A hunt on 11/28/10 turned out to be my best ever. The ground was frozen when I arrived at 11:00am but started the day finding a few flakes. I expected a bad day but the ground slowly started to soften by the warming sun. The expanded base flint ridge point was my first find of the day. This point is one of the finest in my collection and didnt expect a better find that day.
I walked to a spot where a nice broken tip was found earlier in the month. I noticed a black section in the mud and touched it with my finger to see if it was a leaf or flint. It moved when I pressed on it so I decided to get an insitu. I couldnt believe what popped out of the dirt. My first thought was the possibility of matching the tip from the previous hunt. The real excitement began when the pieces matched up without a sliver of flint missing. I think it may be made of Upper Mercer Nellie due to the parallel lines running through it. It measures 2 wide by 5 long.
Thanks for the comments. The wide blade expanded stemmed point has ground base and shoulders. I was thinking it may be Ashtabula or a terminal archaic type. The horizontal shoulders are what throws me off. There is not much known about Terminal Archaic sites in SWPA. The archaeological record of the area goes from Late Archaic Steubenvilles to Early Woodland. The terminal archaic period is unknown and has no research available.
Nice finds. I vote Banner on both the Dove and the "Ashtabula". Is it possible that the "Ashtabula" actually is a Perkiomen broadpoint? Perks are more of an eastern PA type, but they do occur in the western part of the state.
Rich,
To find both pieces of a monster like that is extremely rare. I haven't done it in 20+ years. Awesome dovetail.
Your little guy is an Ohio Bottleneck. They are related to Table Rocks, but your form is more accurately termed the Ohio Bottleneck. They rarely travel across your border. They often are ground, and almost always made of heat treated Flint Ridge. They are literally my favorite type, and if you ever part with that little guy, please contact me. Here are a few others from my collection. Unfortunately, I sold most of mine to a friend in Northern Ohio who has about 25 of them. I will ask him for a pic of his frame, and I will post it.
Regards,
Jon Dickinson
Congrats on your BANNER find, RichPA !!!
What a beautiful dovetail!
"I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name". Isaiah 45:3
Jon, thanks for the pics and ID of the Ohio Bottleneck type. I was having a hard time IDing that one. I look forward to seeing pics of your friends Bottlenecks and will keep you in mind if I decide to part with any artifacts.
Thanks Sandcreek, I never expected to find a big dovetail. I was glad the tip from a previous hunt matched the base.
Man Dude you blew it outtt the box... I can not believe it..... My heart beat, just got up a little.... Have you been able to sleep yet... Banner Dove dude, It really is...... John
Wow...Rich, those are two tremendous finds. Is the big Dove resharpened(beveled) at all? Looks like a big first stage that was possibly broken during production. That Dove is killer but I think your Bottleneck is even nicer, it's in perfect condition and the black and red ridge combo is rare. Congrats on those great finds bud, you'll never forget a day like that.
Thanks again for all the comments and banner votes.
Atorius, I was considering Perkiomen on that point, but I think Bottleneck is most accurate. The horizontal shoulders made it confusing to type. The points found in my area are influenced from South and West of my search area. For some reason there is no influence from Eastern PA.
Th3ty7, the edge on the Dove has been retouched on the left side of both faces, but not enough to form a strong bevel. I would have been happy with the bottleneck alone. That was definitely one hunt to remember.
Fantastic that you found both pieces. Congratulations. I find the bottlenecks but never a Dove. What a great hunt and congratulations it looks great up on top. First thing I saw when I clicked in. First Dove I have seen on top.