Authentic Vs. Repro

[romeo-1]

I'm thinking about purchasing a couple arrowheads to jump start a collection. Is there a reliable way of determining authentic from reproduction? Can anyone recommend a good e-bay seller? I did purchase this point as an examplar...any feedback as to it's authenticity? Thanks.

 

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[ohio]

That is an authentic point. I am no expert but, I would bet the farm. If you are new to collecting I would probably stay away from ebay for now. There is opportunity on Ebay for sure but, as a new collector you could get burned as well. What region are you focusing on collecting from?

 

[Neanderthal]

That piece doesn't frighten me from the picture, but without examining something in hand it's much harder to tell. As far as ebay sellers go, it depends on what area of the country you collect. AACA sellers offer a guarantee on their items, but you need to be cautious with ANYTHING you buy from eBay. One other option is the Artifacts Live program. It's free conferencing software that has full video & audio capabilities. There are artifact auctions in there every Sunday and all artifacts are guaranteed 100% authentic, etc. You can download the software (free) from arrowheads1.com if interested.

 

[romeo-1]

Thanks for the opinions and info! Point taken...

 

[steve71]

it does look authentic but i'm no expert.i sell authentic points always guarented authentic money back.i'm a little high but i know my points are authentic and back it up.

 

[Atlantis0077]

Morning,

There are some sources from which to buy ancient artifacts...authentic Indian and ancient are two different things entirely. Steer away from ebay. There are some reputable sellers on there, but I would venture a guess that 90% of what is offered is fake or altered.

As for telling what is authentically ancient. It is getting more and more difficult. Used to it didn't matter, points were not worth that much...now with the high prices accomplished fakers abound. Its hard to tell from a photo just what you have, that is why ebay is so dangerous.

A good artifaker uses all the tools of the trade...they grind bases and sides, add artificial patina, use acid baths etc. Even the authenticators can now be fooled.....Unless you have tons of money, start small and work up. You can spend thousands of dollars on a point, but unless you are purchasing for sale later as an investment, you have essentially the same thing you have with a less expensive piece...its history whether you pay 10 bucks or a thousand.

Of course everyone is more impressed by the huge Clovis or perfect paleo point, but are they any less part of our history than the others? Not everyone has the luxury of being to go out and dig for themselves, for them purchasing may be the only option. Just be cautious and remember, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is.

Happy Hunting,

Atlantis

 

[ohioriver hunter]

Morning,

There are some sources from which to buy ancient artifacts...authentic Indian and ancient are two different things entirely. Steer away from ebay. There are some reputable sellers on there, but I would venture a guess that 90% of what is offered is fake or altered.

As for telling what is authentically ancient. It is getting more and more difficult. Used to it didn't matter, points were not worth that much...now with the high prices accomplished fakers abound. Its hard to tell from a photo just what you have, that is why ebay is so dangerous.

A good artifaker uses all the tools of the trade...they grind bases and sides, add artificial patina, use acid baths etc. Even the authenticators can now be fooled.....Unless you have tons of money, start small and work up. You can spend thousands of dollars on a point, but unless you are purchasing for sale later as an investment, you have essentially the same thing you have with a less expensive piece...its history whether you pay 10 bucks or a thousand.

Of course everyone is more impressed by the huge Clovis or perfect paleo point, but are they any less part of our history than the others? Not everyone has the luxury of being to go out and dig for themselves, for them purchasing may be the only option. Just be cautious and remember, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is.

Happy Hunting,

Atlantis

Agreed!!
Goodluck,
Jeff

 

[cheese]

Atlantis makes some good points.

my 2 cents: If I had to guess by the pic, I'd say it's real. I can't say it with 100% certainty, but it's not a really high dollar point, not an exceptional quality material, not outstanding or out of the ordinary in any way. If someone were to go to the kind of trouble to fake a point so well, they normally do it on a point that is exceptional in one way or another, not on an ordianry point. Another thing is the brown stains on some of the high spots. This could be faked, but I find it to be common on field finds. I don't know what it's from, but I think it could be from the transfer of iron from plow discs scraping on them.

I see a lot of fakes on ebay. I see fakes even at museums and in books. Seems like they're everywhere, and most of the time it's a point that is superior for it's type. So, like they said, if it's too good to be true, it likely is.

 

[Billco]

I wouldn't even try to pretend to know as much about ancient Indian artifacts as the majority here, but two things I do know well is collecting and collectors, generally speaking, and eBay. I've even owned a hobby shop specializing in movie and sports memorabilia. I've been an eBay member for 10 years, both and as a buyer and seller. I've shipped thousands of packages across the world, almost all of it collectibles.

I'm pretty confident in saying that the vast majority of collectibles on eBay are genuine. Regarding, Indian artifacts, the the exception is the faker turning out massive quantities of arrowheads that are lucky to close with a sell at any price. The norm is going to be the guy who either died and left his collection (more likely an not even a collection, more probable just an accumulation) to his kids that have no interest in the history or the sentiment, or the old guy wants to cash in while he's still alive. That's the vast majority. Simple logic is going to tell us that there's tons of genuine stuff in closets, drawers, and barns all over the world. Its not a leap to think that almost all if it will someday be for sale, much of it on eBay.


None of that is meant to imply that one shouldn't be careful on ebay. There's fakes and frauds. But the fact is that there's good deals a-plenty there also.

I'd rather find a broke arrowhead than purchase a perfect one, but if I were a buyer, i'd certainly selectively buy from eBay. I'll bet most dealers would to - certainly many do. That means that, if one is a buyer, he could still be buying an eBay item rather he knows it, or not.

 

[Neanderthal]

I disagree that 90% on ebay are fake or altered. In fact, I would wager that the vast majority are authentic, unretouched specimens. The statistics are different on the higher end quality artifacts though. There are many fakes on there to be sure, but not near as many as there were 5 years ago. I surf ebay frequently and have noticed a notable difference in the past few years. That being said, there still are plenty of fakes on there..so be sure to cover your bases before purchasing artifacts on a venue such as that. No matter where you buy, get a guarantee.

Shows are the same way. If you aren't sure of what you're looking at..then wait until you are. If you have the tiniest bit of doubt in your mind about a point, don't buy it - as that doubt will only grow more with time. Your time is well spent by studying typology, points, materials and any reference you can find. You simply cannot learn "too much", it's an investment.

 

[paleoheadhunter]

I wouldn't buy points period.Even if only 10-20% of ebay is faked,that's 10-20% uncertainty to me.To me the best part of point hunting and collecting is that each point I find becomes like my personal signature.It's the ONLY one and I was the first to see it in thousands of years.When I first started collecting years ago,I did buy 2 points from ebay and I honestly have no idea where they are anymore,unlike my personal,which is displayed in cases on my shelf.Not to mention that all the fakes that are being made (VERY WELL) and sold as authentic,are driving down the values of the true authentic.I would just keep hunting.I've been in a pretty long point slump here,but I gotta pay my dues and the anticipation is overwhelming. HH!!GL!! PALEO