My First Axe Head!

[oxbowbarefoot]

Today I found my first stone axe head while metal detecting a freshly plowed field here in Western Massachusetts. I was unbelievably excited to find this. This find was one among many totally awesome finds today! Check out my upcoming post in the "Today's Finds" section for my other finds today!
Anyone have any thoughts to what timeframe the axe is from?

 

[Pancake]

Awesome find!

 

[rock]

WOW!! great find we just dont find those here. NC should know the time frame on that one.

 

[GatorBoy]

Woohoo! Killer find! Make sure to post cleaned up pictures too OK?
The grooved axe predates the celt..so your piece is definitely in the thousands and not the hundreds of years old.... my suggestion would be to leave the metal detector at home next time and focus on eyeballing stone points and Mabey even more axe heads..they are often found in multiples.
Plus you can date a point.
Oh..BTW yours is a 3/4 grooved axe.

 

[rbecker1967]

Awesome find!!

 

[bsit1361]

Al I can say is killer. Anytime an ax shows up here it makes me happy. There is not too many still out there to pick up that the plows haven't broken.

 

[Americus]

Amazing find! Thanks for sharing.

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

Woohoo! Killer find! Make sure to post cleaned up pictures too OK?
The grooved axe predates the celt..so your piece is definitely in the thousands and not the hundreds of years old.... my suggestion would be to leave the metal detector at home next time and focus on eyeballing stone points and Mabey even more axe heads..they are often found in multiples.
Plus you can date a point.
Oh..BTW yours is a 3/4 grooved axe.

Thank you. The axe was the highlight of my day right up until I found my Oak Tree Shilling! I need the detector for that one

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...other-colonial-goodies-my-best-hunt-ever.html

 

[NC field hunter]

Great find! Do you still feel the electricity going through your veins? I can't wait to see clean pics of this one. It looks to be a 3/4 grooved axe. Hard to call, looking at dirty pics. Of it. I'm not sure what state you are in. In the part of NC that I live in, archaic tools and the methods used to create them, were used longer than in most areas. One could say the archaic period lasted longer here. What I'm getting at is your axe head is a mid-archaic piece. Where you live will help estimate the age of the axe head. I'm going to go with the books and say your piece is around 6,000 years old. A 3/4 found here, about 3,000 years old. Nice nice find! Often, where one is found, others are really close by.

 

[Tnmountains]

Thank you. The axe was the highlight of my day right up until I found my Oak Tree Shilling! I need the detector for that one

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...other-colonial-goodies-my-best-hunt-ever.html

That oak Tree shilling is a fantastic find in itself. I did not know you had found an axe as well. Just goes to show a good habitation site is seen and used by everyone. Gator nailed it on the type of axe. Look like the plow went after it a time or two. Nice save. I enjoyed your other post some days ago.
TnMtns

 

[CoilyGirl]

Awesome find!

 

[GatorBoy]

Thank you. The axe was the highlight of my day right up until I found my Oak Tree Shilling! I need the detector for that one

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/349889-1652-massachusetts-oak-tree-shilling-other-colonial-goodies-my-best-hunt-ever.html

Gotcha.. I'm a different breed all together.. I'd trade a coin for that axe any day.
Killer silver still..congrats.

 

[NC field hunter]

Gotcha.. I'm a different breed all together.. I'd trade a coin for that axe any day.
Killer silver still..congrats.

I'm with you on that one. The coin would probably still be in the cup holder of my truck, while I showed my axe to every person that would stop to look. Lol! What ever makes you happy. That coin is awesome.

 

[Charl]

In New England, side grooved axes, such as the nice example you found, are classified as a form of full groove axe, and are dated Middle Archaic-Transitional Archaic. The grooves are only on the sides, and don't cross the face of the tool, as both a more traditional full groove and a 3/4 groove both do. That would make my day, my year. At the same time, as a New Englander myself, and a lover of this regions history, I would trade an axe or two for the thrill of finding and calling that coin my own! WOW! Unbelievable find and serious value there. A guy I know found a perfect Pine Tree shilling on Aquidneck Island, but if you found one Pine Tree and one Oak Tree in the same field, good lord, what an accomplishment!

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

I'll get some cleaned up pictures of the axe this afternoon. I am completely overwhelmed by yesterday's hunt (all 13 hours of it).

I am extremely excited for the axe head. I'm always looking for artifacts when I detect and have taken plenty of days to exclusively look for them. I've found a few quartz points, some knives and scrapers, but the axe takes the cake. I inherited part of a massive collecting from a relative in Ohio, but now this axe will join my copper culture awl at the front of my collection.

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

here are the pics of the axe cleaned up.

 

[GatorBoy]

Man.. It's amazing it's still in one piece! Look at all those plow marks.
Nice save!

 

[NC field hunter]

That is an odd axe. That's not a bad thing. It's way thinner than most I've seen. I like it a lot!!

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

That is an odd axe. That's not a bad thing. It's way thinner than most I've seen. I like it a lot!!

I had the same thought. I have a 5 gallon bucket full of axes from the Ohio region, they are all much thicker. This one has a profile similar to a modern steel axe.

 

[NC field hunter]

I had the same thought. I have a 5 gallon bucket full of axes from the Ohio region, they are all much thicker. This one has a profile similar to a modern steel axe.

You are right. It is really close to the look of modern axe heads. Can you see a polish on the bit of this one? A polish normally signifies resharpening. Something makes me think this axe was made with intentions of performing a duty that we do not associate axes with. It appears light weight, and incapable of gaining the proper inertia to fell a tree. Perhaps, it was designed for an Adolescent. Maybe used for chopping food, rather than trees. I say this on every axe post, they are my favorite finds. So much mystery and character is in every single one. I wish I could see every axe ever found. I hate to burden you, but can you post pics of your other axe heads?