Copper Culture Finds Thread

oxbowbarefoot

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Inspired by rac7658's great spear point find, I'm starting this thread for people to post their Copper Culture finds. These artifacts, though strongly concentrated around the Great Lakes region, have been found to have had a very wide distribution away from their source.

Here is my only Copper Culture find to date: It's either an awl or harpoon. I found it detecting my brother's property adjacent to the Salmon River Estuary in Pulaski, NY. That estuary has been a major fishing an trade site for thousands of years on the shore of Lake Ontario. This was one of my first significant finds made a few years back.

image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg

I hope one you all post your finds and general locations. It would be cool to see their dispersal patterns.
 

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justonemore

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I can only wish, congrats on those finds. Being at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, one of these days.
 

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oxbowbarefoot

oxbowbarefoot

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I can only wish, congrats on those finds. Being at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, one of these days.

You stand a pretty good chance in your location. I was never expecting to find one in New York, but being on the shore of the Great Lakes means trade and transportation routes were easy to navigate. A while back, I read a book on the metal implements of New York Indians and it spoke of Copper Culture artifacts being found near the shores of all the Great Lakes.
 

captain redbeard

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Interesting. I've fished salmon river many times, I have relatives there as well. Still a good fishery if you don't mind the traffic it gets. Cool find. I'm not too far from there so maybe I'll pull a copper artifact out my way.
 

Jeff H

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Hey OBBF, here's one I found about 5 years ago in southeastern MA.

Copper point.jpg
 

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oxbowbarefoot

oxbowbarefoot

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That's awesome Jeff, thanks for sharing. I've heard of them being found in Rhode Island, so it makes perfect sense that you found yours in SE Ma.
 

watercolor

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Oxbowbarefoot, thank you for sharing this!. . . It looks like a rolled conical point. . . is it hollow inside or is it solid?
Jeff H, that point is really nice!
And "rac7658", that's one of the finest socketed points I have seen :notworthy:

I've found several copper artifacts in Waukesha County, WI (a celt and socketed point) and in Cook County, IL, a copper awl and copper tubular bead.
I no longer have these artifacts because they were donated to local & state museums along with their site info (my decision).

Celt.jpg

Socketed Copper Point.jpg

Copper Awl.jpg

Tubular Copper Bead.jpg
 

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oxbowbarefoot

oxbowbarefoot

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Wow, that Celt is incredible. Great finds!
My point is rolled copper, it's nearly solid. It has a tiny hole making it a little hollow, but I don't know of deep that goes into the point.
 

bryant252

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Here is my copper celt I found this past year while I was metal detecting a field in Indiana in Allen County... I believe it is "copper culture" but I have been told that it could also be "hopewell" because copper culture items are very rare for my area?!? Either way pretty cool in my book!
 

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Glenn C

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Here is most of what i have found
 

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Glenn C

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Thank you. Probably a couple hundred hours of searching there. Always happy to come up with copper. Its mind boggeling to think of how old this stuff is.
 

Jeff H

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Its mind boggeling to think of how old this stuff is.

Indeed it is! I used to think my dug coins from the 1600's were old until I found my copper point......It's only 5,000 years older :icon_thumleft: But imagine finding a Clovis point! Who could be so lucky ? :laughing7:
 

Nappy701

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ed1dc31eb6616ceb0df425f13e252a03.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160309/25ef016fef0ef0ef58f366fb854af9f5.jpg[/. I found this beauty when me and a friend where hiking on his land last fall. I spotted it sticking out of the dirt tangled in the roots of a tree that had recently fell over. The color of it is what caught my eye and at first glance I thought it was a piece of glass until I pulled it out and looked at it closer. I found it in Wabasha County, MN in the Zumbro River Valley 7 miles from Mississppi River. Thanks again God bless and praise Jesus Christ the King of Kings!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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Glenn C

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Thats a beauty!!! Thanks for sharing it. I always check fallen trees as well. Its a good place to notice pottery and stone if it is in the area. Congrats!!
 

DALPAL

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Sep 11, 2005
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Copper blade found in Hudson Valley in NY

I found this in a cornfield in upstate NY. Have been told it was likely ceremonial.
 

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