Copper Artifact Database - your finds needed!

[Monette]

I used to be curator at the Copper Culture State Park Museum, the oldest copper burial site in the nation, where I started the on-going research of the copper trade network and evolution of the copper tooling industry. I am gathering information on artifacts found for this database, to be compiled into a book as the most complete source of copper tools in the U.S.

I'd like your help! Please email me your copper finds - what they are and the approximate (not exact) location of where they were found. In exchange I will acknowledge you in the book to whatever level of privacy or authority you desire.

Find out more about me at Home - Monette Bebow-Reinhard - I run the Archaic Copper Newsletter, and the subscripition is free.

Thanks!
Monette

 

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[Mudflap]

Hi Monette. Was interested in your post. Checked out your blog/webpage and found it to be very interesting. Hope to get up Houghton/Hancock way this summer.

 

[Monette]

Great place to visit! Anything you want to know about copper, I can try to answer! Let me know when/if you find anything. This is very important stuff.

 

[Brian C.]

Hi. I found these two copper spear points in South Western Ontario Canada. They are about 3" long, if you could tell me about what age that would be great.

 

[Monette]

Thanks for sharing these Ontario finds! You probably won't find anyone who will be able to date them for you. I'm not up on my typology, but these appear to be the standard leaf stemmed points. They have found evidence of a Hopewell village in Ontario, which would date them between 500 BCE and 500 CE. But they could be older. Or newer. They aren't ridged, right? Ridged points we date back as much as 2000 BCE because of where they'd been found in context with a burial. We need to date organic material found with the copper in order to assess age. Don't forget, copper is the world's first recycleable material, and these kinds of tools could be handed down through the generations. So it's hard to say how old any of them could be. Hopefully someday there will be way to date the level of copper salt on the surface - so never ever clean your copper artifact. Leave the green on.

 

[Monette]

If you want to email me directly at [email protected] I have more information about Ontario I can share with you.

 

[Brian C.]

I will send you a message , thanks.

 

[coinguy1972]

I would love to share what I have but Im a little nervous about putting myself out there.

 

[ryaan21]

I found this copper celt in Escanaba Michigan. 16-18 inches deep about 100 yards from Lake Michigan. It is about 6 inches long. Sold it to a museum.

 

[Monette]

Please don't be. I don't have to share names in my finds, just say so and it'll be anonymous. It's so important than finds get logged, it doesn't matter to me who found them. Email me at [email protected]

 

[Monette]

That's a great one, Ryan - thanks for sharing it. It could be as old as Hopewell, or even older. Hard to say without more context, such as a burial site.

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

I found this awl on private property near the Salmon River estuary and shore of Lake Ontario in Pulaski, NY. The Salmon River has been an important fishing and trade center for a very long time.

 

[Bum Luck]

This is the sort of thing that drives archeologists to make laws prohibiting metal detectors.

 

[Monette]

Hi Monette. Was interested in your post. Checked out your blog/webpage and found it to be very interesting. Hope to get up Houghton/Hancock way this summer.

Did you go? Did you find anything? Wish I could spend some time there, but I'm lousy with a metal detector!

 

[Monette]

I found this awl on private property near the Salmon River estuary and shore of Lake Ontario in Pulaski, NY. The Salmon River has been an important fishing and trade center for a very long time.View attachment 672015View attachment 672016View attachment 672017

This is a wonderful piece! Thanks for sharing its location for my database.

 

[Monette]

This is the sort of thing that drives archeologists to make laws prohibiting metal detectors.

Yes, it does - especially when the people don't keep track of where they find it, and sell it to the highest bidder, and all context is lost. That's why I'm building a database that gives archaeologists what they will need to put together a trade network based on these finds. Did you ever read Finders Keepers by Craig Childs? I recommend it - it puts this whole metal detecting and artifact finding culture in perspective. I promise anonymity because I don't want items buried in someone's closet because they're afraid to get into trouble. yes, then maybe they shouldn't be out there. But ... oh, check the book out. I won't go through all the arguments here.

 

[Monette]

Anyone who's interested, please email me at [email protected] to get a copy of the new Archaic Copper newsletter, free by email, simply let me know you want a PDF copy. New one coming out the end of this week.

 

[Mudflap]

Actually made it up there a few weeks ago. Left the detector at home and went out to isle royale np. Got to see some cool primitive items. Got to check out the island lidar plots and plotted shorelines back to several thou years ago! Really interesting. They are still finding a lot of copper items dating back kilo years.
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[Backbacon]

You guy's don't have to worry about contacting Monette. She will keep you and your personal information totally anonymous. I recently contacted her about a Spearhead I found and I can tell you all that she is the real deal and you have nothing to worry about. This information is being gathered for a very important wok on the Copper Culture and it's People. I would urge people to do in what my opinion is the right and decent thing to do in helping her with her work. I would like to remind all the people that are only concerned with artifact value and monetary gains that sometimes the most "valuable" aspect of a find is the information itself and not the pay out from E-Bay. Please find it in yourself to help her to help us all learn more about this fascinating People and their Culture. Much love from Canada EH.

Chris