Sandbar Finds

[Charl]

From my favorite sandbar in Narragansett Bay, RI. Used to be a great hot spot. Not so hot these days but it will always be part of our rounds. The grey flint point top center was found in 2 pieces 3 years apart. Found the base last and told my wife on the ride home "I've think we've got a tip made from this stuff and I think I found it on this sandbar". Been lucky enough to do that a few times and, if anything, I get more excited then if I had found it whole to begin with. The Jack's Reef Corner Notch in the center is made of hornfels, is large for the type at 2 3/4" and has a rare basal notch.

 

[flintmel]

very nice points, can see why you always visit!

 

[welsbury]

Some fine work on those,very nice. What material is that bottom center piece, it almost looks like obsidian. Great spot for sure.

 

[flintmel]

looks like an english gun flint from a flintlock!

 

[Charl]

Some fine work on those,very nice. What material is that bottom center piece, it almost looks like obsidian. Great spot for sure.

welsbury, thanks, yes, Mel called it, that's a gunflint. Many of the grey pieces are hornfels, a common material in southern New England. After Pennsylvania jasper, it was the next preferred material for the culture that made Jack's Reef points. Not pretty, but good knapping material.

 

[CrazySlasher]

How long did it take find of all that?

 

[Charl]

CrazySlasher, we have been walking that sandbar for about 8 years and I'll have to guess, but about 150 points have been found. 2005 was our best season there.

 

[Martingeetars]

That gun flint is awesome, those points are pretty special also! Great finds

 

[Snakeman]

Always a treat to see NICE RI points!

 

[calisdad]

Nice collection. The piece bottom center is much like the cruciform in the current banner.

 

[SOHIO]

Nice stuff. Gunflints are cool.

 

[CrazySlasher]

CrazySlasher, we have been walking that sandbar for about 8 years and I'll have to guess, but about 150 points have been found. 2005 was our best season there.

Interesting. I've searched Narragansett Bay before with no luck. Any tips on that area?

 

[Charl]

CrazySlasher, we have been walking that sandbar for about 8 years and I'll have to guess, but about 150 points have been found. 2005 was our best season there.

Interesting. I've searched Narragansett Bay before with no luck. Any tips on that area?

Well, it's not getting any easier on the beaches, I know that. Basically we just access the shore where we can and walk shores where there is a good scatter of rocks that are in the size range of your average point. The tides seem to sort the rocks in long lines parallel to the water and by size, so we just walk the lines where the rocks are the right size. Areas of shore where fresh water streams enter probably improves the chances. Beaches tend to be very spotty, IMHO. In 20 years, we have only found 2 real hot spots that would compete with any good producing field. Erosion finally removed the producing zone of one of those hot spots and the sandbar where the above points were found has been pretty slow the past 2 years. We switched to beaches because the fields have been walked into the ground so to speak. On Narragansett Bay, you can get lucky anywhere as long as there is good rock scatter to begin with. Try where streams or estuaries enter the bay, where marshes border the bay, places like that. I'll take a good producing field anytime but beggers can't be chosers. Beaches change all the time as well and you never know if surface conditions will be good or lousy, all mud for instance, until you get there. And if you find a hotspot, milk it for all it's worth cause they don't come around often and they don't last forever!

 

[Charl]

Thanks one and all for your kind comments. Much appreciated.