Here Is A Banner Find

[Garscale]

I don't know what a banner find is as discussed on tnet but here is a banner stone known as the Barclay Banner found by my father in 1953 here in East Tx. It almost seems majic after all these years. It is sitting on anther near identical broken one found that same year.

 

[Garscale]

One thing I've noticed on my 7 years here - if you ask for/indicate it's a banner find, ya ain't gunna get a Banner for it.

Gotta let us peeples vote for it ourselves, and some of us just walk away.

I was not looking for a banner for it. It was a play on words. It is a banner stone thus a banner find. Get it?

 

[Older The Better]

Got me at first, I went into the thread thinking damn this guys got some confidence, then I saw it was a banner stone I enjoyed the word play

 

[TennTex]

I am fairly new to this and haven't had nearly as much experience as most here...I have never even held an artifact that wasn't one I personally found. I think Joshuaream is spot on with his take though.

I will show my little bannerstone to add a little more to this conversation. I believe it is made out of claystone and it's certainly not the work of art like Garscales or those intricate winged examples from up north. Mine seems utilitarian in purpose, but I have to agree that there should be about 1000x more of them found if they were used so much.

She may not be a 10 but I appreciate the heck out of it





If you zoom in on the first picture, it looks like there is some wear along the edge of the hole from sliding back & forth but I don't know.

 

[Garscale]

That's a fantastic little banner. Where was it found? Story!

 

[TennTex]

That's a fantastic little banner. Where was it found? Story!

Thank you, I appreciate it!

I found this one on the Alabama/Tennessee border. I had been hunting for about 8 hours and was picking through a mussel midden that had been eroding out of the creek bank. I saw a square stone pushed flush into the sand amongst the shell and it just didn't look natural...I had a feeling of what it might be but when I picked it up and saw the hole, I was over the moon. Haha I think I just sat there looking at it for about 30 minutes straight, with a big smile on my face. I probably will never find another one but I am ok with that. Just thinking about it makes me want to get back to Tennessee, the amount of artifacts in this particular area is incredible, but I do love the alibates and tescovas jasper out here.





Here is a shot of the back, it's pretty strange. I know very little about the process of making something like this but it seems like the might've drilled at an angle from the back at some point?

 

[Garscale]

Never seen a hole drilled quite like that. You way under stated that banner. Its a pretty valuable item. Probably in the 8 to 10 g range. Congrats.

 

[Force_of_Iron]

This thread is becoming more bonkers by the minute. 30,000 pieces, 13 feet?

These numbers are beyond things I've ever considered.

I suppose 30,000 years of people making artifacts in an area can do that but this is industrial scale archeology/relic collecting.

Stop your killing the market!!!!

 

[Garscale]

This thread is becoming more bonkers by the minute. 30,000 pieces, 13 feet?

These numbers are beyond things I've ever considered.

I suppose 30,000 years of people making artifacts in an area can do that but this is industrial scale archeology/relic collecting.

Stop your killing the market!!!!

You are nuts

 

[sandchip]

Rick, I think he's cutting the fool. At least, I hope so.

I enjoyed your comment about what lies beneath the plow line. I dug a site many years ago that went 5 feet to the hard pan and thought that was deep, but it made me realize exactly what you pointed out. My site was on a ridge, so if stuff was up to 5 feet below the surface there, then 13 feet is not at all unreasonable considering the way topography varies from area to area.

 

[Force_of_Iron]

What's more nuts, finding 30 thousand artifacts after digging down 13 feet or me being stunned by it? I think I would get the benefit of the doubt.

What's nuts about 30k+ artifacts killing the market? Everything is priced on supply and demand.

You pile 30 k artifacts on a table at the flea market and people will want them for the price to clean their teeth.

I defend my sanity!

 

[Garscale]

What's more nuts, finding 30 thousand artifacts after digging down 13 feet or me being stunned by it? I think I would get the benefit of the doubt.

What's nuts about 30k+ artifacts killing the market? Everything is priced on supply and demand.

You pile 30 k artifacts on a table at the flea market and people will want them for the price to clean their teeth.

I defend my sanity!

Nope. Nuts I say. That was ten years ago that I dug that site. Is the market killed? Noooo because I wasn't selling them. Pretty much Everyone on this site jumps to wild conclusions. How many of my artifacts have you seen at a flea market?

 

[Garscale]

Rick, I think he's cutting the fool. At least, I hope so.

I enjoyed your comment about what lies beneath the plow line. I dug a site many years ago that went 5 feet to the hard pan and thought that was deep, but it made me realize exactly what you pointed out. My site was on a ridge, so if stuff was up to 5 feet below the surface there, then 13 feet is not at all unreasonable considering the way topography varies from area to area.

One side of the hill on this Brazos site was 22 ft deep. Artifacts all the way to the bottom.

I wasn't kidding about the 30000 points from the Houston co site. 2 acres that averaged 13 ft deep.

I posted a few pics on my digging thread. I keep forgetting what discussion is where. This one is banner stone thread. Ill try to keep digging questions over on the digging thread.

 

[Force_of_Iron]

Nope. Nuts I say. That was ten years ago that I dug that site. Is the market killed? Noooo because I wasn't selling them. Pretty much Everyone on this site jumps to wild conclusions. How many of my artifacts have you seen at a flea market?

I get that, but its no different than DeBeers controlling the diamond supply. They are there but the market is distorted from reality by the hidden supply.

Its a hidden supply affecting the curve but they do exist. One day they will potentially appear on the market if they do it will be one of the most massive influxes of artifacts I have seen though perhaps some others have seen it.

I doubt the market would absorb it at current price levels unless it was dragged out over a long period of time.

The flea market was just an off the cuff scenario it would be the same anywhere IMO unless very skillfully done.

Its nothing to do w the quality of the merchandise just the quantity.

 

[Force_of_Iron]

My killing the market comment was just at the rate you seem to find stuff you are single handedly without a doubt the highest producing artifact hunter in history. At this rate you are the DeBeers of artifact hunters.

Then again maybe I'm just nuts, don't care either way. I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous though.