Thunderbird Effigy...Real or Myth?

[romeo-1]

I was hoping to get some feedback as to the reality of knapped flint thunderbird effigies. Has anyone ever seen one or even found one or are they a myth. Thanks.

 

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[arrow86]

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Given to me by my uncle who lives in sd. He said it was given to him by a big collector who claimed it was real.
Ive always assumed it was modern.

In either Case certainly made by a skilled knapper

 

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[southfork]

I showed my thunder chicken before personal find Tilly's Hill N. California . Maybe a goose ?

 

[quito]

Nah! Geese have long necks.

 

[Charl]

I think at least sometimes, less obvious animal-appearing forms, especially those with spur-like protrusions, may be tools we just have not figured out the functions for. Here is a "buffalo effigy" that just ended on eBay. This particular seller is known to many collectors, and has an excellent reputation for not knowingly selling questionable pieces. Notice in the description, that he thinks it's a reworked adze, but does not assume it's a recent fake....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Extremely-...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[newnan man]

I think at least sometimes, less obvious animal-appearing forms, especially those with spur-like protrusions, may be tools we just have not figured out the functions for. Here is a "buffalo effigy" that just ended on eBay. This particular seller is known to many collectors, and has an excellent reputation for not knowingly selling questionable pieces. Notice in the description, that he thinks it's a reworked adze, but does not assume it's a recent fake....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Extremely-...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I have seen this sellers items before and think I may have bid on some things. His stuff always looked real not the perfect just knapped stuff so many try to say is real by having Baker send a worthless COA with it.
Riverrellics is another seller who sells only the real deal. Specializes in deep south/Florida stuff.

 

[quito]

Yeah he is a straight up seller, no doubt about it.

 

[Rextharockman]

I was hoping to get some feedback as to the reality of knapped flint thunderbird effigies. Has anyone ever seen one or even found one or are they a myth. Thanks.

I just found a thunderbird effigies at the Runion site on the Nolichucky river,not sure how to post pic.,just joined,ill try to figure it out

 

[Rextharockman]

nice find ,here's 1 I found at the Runion home site on the nolichucky river here in northeast Tn.

 

[Rextharockman]

Nice find,heres 1 I found at the Runion site on the nolichucky river.

 

[Rextharockman]

I just found a thunderbird effigies at the Runion site on the Nolichucky river,not sure how to post pic.,just joined,ill try to figure it out

Here's 1 I found at the Runion site here on the Nolichucky River

 

[Rextharockman]

Here's another couple pieces I found close to it and sorry for the multiple post,it new and not too computer smart heheee

 

[dognose]

I have nothing to gauge this by, I have never found anything remotely like a 'Thunderbird' in a mite over 50 years of collecting/hunting relics.

I feel strongly that its virtually impossible to determine authenticity from a photo, no matter how many years you have under your belt.

I also can relate to the frustration of having relics personally found labeled as questionable or fraudulent. I personally had some labeled that back in the 90's at the Owensboro show.

I recently had a relic dismissed as a reproduction in E-Town a couple of years back by an older known collector who handled the relic for no more than 5 seconds, gave it a cursory glance without his glasses on, left them on top of his head. Frustrating? You bet.

But then in the recent years more 'interesting' relics have came to light. A clovis which appears to have serrations which was pictured in the Central States Archaeological Societies journal Jan 2009. Never saw one of those before.

Bannerstones and discoidals made of pudding stone type of conglomerate or Porphyry. Never saw many of those before either but in the last few years, more have came to light.

 

[unclemac]

people also use sites like this one to "authenticate" their finds. And I know for a fact that folks "salt" sites to throw folks off true sites and make them hunt somewhere (anywhere) else. Also there are the camp counselors, well meaning parents and the like that plant things for folks to find.

 

[dognose]

Well I have to admit to throwing a few out there into the dirt for my granddaughter.

Hoping to get her interested, I took her relic hunting to a field I had found many over the years. The field conditions were not great and my wife wanted her to have fun so my wife asked me to take a few broken points and toss them out for her to find.

It was really funny when I was there. When she would turn her head I would quickly take one out of my pocket and toss it in front of her to find. Sometimes she found it and other times she looked right at it and kept walking. It was really funny and I had to stifle a laugh here and there.

Even more funny was after we got home and we were washing them off, one larger broken relic had my catalog number and date on it under clear nail polish. Luckily she missed that too. I did not leave any there that I took to toss out.

 

[Rocky76]

Thunderbird

Not an Effigy but I was excited when I found it..

 

[Tdog]

My answer is that if it is in fact OLD, it is not an effigy and is a re-worked piece and only resembles an effigy. If there's any authentic Tbirds anywhere, very few exist.

 

[Rocky76]

Other pics

Not an Effigy but I was excited when I found it..

 

[Rocky76]

What were you answering exactly? To the piece I found?

 

[Tnmountains]

Even in cultures that did extensive intricate knapping you never see a Thunderbird.... Maybe a lizard.

 

[smokeythecat]

Tnmountains, I know an "arrowhead", but what am I looking at in your pics? Here on the East Coast we don't have anything like that. I've not seen them before.