Article on fake points

[kenb]

Here you go. http://www.billingsgazette.net/artic.../55-arrows.txt

kenb

[Johnny X]

Thanks for posting.

Good read.


xstevenx

[fossis]

Good story Ken, I met Gregg Perino once at the

Museum of the red river,

Fossis................

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

K,

interesting. Thanks for posting.

have a good un.........
SHERMANVILLE

[texasriverdigger]

That is a great example of a fool.. One who will give up everything for a Dollar... Thanks for sharing that kenb.... Mike

[lamplighter36]

stopped by a huge flea market in GA today. a guy was selling a bag of 5 or so PERFECT points for 20 bucks. i think they were fake because they were too good, and all in the same shape and dimension(bevelling, notching, fluting etc) . just different sizes. had some nice colors to catch the eye. dont know if i was right, but i think for sure they were made last week.

they seemed so fresh.

i asked him if he knew who made them. (implying, his buddy the flint knapper) he answered quite slowly, "i think they are cherokee".

maybe a living cherokee

anyone think i am way off base?

[jbl04410]

Thanks for the post Kenb.What a shame.I would just love to be able to make something.That in its self would be great.I understand greed what I dont get is having no conscience.I will say one thing once money gets involved.(buying and selling) Something as pure and simple as artifact hunting seems to get muddied up.My buddy had a paleo piece looked at by a local college.They confirmed it was indeed Paleo.When he asked them to authenticate for him their reply to him was.(Hey you found it didnt you)That in my opinion is as short and sweet as it gets.Thats what I go by.The stuff I find I have no doubts.
Jay

[Monty]

One of the members here on Tnet makes fake points as a hobby and even posted a nice piece on it here one time. So, ok, who was it? Very interesting read as I recall. Monty

[Atlantis0077]

Excellent post.

This article just points out the skill level on which fakers operate. It would be nearly impossible for the average collector to spot some of these type points. Even people spending large sums of money were unable to distinguish the authentic from the fake. The problem has gotten so bad on Ebay they were forced to change they way they listed artifacts. One other thing, just because an artifact has a certificate of authenticity, does NOT mean its authentic. Granted it lends strength to the claim, and will get you a larger price if you are selling and makes the buyer feel better, but many, and I do mean MANY authenticated points are fakes.

How do you get around the problem of fakes then? Here is my philosophy...were possible I dig my own....that way I am 100% certain of what I have......When purchasing points for my private collection, I buy only from people I know and dig with..those who are diggers and enjoy archaeology and are not in it for a buck. Lastly if I purchase from a source I am not sure of such as happens here occasionally when someone comes through the door with a ziplock bag of points, I keep them separate from those I know to be authentic. I also have a set limit on what I am willing to pay for a point, and it never goes over $100.00. That way you limit your liability in the event a mistake is made. People can fake anything...points, hardstone, and pottery, but the quick buck is made on the points so beware of them, and dont be fooled by the fairytales like grandpaw dug it up in his garden with the mule-drawn plow in 1864.

There are many reputable dealers in artifacts, but as fakes get more prevalent and of much higher quality, they will begin to creep into even the most guarded collections. The word is always let the buyer beware. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Happy Hunting,

Atlantis

[steve71]

overstreet has fakes in it to.i buy some points, you got to be carefull

[pickaway]

Nice read.
I've only ever purchased 2 peices.
They came with COA's but whos to tell.