Old Copper Culture Spear Point

MICHIGANJAY

Sr. Member
Dec 28, 2006
297
14
MI
Detector(s) used
V3i, MXT, Equinox, Excal. 10, Ultra 1000
Primary Interest:
Other
Hello everybody. I just got back from my annual cross-country “Michigan Adventure” and I have spent the last 32 days on the open road exploring whatever my heart desired and wherever my Jeep could take me. I took along both land and water detectors, scoops, bike, and inflatable seaeagle kayak to complete my adventures. On my travels, I found plenty of treasure, jewelry, and long forgotten relics, however, I was not prepared for the ancient artifact I discovered when I finally reached Michigan. My most exciting find was this Old Copper Culture socketed spear-point. It was found on a friends wooded lot, about 10 feet from the edge of the forest and was soundly detected by the MXT at 9 inches underground. It was wedged in-between two tree roots and when it was unearthed it measured 4 1/8 inches and has a speck of silver on the center of one side (not sure of the weight just yet.) .

When I got back to the Jeep after finding it (sorry-no shots from the field), I was covered in dirt up to my elbow and across part of my face….It didn’t mater I’m sure glad I decided to be persistent and dig that copper signal that turned out to be a North American artifact that rivals the age of ancient Egypt. Research shows that this spear point could potentially be 7000 years old. Wow- I carefully cleaned it with H2o and saved some of the organic material to see if I can someday get carbon dated. ::) It looks like there might be some more wood in the socket. This archaic spear-point is definitely a piece of equipment any pre-bronze age hunter living in Northern Michigan would want to have in their assortment of survival gear. I'm glad its in my collection.

After finding such a great piece, everything else was just fun to find. I found 26 Wheaties (oldest 1927), scored a dime trifecta (1905 Barber, 4 Mercs, 2 Rosies), two silver necklaces, silver heart chain bracelet, five silver rings, a gold(?) pandora charm, a 1933 Ford token "30 years of Progress", and a 1963 CESKOSLOVENSKA 1 KORUNA coin with a woman planting on one side and a lion crest on the other (Joepher-you know where I got that one), Insurence co. charm, and a alpha chi omega accessory. Since I was getting out almost every chance I could, I also managed to find $79.88 is clad and also a Watch Fob with a Native American chief drawing back a bow- I gave this special piece away to family member who is getting interested in the hobby/lifestyle. I had an absolute blast on my trip and one things for sure.... I plan on keepin' the adventures rollin'! Happy Hunting--J.

P.S. Special Thanks to Joepher for the V.I.P trip to MI's 6th Great Lake - you practically stumble over treasure Joe. Also, Dan L.-Thanks for the lake--Get a quality scoop & Good Luck with the New Detector (let me know how summer treats you.) Thanks to U.P. Bill for the good hunt and great regional advice. Tommy with the Excal, I hope ya see this....and Carl and the guys I met today in CO. good to see ya in the field, maybe we'll met again -thanks for the motivation to post- I also managed to go on a few hunts with my dad and we found a couple keepers too...Of course he already found his "big one" see....
youtube.com/watch?v=Erlb9xpdJIs to watch him rub it in on me on Bonny Hunt Show.
j.
 

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Upvote 2

Minrelica

Bronze Member
Mar 24, 2010
1,461
581
Minnesota
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab EQ 800, Minelab SE PRO, Minelab X-Terra Pro & 14 other machines
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thanks for sharing , congrats on the banner and more important to me, thanks for the boost of inspiration. :thumbsup:
 

Red Dragon

Newbie
Jul 31, 2011
1
0
Hi Jay and all, from North Wales, UK

What a fabulous find, its got to be the find of the year, Congratulations on not just the find but having the patience to excavate it. {there is a lot of sick faces over here}

Regards
Ron
 

Silver Surfer

Bronze Member
Oct 6, 2009
1,212
2
Florida- Somewhere in the middle
Detector(s) used
MXT 300/Excal II/Surf Dual Field
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Wow, that spear is amazing!
I looked up a few sites to research it (my experience has only been with obsidian points), and found a partial article where the guy says that thousands of tons of copper was mined around Michigan, yet very little of it has been found.
Another states that they were often buried with their owner in a burial mound... Lord I would love to find something that amazing... Just holding it would give me shivers.... WTG!!!!
 

humpy101

Jr. Member
Jan 19, 2015
24
1
Fond du Lac WI
Detector(s) used
I now use a Garret Ace 350. But previously used a Bounty Hunter Quick Silver
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have found 2 copper culture pieces. A spear head and a rat tail arrowhead. I have been incredibly lucky.
 

Iron Buzz

Bronze Member
Oct 12, 2016
1,710
2,313
South St Paul, MN
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, Minelab Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Bumping an old thread because...

I found one today, too!! a 5" socketed copper spearpoint. Found in a road tearout in Minnesota, of all places! I'll probably create a separate thread about it later but I'm so excited that I can't wait.
 

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