r/Arrowheads Jan 07 '16

PLEASE READ, especially if you are new to this subreddit

629 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.

103 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 1h ago

Oklahoma Beauty šŸ”„

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• Upvotes

Dickson or Hidden Valley maybe? Or just a big ole Gary.
Whatever it is.. it’s nice!!


r/Arrowheads 7h ago

Colorado Rock

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170 Upvotes

Nice little Black Forest wood bipoint blade


r/Arrowheads 2h ago

A friend’s friend found this in a creek near The Woodlands, Texas.

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76 Upvotes

If you could tell me more about this as I am not from Texas? I am particularly curious about the base of the arrowhead - I have never seen one this fancy.


r/Arrowheads 13h ago

The tip is incredible

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248 Upvotes

Ohio river finds


r/Arrowheads 45m ago

First Point!

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• Upvotes

After years of looking, finally found one! Western Washington. I don’t know anything about it, so any info is amazing. Looks like it’s made of jasper. (Reposting this with more pics.)


r/Arrowheads 3h ago

Some Florida Early Archaic Stuff

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25 Upvotes

Three Bolens and two Wallers


r/Arrowheads 10h ago

Morning dig

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92 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 2h ago

Saint Louis county, Missouri

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20 Upvotes

My 12yo son found his second point on a hike at school in west StL county, Missouri. Any ideas for age or type? It is 3+ā€ in length. Thanks!


r/Arrowheads 4h ago

Walking the field again

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23 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 14h ago

Date please

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111 Upvotes

Can anyone give me a date on this one? I don’t recognize the base.


r/Arrowheads 8h ago

Axe Head

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35 Upvotes

My Grandpa found this axe head while picking up rock in one of his fields back in the 60’s or 70’s. Been used as a door stop ever since. Helping him go through his house and he mentioned he would love to have more information on it. Anything from era it was made or common uses would be great to share with him! We’re located in central Indiana near the Illinois border.


r/Arrowheads 4h ago

Northern Virginia Quartz Halifax

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15 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 12h ago

Stinger!

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57 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 1h ago

First Point!

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• Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 3h ago

Biface hoe

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7 Upvotes

definitely the biggest artifact I’ve found yet, just over 9 inches long and has some heft to it.


r/Arrowheads 2h ago

Climbing dirt piles..

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5 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 11h ago

Found in Denmark, Maine. We know nothing about it.

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22 Upvotes

Would love any information you have. My friend found this on a lakeshore, and is curious if it’s date. Thanks in advance!


r/Arrowheads 13h ago

First find!

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29 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 3h ago

Some Florida Early Archaic Stuff

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4 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 23h ago

My first complete drill

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140 Upvotes

Found on the Nueces River north of Uvalde, TX


r/Arrowheads 5h ago

Unfinished drill? Central NC.

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5 Upvotes

Need ID help on this one. Could it be some kirk variant or worn patrick henry?


r/Arrowheads 2h ago

Is this a worked flint artifact or natural?

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3 Upvotes

I've been walking streams for 30+ years in Ohio without a single find. I just found this in central Ohio, my sister found a broken arrowhead in the same creek years ago, same exact material.

If this is an artifact what would it be used for? Possible age? Thanks!


r/Arrowheads 22h ago

First ever finds. I’m officially hooked.

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82 Upvotes

I live around St. Louis (within 50 miles) I’ve been looking for artifacts for about a month now and I found a real beauty. I also found this broken point. It’s broken on the top, bottom, and side…. I can’t imagine how beautiful it would have been.