grooved egg

[ridgerunner112]

heavy!

 

[ridgerunner112]

for reference, another 'grooved' item from same river that could pass for fossilized poop if only that protruding end weren't so sharp:

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Natural erosion on river rock

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

Very deep, uniform groove...some pics would be great.

Yes, and this would be a very serious battle axe...! Almost too big for one-handed use.
Looks to be cultural

 

[Relicgrubber]

I would say it's possible it's natural but has the definite look of being man made. I just don't think it was a maul which would have been swung hard and should show serious wear on either end. As well as the narrow groove wouldn't facilitate a handle stout enough to not break when used. What its purpose was I have no idea. It may help if the finder told us which state it was found in.

I was thinking Net Weight or some type of anchor weight...

 

[MAMucker]

If my memory serves, Charl posted a photo of a boat weight that he found along the North River on the East Coast of MA.
It had quite a resemblance. If it is a boat weight, it’s an extremely rare find.

 

[CloudKicker0]

I would say it's possible it's natural but has the definite look of being man made. I just don't think it was a maul which would have been swung hard and should show serious wear on either end. As well as the narrow groove wouldn't facilitate a handle stout enough to not break when used. What its purpose was I have no idea. It may help if the finder told us which state it was found in.

Natural stone

 

[Emil W]

Your stone in post #21 is natural erosion, not manmade. Softer layers erode at a different rate than the harder layers, resulting in the stone you found. Interesting none the less.

 

[ridgerunner112]

comparative poster-upper of OP rock and similar rock with slightly different characteristics although possibly similar uses, if ever. just blurting this out there btw;





OT: dunno where the sparkles underneath rubbed-off from ;p

 

[boogeyman]

comparative poster-upper of OP rock and similar rock with slightly different characteristics although possibly similar uses, if ever. just blurting this out there btw;





OT: dunno where the sparkles underneath rubbed-off from ;p

If you found some others similar close by, the net weight possibility is a good one. No sense hauling your weights home at the end of the day everyday

 

[newnan man]

The stone on the right is natural.

 

[southfork]

I don't think it's a maul. The groove is to narrow for a handle. A handle that skinny would snap off. No wear on either end from use. Nice find for sure.

It just needs to rest in a fork pitch and sinew / plant fibers will hold it in place.

 

[detectorcowboy]

It almost looks like it was a rope that wore it down?

 

[Runehunter]

Thanks for all the positive replies, although as some have already mentioned regarding it possibly being a maul, I'd like to highlight its features of it being too narrow of a groove to haft a handle around it considering its weight, the lack of other marks suggesting it was bound with animal hide/strips of bark or other means to hold said wooden handle in place and the apparent lack of impact fractures that would suggest it being a hammering tool of sorts. The fact that the natives relied heavily on fishing in this area makes the notion of it being a weight much more realistic.

Glad to have spurred some discussion, nonetheless. Will gladly post updates on it or any further finds.

I have two such stones and was told they are clubs. I have seen some stone replica clubs some of the nations sell to touristas here (Oklahoma) so that seemed a likely explanation for mine

 

[Tdog]

I may have spoken too soon.. it sure has the look of a giant war club!

 

[Charl]

T_H how would they make such a tool. Would they use another stone to carve the grooves ?

It’s possible a suitable shaped rock was selected, and the only alteration was the groove itself. But, in general, end picks and honing stones were used to fashion such tools…