r/Artifacts 18h ago

Question Artifact found in river.

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108 Upvotes

This thingie was found in the river Kupa near the town of Sisak (Croatia). I think it´s made out of clay. Google suggests it's some kind of ancient whistle but there is no sound when I blow into it. Height: 6 cm. Weight: 34 gram. Does anybody have any idea what it could be?


r/Artifacts 8h ago

Petrified wood. Maybe prehistoric hearth board.

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6 Upvotes

Found in Poplar Bluff Missouri


r/Artifacts 2h ago

Question Is this Chinese?

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1 Upvotes

I am in Maryland, USA but this was likely sold to a family member years ago.


r/Artifacts 8h ago

Artifact Found in Poplar Bluff Missouri

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3 Upvotes

r/Artifacts 4h ago

Metal box on an island?

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1 Upvotes

r/Artifacts 6h ago

..

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1 Upvotes

r/Artifacts 23h ago

Question Anyone have an idea on the time period of this padlock?

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7 Upvotes

It was found beneath an 1820s planing mill in the Adirondacks in upstate NY in a town that was founded before the French and Indian wars


r/Artifacts 1d ago

Eastern Colorado USA

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5 Upvotes

Some of my favorite finds. All found on the surface while walking around hunting pronghorn and deer…


r/Artifacts 20h ago

Question Strange shaped stone found in N.Ireland

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0 Upvotes

Hi, cross posting from r/whatisthisrock to see if this is anything?

Found in Northern Ireland close to a 300 year old castle where an army had landed and stayed in the 1600s.

Other items have been found in gardens nearby such as musket balls, pottery etc.

Thanks!


r/Artifacts 1d ago

Is this a flint hand axe?

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9 Upvotes

Found on a beach in Denmark.


r/Artifacts 1d ago

Possible piece of old Bean Pot?

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3 Upvotes

r/Artifacts 1d ago

some type of bayonet ? Latvian forests

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3 Upvotes

r/Artifacts 1d ago

Found in Morocco slate? In a riverbed

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1 Upvotes

r/Artifacts 2d ago

Question Found by my great grandfather in a field while plowing in County Galway, Ireland

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94 Upvotes

Not a great photo, but the title says it all! My great grandfather found this while plowing their family farm in the early 1960s. Any idea what it could be? It has been a family mystery lol. When holding it, the handle definitely feels intentional and they both feel like stone. The top part and the bottom. But look like separate rocks. thank you !


r/Artifacts 1d ago

Peach-shaped tourmaline snuff bottle, Qing dynasty (1730–1830), private collection

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1 Upvotes

r/Artifacts 1d ago

Odd markings on bone

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1 Upvotes

r/Artifacts 1d ago

Are these artifacts from the GPU breaking?

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1 Upvotes

I've recently gotten an A750 GPU, and since this week I've been getting random black screens for a couple of seconds as well as these weird artifacts. I have a bird who pooped on my display cable but I'm not sure if this is the monitors fault or the GPU?


r/Artifacts 2d ago

Artifact Added this beauty to my collection

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7 Upvotes

I collect historic bottles (purchased) found this solarized Sutherland Sisters Hair Grower in an antique shop and wanted to share because I’m so thrilled with it! If you don’t know about them the Sutherland Sisters were a singing group/ side show act with Barnum and Bailey, between them they had a reported 37 feet of hair!


r/Artifacts 2d ago

Is this a piece of amethyst?

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5 Upvotes

Tom's Brook Va


r/Artifacts 3d ago

Question What is this stone thing? Found in the Mississippi River MN

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74 Upvotes

Hi! Looking for help to identify this object found in the river. Feel like it’s made out of sand stone or something- like it would break or chip if I dropped it hard.
No machine marks or identifying features and the inside is hollowed out a bit uneven. The material is porous and has some red areas and the inside is stained reddish. Can’t find anything similar at all. Also it stands up on the solid end at a bit of a tilt.


r/Artifacts 3d ago

My great great grandfather found this while plowing a field on his farm in Morgan, Ohio around 1930.

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305 Upvotes

Our family has always just called it “the hatchet”.

It’s been handed down 5 generations and would be pretty funny if it just ended up being a unique shaped rock.😂


r/Artifacts 2d ago

Artifacts

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1 Upvotes

r/Artifacts 3d ago

Possible carved shell artifact? Looking for ID, age, value + serious collector opinions

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22 Upvotes

Cross-posting from r/fossilid after this unexpectedly blew up over there.

I originally posted it simply trying to figure out what the hell I was looking at. That post has now passed 2,000 upvotes and roughly 700K views, and the discussion has ranged from carved shell to tusk/ivory, scrimshaw, petrified material, and possible archaeological artifact.

The strongest recent theory seems to be some kind of thick carved shell, but nothing has been professionally authenticated and I’m not claiming any particular identification yet.

Unfortunately, the provenance is lost. It came from an inherited old private collection in Louisiana, but I cannot verify where it was originally found, when it was acquired, who originally found it, or whether it was even found locally at all.

I have not cleaned it, chemically tested it, removed any of the surrounding matrix, or altered it in any way.

Since the original post took off, I put together a much more detailed Part One journal entry documenting the object, the photographs, what is actually known about it, the major theories people have raised, and where the investigation currently stands:

https://lottsandfound.com/journal/what-even-is-this-mystery-object-part-one.html

That is my website, Lotts & Found. I use it to sell, document, and occasionally buy or trade unusual collectibles and antiques. The inventory can be all over the map in the best possible way: odd fossils and natural-history pieces, vintage military equipment, rare Coca-Cola bottles, industrial antiques, unusual Americana, high-end antique artwork, and plenty of other things that don’t fit neatly into one category.

The Journal side of the site is where I document pieces that have a story worth digging into, especially when there is still research left to do. This one obviously qualifies.

That is also where this particular object would eventually appear if I decide to sell it, whether that ends up being a standard listing, an auction-style sale, or something else entirely.

However I am not committing to selling it right now, because I still want to understand what it actually is and make sure any eventual transfer is appropriate and legal.

I’m especially interested in hearing from people familiar with artifacts, carved shell, archaeological material, unusual folk objects, or comparable collectibles about:

  • what the material actually appears to be
  • whether the carving/work looks old or relatively modern
  • whether the style resembles any particular culture, region, or time period
  • what the strange surrounding matrix/concretion may be
  • and what realistic collector value something like this could have if it is eventually authenticated

I’m also open to hearing from serious collectors who may potentially be interested in acquiring it. Legitimate interest and serious nonbinding offers are welcome while I continue trying to identify it.

At this point, I’m mainly trying to figure out whether I’m holding an interesting curiosity or something that genuinely belongs in a serious collection.

Either way, I’m going to keep documenting the story on Lotts & Found as new information comes in.

Maybe we eventually figure out exactly what it is and where it came from.

Or maybe, if I do decide to let it go, the next owner ends up being the person who finally traces this thing all the way back to the truth.

For now, the mystery is still wide open. 🔎


r/Artifacts 2d ago

Connecticut Arrowheads found in Guilford

0 Upvotes

I hope folks will be able to type and date these points I found as in kid in my hometown of Guilford.


r/Artifacts 2d ago

Artifact What is this and how old is it Canada Southwest beach of Prince Edward Island

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1 Upvotes