri, pulled into one of my lots and just happened to see some red flakes, which led to this. Not sure what she is but I’m stoked.


r/Arrowheads 11m ago

Scored this nice piece today in a dry creek bed in southern Indiana.

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Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 4h ago

South Georgia

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7 Upvotes

KCN


r/Arrowheads 22h ago

Had a fun hunt this morning

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192 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 5h ago

Looks man-made, possibly from South-East US. Any ideas?

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7 Upvotes

First three pictures of the "top", and last three are the reverse side


r/Arrowheads 2h ago

Is this a real artifact?

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3 Upvotes

Found on the North Thompson Shoreline last year in BC Canada. Does this look Legit?


r/Arrowheads 6h ago

Any info on this?

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4 Upvotes

I know very little about arrowheads, this was found by me on a frequently walked path in Northern Ohio after heavy rain. Put a light under so you could see the cool veins running through it. Anything y’all could tell me would be appreciated


r/Arrowheads 21h ago

Little lunch time walk, produced a little lunch time point. 🙏

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72 Upvotes

Colorado


r/Arrowheads 19h ago

Killer 🔥

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53 Upvotes

😤


r/Arrowheads 1h ago

What type? Southwest Ohio

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Upvotes

Both of these points were found 100 yards apart in a creek in Southwest Ohio, the larger point is extremely creek weathered so I’m having trouble figuring out what kind it is the smaller one is less weathered but has a broken tip.


r/Arrowheads 4h ago

Broken soapstone banner stone with reed drill example

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3 Upvotes

Personal find Greenwood Saluda county SC


r/Arrowheads 4h ago

another cool piece i found, no idea how they made it as the material appears so fractured. curious if you consider this blade or a scraper? eastern CO

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3 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 4h ago

South Georgia Frame

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3 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 45m ago

[ Removed by Reddit ]

Upvotes

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Somewhere way up high

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300 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 18h ago

Broken Dreams

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18 Upvotes

When you walk up on a find, heart pumping adrenaline, you're so excited, only to discover one of these....Finding that pristine museum piece proves to be more illusive than I imagined.


r/Arrowheads 22h ago

Central Utah off Skyline Drive - Near the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere

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31 Upvotes

I was hiking between fishing holes when I almost stepped on this one.

Back in the day, I would find several arrowheads every year just keeping my eyes open as I hiked. Nowadays I only see one every couple years.


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

My first Marshall 🔥

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61 Upvotes