✅ SOLVED Ancient iron? Unlikely. So then what the heck is this?

[Wandermore91]

To my surprise I found this in a creek. I’m completely puzzled as to what it is. Please do not tell me that it is a natural rock, or that it is not in your handbook so it isn’t an artifact. It may be unfinished, and unclassified, but it’s clearly modified for a purpose and I am racking my brain trying to figure out what that could’ve been. Has anyone seen a stone piece anything quite like this before? A google search failed me. That’s when I know I’ve got something quite good. This piece was clearly worked over for a long time. The grooved edge goes completely around the top and this stone was intricately flared, angled and narrowed perplexingly enough into a shape, well... like an iron! 🤔






Large and heavy


May be unfinished in back but it is very interesting like this as you can see the natural texture of the stone contrasted against the worked stone

Underside

 

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[Charl]

I completely understand what you’re saying, you have to go backwards in your knowledge to try to get where I am coming from. I thank you for doing so regardless of how difficult and aggravating that must be for the sake of expanding a stranger’s knowledge. I realize none of you are obligated to share anything with me over a free forum so I am not taking any of your words for granted!

Those are some amazing stories you’ve shared. I think it’s great that you and your wife are hunting partners. Now that’s romance if you ask me! I have been the one getting my boyfriend out there looking a little. He pretends he’s not into it but I think he secretly is. He just has a lot of catching up to do so far so he’s gotta play it cool lol. Even though we have Native American roots my parents never showed much interest in collecting and don’t own a single artifact (upset with them) so indeed this entire learning experience began only a few months ago, regrettably, but I am just glad it has begun at all. Better late than never right.. My father always loved his rocks but saw them in a different light, his passion is building stone walls. He wouldn’t just throw stones on top of each other he would sit there and chisel for hours and make them fit like a puzzle. Something I truly admire about my dad to this day. As a girl I’d go with him to quarries and help him load up his truck with granite. If I hadn’t been so young I would have recognized those times as prime opportunities to hunt for relics but it wasn’t even a thought then. Anyway, starting to see that his rock obsession could be hereditary!

Back to your wife and Earl- sounds like you got yourself a keeper, some great friends, and a very meaningful collection. The wife is lucky that she gets to see what she is looking for before she goes to look, for me that would help so much. I have a good eye in general, maybe not so much for artifacts, but for things that stand out from the rest. I’ve been browsing the forums a lot lately trying to memorize what I’m looking for and I’m blown away by the things you guys find. I can already see where my finds are pretty ordinary now. I hope you are all right that I have what it takes to come up to your level even if it takes most of my lifetime to get there.

I wanted to share with you a couple more finds that I think could make you proud. I did find myself a quartz point in the creek that day, maybe you could tell me a little more about it. I also have something similar to the fishing weights that I believe could be a rare find. I think it might be a canoe weight, but forgive me if I’m off. I am only speculating this due to its size. I did try to do some research on it and that’s all I was able to come up with. If you know anything I don’t, I’m all ears and I promise not to argue! Lol Thank you so very much, friends! [emoji4]

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Broken I believe but I am still thrilled.

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This is a strange stone, ordinary in shape but clearly grooved by man. Took me a minute to figure out what was going on here. I figure it is either a large fishing weight or a canoe weight. I am really hoping it’s the latter because I know these are not too common. ( at least I think I know this)
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Groove on the front continues about an inch over backside of stone and is then discontinued.
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If you look closely you can see the notched edge beneath this stone where the line would’ve wrapped around.

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The groove is only about 1/2 in wide.. if that, and not that deep which I find kind of odd given the size and weight of this rock.


My boyfriend keeps yelling at me to find smaller stones [emoji20] haha. I know you can agree that I am actually finding stuff, even if I have much more of nothing than I do of something... but that is what’s making me crazy and think twice about everything I see now!!! [emoji30]

The quartz piece is a broken tip. Since determining type is done on the basis of what the base looks like, it is not possible to say more then it is a broken tip, of therefore undetermined age.

I really like your grooved weight. It's a nice one. Here are a couple of larger examples, and a water worn example. I have seen grooved weights as large as a loaf of bread...







You spoke of anchors. Here are two anchor size notched weights, found near each other, years apart, on the same beach. The first weighs 30 lbs. The second, actually displays 3 notches, in the second photo the third notch faces the viewer. It weighs 80 pounds, and my friend carried it half a mile from the beach to his car. I do not know what to make of the larger stone you show, with only a partial groove. I can't be sure of that one, as to natural, or not.







I cannot be certain these anchor size notched weights were used with large dugout vessels. They might also be shoreline anchors designed to anchor seine style nets tossed from the shore.....

 

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[Wandermore91]

The quartz piece is a broken tip. Since determining type is done on the basis of what the base looks like, it is not possible to say more then it is a broken tip, of therefore undetermined age.

I really like your grooved weight. It's a nice one. Here are a couple of larger examples, and a water worn example. I have seen grooved weights as large as a loaf of bread...

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You spoke of anchors. Here are two anchor size notched weights, found near each other, years apart, on the same beach. The first weighs 30 lbs. The second, actually displays 3 notches, in the second photo the third notch faces the viewer. It weighs 80 pounds, and my friend carried it half a mile from the beach to his car. I do not know what to make of the larger stone you show, with only a partial groove. I can't be sure of that one, as to natural, or not.

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I cannot be certain these anchor size notched weights were used with large dugout vessels. They might also be shoreline anchors designed to anchor seine style nets tossed from the shore.....

Wow that’s amazing! Looking at that maybe mine is just a bigger weight after all, that they didn’t have the time, reason, or motivation to groove to completion like the other grooved weights? I just weighed it out of curiosity and it is 7.5 lbs. I really don’t think it is natural though... It is definitely not a mineral pocket. I have a notched weight as well, that is unusual compared to the grooved ones I found. It is a different style and possibly from a different period altogether. You’ll probably find it interesting as well. Will post. After finding a series of weights in the viscinity of each other I have my own theory that weights and possibly all tools were not perfect. I have weights that barely look like weights because they are such odd shaped stones, and then I have round ones, and now I have this style. Thank you for sharing that and props to that friend of yours and their determination to keep it. I would have found a way myself!!

Man I would love to see your collection in person! Out of curiosity, do you clean the artifacts you find?

 

[Charl]

Wow that’s amazing! Looking at that maybe mine is just a bigger weight after all, that they didn’t have the time, reason, or motivation to groove to completion like the other grooved weights? I just weighed it out of curiosity and it is 7.5 lbs. I really don’t think it is natural though... It is definitely not a mineral pocket. I have a notched weight as well, that is unusual compared to the grooved ones I found. It is a different style and possibly from a different period altogether. You’ll probably find it interesting as well. Will post. After finding a series of weights in the viscinity of each other I have my own theory that weights and possibly all tools were not perfect. I have weights that barely look like weights because they are such odd shaped stones, and then I have round ones, and now I have this style. Thank you for sharing that and props to that friend of yours and their determination to keep it. I would have found a way myself!!

Man I would love to see your collection in person! Out of curiosity, do you clean the artifacts you find?

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Yes, I use a toothbrush and dishwashing liquid. You can't harm or remove patina on an artifact. I do like to get the dirt off my points, especially.

Regarding the rock with indented sides in your last post, remember, rocks can end up looking that way naturally. They're everywhere, really. So, if it's notched by man, there will be evidence of that. You will see battering from pecking out the notches. Here are two notched weights, one on left from a field, one on left from a beach:



Looking at the tan one, from a field, you can see the pecking in both notches:





Looking at the water wor notched weight, you can see the pecking is water worn, but you can still see it's been pecked:



Heres another notched weight. Barely notched, many would likely walk right by it. Plus it's waterworn. But there's the waterworn pecking to prove it was worked by humans. Lots of weights were barely notched. I think they were just satisfied with creating a rougher texture to secure the lashing...





So, you have to see that evidence of peck marks, because many rocks can be indented on the sides without modification by man. I check every one I see, because you never know sometimes until you pick it up.

 

[newnan man]

Aaaaag, someone post a real artifact before I go crazy!!!

 

[Charl]

Aaaaag, someone post a real artifact before I go crazy!!!

Well, I hope you keep your sanity, lol. She posted a nice grooved weight, and the notched weights I posted are very real, though rudimentary of course. Most are....

 

[newnan man]

Oh no doubt a couple of them are artifacts, it's just the pile of rocks on this thread is a little boring. ��

 

[Charl]

Oh no doubt a couple of them are artifacts, it's just the pile of rocks on this thread is a little boring. ��

Yeah, just comes with the territory on all the forums. Beginners gonna be beginners, after all. And a lot of times that means a lot of rocks. I think it will always be that way. It would be unusual to have a beginner show up and say "just getting started, are these anything?" and then we see trays of nice points and all kinds of hardstone tools. Fortunately, all the forums have experienced hunters and collectors as well, and we get to see great finds. I wish I lived where some of the folks who post to this forum live. My finds pale in comparison, often embarrassingly so, lol.

 

[Tnmountains]

Solved a couple pages ago.