Genuine Item, or Gift Shop Arrowhead?

[SweepNbeep]

HI,

I was recently cleaning out my parents house, and I came across a ring box containing this arrowhead. My mother grew up on a dairy farm in central MInnesota, and I remember as a kid, her telling me about the time she found an arrowhead in one of their fields. I never saw that point, and she never talked about it except maybe once or twice. Well, imagine my surprise when I found this. I'm hoping this is the very artifact that my mother found as a farm girl back in the 60's. She must have kept it all this time, so I would like to believe.

But on the other hand, once she married my father, the two of them did a lot of traveling. We all know that every museum gift shop and tourist attraction has "arrowheads" for sale. She could have just bought this piece, I can't rule that out. What makes me think it is authentic, is the way it was so carefully and safely tucked away with her other items of jewelry, as though it really meant something to her.

So, what do you guys and gals think? Genuine central MN artifact, or cheap gift shop knock off?

 

[rginn]

Kinda looks like a gift shop arrowhead, as it's basically knocked out real quick to the basic form. Doesn't mean it didn't have significance to your mom though, and that makes it worth hanging on to.

 

[tnmudman]

just a guess but i think it is likely authentic looks like it was made to do a job not impress someone or be pleasing to the eye although it would be to my eye if i found it

 

[creekhunter]

I vote gift shop rock as well

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Don't see any patina on it..... Looks like a repro.

 

[SweepNbeep]

You know, I kind of thought it looked like a repro myself, and that's why I threw it out there for you guys to look at. It looks too smooth to me, with very little "work" done to it. I'm keeping it anyway, and will always remember it as the arrowhead my Mom had, regardless of where it came from. There is always the outside chance that that's it, but even if it's not, so what?

Thanks.

 

[arrow86]

I'd have to say gift shop as well

 

[tiggerd100]

Yeah there's just no flaking on it. I'd say repro

 

[unclemac]

i too have seen very similar ones in gift shops...the material too.

 

[BearCreek]

Whichever it is, I feel sure it must have had a great deal of significance to your mom. I have a buckeye my grandfather gave my dad and my dad carried that buckeye in the pocket of his coat for the rest of his life. That little buckeye means the world to me and I've kept it in a little box for over 24 years now. I'd say artifact or gift shop, your mom's arrowhead is most definitely a treasure

 

[Bow Only]

I like the silver quarter.

 

[SweepNbeep]

I like the silver quarter.

Thanks. That belonged to my Mother as well. I found it in her baby piggy bank. It had a picture of a stork on the side, and only had 51 cents in it, two silver quarters and a wheat penny. She was raised up pretty poor, but only in the monetary sense. Those three coins I keep separate, and they hold a special place in my collection.

 

[Chessmen Trip]

Thanks. That belonged to my Mother as well. I found it in her baby piggy bank. It had a picture of a stork on the side, and only had 51 cents in it, two silver quarters and a wheat penny. She was raised up pretty poor, but only in the monetary sense. Those three coins I keep separate, and they hold a special place in my collection.

That is pretty cool my friend.

 

[NCPeaches]

Just putting this out there as a thought and I'm by no means an authority at all but I've been told that the successive generations of Native Americans were notorious for recycling older broken points so ya'll don't yell at me for saying this. Do you think it could be a re-worked one of this type in this link? scroll to the bottom and you will see they don't have much flaking. Folsom Projectile Point The reason why I say this is I have a gift shop arrowhead somewhere and they work much harder to make it look genuine, at least on one side with the other side smooth to glue to a card or something. Food for thought anyway