Why do people sell crap like this?

[intensecrasher]

This person has 100s of listings and claims the items are authentic even though they are selling them in a non-native American category. Buyers are purchasing them and then leaving feedback saying they are fake.....You would think a buyer would know better and you would think the seller would have some ethics!

I am no pro at identifying fake artifacts, but come on!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[Charl]

eBay does not have to involve "good luck" at all. It just takes knowing who the honest dealers are. Because the site is so huge, with thousands of listings in pre-1600 Native American artifacts category, you will have the scammers, as well as people who sell fakes unknowingly. But there are plenty of honest dealers and authentic artifacts.

I'll give you one example and one dealer free publicity. If you live in Ky, Tn., Alabama, and look to buy artifacts from that area, here is an honest dealer with real artifacts. It is not hard to find dealers from all over the US selling real artifacts from their regions. I mentioned being careful on eBay; that does not mean you have to avoid eBay like the plague if you do collect with your wallet.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Horseshoebend/m.html?_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1

another honest seller with real artifacts:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/whalens-art..._DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Avoid becoming a victim on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Bidding-on-...d-becoming-a-Victim-/10000000005807194/g.html

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Collecting-...an-Artifacts-Online-/10000000001213176/g.html

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[Red James Cash]

Why do people sell crap like this?

Because theres always people willing to buy crap on ebay,just as theres always people willing to be dishonest and sell the crap on ebay.Its generally called screwing people to make a few bucks.

 

[deadeye 22250]

I still say modern knapped points are not fake !!!!! In 1994 my brother and I had our collection of artifacts appraised for insurance, and the four people that appraised them told us about some people years before that were knapping points and throwing them in fields all over for lots of miles around. How many miles we have no idea. So have you studied artifacts enough to guarantee that the ones you found are original, or do you just hope that they are ?

 

[Charl]

If a knapper fashions a point and makes an effort to age it, etc., all with the intention of selling it as real, then that is a fake. If it's a month old and the maker/ seller knows this, and still sells it as a genuine 4000 year old point, that point is known as a fake. Many knappers mark their creations in such a way that they can never be sold as real. These are known as modern reproductions. Modern made points that are made to deceive are FAKES any way you slice it. And it is incorrect to say they are not fakes. Of course they are.
And yes, people have been known to salt fields. However, this is not the humongous widespread problem that is being suggested. That is just plain silly. If it's made in modern times to deceive, it is a fake!!

 

[Jon Stewart]

An arrowhead knapped today is an artifact according to Webster. It is a modern artifact and not fake. I knap real arrowheads, maybe not so nice looking but they are real arrowheads and I hunt with them and have killed with them. That is the reason I took up flint knapping.

If someone is trying to sell a modern artifact as ancient, that is where the problem is. I think Charl nailed it in his post.

I go to one of the largest and best knap-ins in the U.S. , Flint Ridge, Ohio and I can't say that I have ever seen that India garbage there and being sold. I think the vendor would get run out of there..

 

[theviking]

ar·ti·fact

noun\ˈär-ti-ˌfakt\: a simple object (such as a tool or weapon) that was made by people in the past




Websters.

 

[Jon Stewart]

artifact n a product of human craftsmanship, esp a simple tool or ornament,

Websters


This is the definition my Webster's reads.

 

[theviking]

Just checked three different Websters, not one mentions a "modern artifact".

 

[Jon Stewart]

I referred to it as a modern artifact ( based on what my Webster's described as written above) versus an ancient artifact or as you wrote (made by people in the past).

Guess we could split hairs all day about it. Any arrowhead made is real. It can be sold as a fake relic but they are all real.

I will go one step further and state that anyone who sells a point as an arrowhead made by people in the past( an artifact) without getting it authenticated could be selling a fake regardless of when and where they find it and unless it is authenticated should not represent the arrowhead (artifact) as being a relic or an artifact.

 

[theviking]

I did not base my response on something I read.. It was cut and pasted from Merriam-Webster online. Probably one of the most recent definitions given.. Check it out for yourself.

 

[deadeye 22250]

Any point I have made is real, I have no intent of selling any. Knapping points is an enjoyable thing to do. I do NOT claim they are old. Anyone that claims modern knapped points are old is a liar!!!!! But they are still not fake !!!! If you happen to get cut while knapping, you do bleed and it is real blood not fake.

 

[GatorBoy]

It's like your trying to argue that red is a color... We know that... Everyone knows that... Your barking up a tree that isn't there.

 

[monsterrack]

I have been around flint knapping a long time, it's a hobby to some and a living for others. If you make a point it is a real object or should I say arrowhead, but when someone makes a point and tries to pass it off has a 4,000 year old artifact then it falls into the fake realm. Most people that make reproductions for a living have no intentions of trying to pass them off has a real artifact made by native americans, but once it leaves there hands that's when it goes the wrong way. There are a lot of people that don't like flint knapping, but it is just a hobby for most, a past time, a learning tool and for some a way to cheat people, but you can also say that about a lot of different things. I know people that have been cheated on guided deer hunts, buying old furniture, painting's, clay pot's, pipes, blue jeans and the list could go on. As long as there are people willing to cheat, there will always be ways for them to do so. No matter what you collect you need to learn the most you can about that type of item and this is the best way of not being cheated and some may not agree with this but learning something about flint knapping will help you for sure if you buy your artifacts.

 

[intensecrasher]

I have been around flint knapping a long time, it's a hobby to some and a living for others. If you make a point it is a real object or should I say arrowhead, but when someone makes a point and tries to pass it off has a 4,000 year old artifact then it falls into the fake realm. Most people that make reproductions for a living have no intentions of trying to pass them off has a real artifact made by native americans, but once it leaves there hands that's when it goes the wrong way. There are a lot of people that don't like flint knapping, but it is just a hobby for most, a past time, a learning tool and for some a way to cheat people, but you can also say that about a lot of different things. I know people that have been cheated on guided deer hunts, buying old furniture, painting's, clay pot's, pipes, blue jeans and the list could go on. As long as there are people willing to cheat, there will always be ways for them to do so. No matter what you collect you need to learn the most you can about that type of item and this is the best way of not being cheated and some may not agree with this but learning something about flint knapping will help you for sure if you buy your artifacts.

Kind of like this one....At least I didn't pay much for it. I bought it at an antique store with no provenance. It was $20 and I knew little about identifying reproductions. When I bought it I was was thinking that if its real its a big score. Oh well....

 

[CoilyGirl]

Is there a color wheel for these fake flints? This reminds me if all the gift shop items in Florida that sell all those genuine imitation shark teeth.

 

[Jon Stewart]

intense, that is a more than fair price for that point. As you get into it you will see. There is a lot of work and thinking ahead when knapping a point.

Remember that in 100 years and 1 day the arrowheads knappers make today will be artifacts!!!

 

[intensecrasher]

intense, that is a more than fair price for that point. As you get into it you will see. There is a lot of work and thinking ahead when knapping a point.

Remember that in 100 years a 1 day the arrowheads knappers make will be artifacts!!!

I know it is was a good price. I was just really hoping that it was going to be real when I bought it and worth like $500 - $700...I have learned a lot since I bought it and would know better today. Still I really like it and think it is well made!