Old find new opinions

NC field hunter · Dec 10, 2013

This is a little piece that I found last year about this time. I called it a Guilford axe at first but then changed it to a spade. Now, I'm not sure that it is even a finished piece. You guys let me know what your thoughts are. It is made from a river rock. You can see spots that the outer later of the stone was never removed. It's a cool little find. I took lots of pics of different angles. Hopefully this will give a nice over view of it. Thanks for helping!!

GatorBoy · Dec 10, 2013

It looks like it was in the process of being thinned to me..and never finished because of the bad material and wound up a chopper.

monsterrack · Dec 11, 2013

I go along with Gator on that, looks like they ran into to many step fractures in the stone, you can recover from the step fractures in knapping, you just need to know how and the stone has to work for you or they just did not get done with it. I can see where you saw a axe, but where it would have been hafted ,it looks like the stone is to sharp for a binding. It's a great find and a keeper for sure :icon_thumleft:

old digger · Dec 11, 2013

Well, it definitely has been worked, Around here we would call it a chopper. I have found a few that look similar.

NC field hunter · Dec 11, 2013

Check this out!! This is a friends find. It has obviously been resharpened.

Can you guys see what I'm getting at? This piece was obviously finished and resharpened. It is about the same thickness as my quartzite one. I think they were both something besides axes. My friends is about as convex as mine and near flat on its under side, as mine is. Not saying you guys are wrong. Just want to know what y'all make of this. Thanks for helping out fellas!

rock · Dec 11, 2013

1st one is a hand tool 2nd idk.

GatorBoy · Dec 11, 2013

Wouldn't you call that a worn down Guilford axe?

GatorBoy · Dec 11, 2013

GatorBoy · Dec 11, 2013

If you look closely I think you can still see polish from use on the bit

NC field hunter · Dec 11, 2013

GatorBoy said:
If you look closely I think you can still see polish from use on the bit

You think it's from use? That's what I thought until I really compared my find with this piece. Notice the flat face isn't near as polished as the top. Notice the flat face of mine is flaked rather rough while it looks almost like they tried to keep the smooth water worn rind on the top. All sides of both are sharp. Could they have been weapons for throwing? Smooth surface will travel truer, right?

GatorBoy · Dec 11, 2013

I was talking about the second piece I think its a well-used Guilford axe.. The first one I personally don't think is finished whatever it was going to be it may have seen use the way it is but I think there was another plan for it to begin with.