I am posting a photo of what I believe to be the classic "grey ghost." I purchased this thing off ebay mostly just to see one up close. As with most stuff off there I ended up paying more than I should have for it. There is always a very slim possibility its authentic... but wouldn't bet the farm on it.
People have been faking points for a very long time, but of course they figured out early on that as far as price went, the bigger the better. It takes a pretty accomplished knapper to do a nice spear point with collateral flaking and a nice thin overall appearance, so to cut corners the knappers began to use slabbed flint and other materials so they would start off with a rectangular piece of stone that was already thin...on the order of one half to one quarter inch thick and work from there. It made the process infinitely quicker and easier.
These come in all shapes and sizes...some long and thin others the classic "sunfish" and "dovetail" shapes. Most all are totally fake....there are also the huge clovis points made in this fashion you need to be aware of. Knowing the types of points you are dealing with and the normal stone types you can expect to find in an area helps in avoiding this sort of artifake. Remember when purchasing points from venues such as ebay that chances are they are reproduction to begin with....whether the person is knowingly selling fakes, or is just reselling something they purchased somewhere else is often impossible to ascertain. Know this though, if you see an 8" clovis point for 25 bucks....unless you just want a nifty craft item, don't bite. As PT Barnum said, there is a sucker born every minute..its impossible to filter out all the fakes in relic purchases as artifakers are just getting too good, but you can limit your exposure to the more obvious ones if you are careful.
The four smaller points with the GG are authentic. Technically, you should always keep known fakes from mixing with your authentic points, but that one is so obvious, I don't think anyone would miss it.
Thats a pretty point.I've only bought one artifact off ebay.I knew who the seller was and had been to shows they run reguarly.It came with a COA and I got it at a fair price.Anyways I know what your saying about ebay I simply cannot believe prices people are paying for repros espesically the pipes.But also I have seen alot of good sellers on ebay selling legit artifacts.But buying just dont do it for me its the thrill of the find and all it takes getting there.
I just purchased a group of arrowheads from ebay for the first time. I usually dont buy artifacts as I like to stick to just collecting Vermont artifacts that I find. I guess the reason I bid on this group was to test my skills at identifing reals from fakes. Also these arrowheads averaged $2.00 a point which is afforable for me. I havnt received them yet but if I determind them to be fakes or questionable I will give them to my nephews young son for display in his room. Ive found that when I hold a point in my hand Ive had pretty good luck at determining if its real or fake. This is the first time buying by looking at a picture.
Well at 2 bucks a point, you haven't lost that much but the shipping charges anyhow. There are several reputable dealers on ebay....they sell authentic, but usually low to mid range artifacts, what I refer to as the scratch and dent section. I would never pay a huge price for a point I couldn't actually hold in my hand and inspect. Even then you can be fooled. Yep they have some very elaborate pipes on there for sure and the stone gorgets and bannerstones are also a sight to behold sometimes........you know how rare a monolithic axe..."slave killer" style is? You see them on there regularly.
Definitely agree....finding them on your own is a true rush, nothing compares.
That could very well be a classic grey ghost Atlantis. It for sure is a repro though. It has the barbs of a Hardin, but the base of a Hopewell. Still a neat study piece.
badandy
Go find some artifacts! Wait............What's this red button do?
It's becoming more of a broad term for any large reproduced flint blade or artifact but the term originated with one person. I don't recall the guys name (he has since passed away) but durring his lifetime he made thousands and thousands of large flint blades- many of which ended up as being sold as real to collectors all over the united states. Much of what was know about this guy remained a mystery for quite a while but these super large really thin faked blades became known in time as grey ghosts and he himself is often referred to as the grey ghost.
"A culture truly grows great when old men plant trees in who's shade they know they will never sit"
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but wouldn't bet the farm on it.
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? You see them on there regularly.
