Texas Points and Tools?

TXCreekWalker · Jul 17, 2025

So I busted my foot up a a couple of months ago and I have not been able to get out to the creeks or fields. But, last week I was hobbling through an antique/consignment store here in DFW (North Texas) and found these. They were at a good price, so picked them up. They look authentic to me, I hope I am correct. I know the one above the quarter to the left is a drill, and the big one on the left is a blade (Abasolo?), and the light colored one at the middle top might be a Big Sandy, though I would not be surprised if I am off on that one. The rest, I don't know. Help with identification would be great, but my main question is are these points and tools Texas artifacts, or from cultures than spanned into parts of present-day Texas? With the few I have tentatively identified, I am assuming they are from Texas.

I appreciate any knowledge that can be shared. Thank you in advance.

ToddsPoint · Jul 17, 2025

This is a classic dog leg Thebes early archaic knife just like you would find in IL, IN, KY or OH. I don’t know if points like this were made in TX. It’s the real deal in my opinion. Also, the flint overall doesn’t look like TX flint.

russau · Jul 17, 2025

Nice point collection ! Interesting Arrowhead !

CreekSide · Jul 17, 2025

Nice pickup on those but they don’t look like Texas points more like east coast material. I’d like to find some authentic points at a antique store around here but most are reproduction in my area

Relicgrubber · Jul 17, 2025

Nice Score! They all look authentic but none are from Texas imo...

TXCreekWalker · Jul 18, 2025

ToddsPoint said:
This is a classic dog leg Thebes early archaic knife just like you would find in IL, IN, KY or OH. I don’t know if points like this were made in TX. It’s the real deal in my opinion. Also, the flint overall doesn’t look like TX flint. View attachment 2217193

Thank you! That is why I was struggling with the identification. I was looking at the wrong region. The closest I could come was a Marcos point here in Texas, but those seemed too small and the bases in the examples are not similar to this.

newnan man · Jul 18, 2025

Good score & I agree with everyone. They look like Midwest artifacts.

CreekSide · Jul 18, 2025

TXCreekWalker said:
Thank you! That is why I was struggling with the identification. I was looking at the wrong region. The closest I could come was a Marcos point here in Texas, but those seemed too small and the bases in the examples are not similar to this.

The Thebes is the most valuable one in the group

russau · Jul 19, 2025

BOY do I have a LOT to learn on identification !

Older The Better · Jul 19, 2025

Nice on the Thebes, I’ve always wanted to find one of those… I’m no expert on telling if points are authentic but a few things I saw that made me think they were real, the variety of material, the variety of points. the point types themselves, you have a nice Thebes but the rest as far as profitable points for collectors aren’t high dollar. They also have imperfections or damage. If it was a collection made by a faker they wouldn’t be in for a huge payday. I personally never care much about monetary value in points anyway and say it’s a nice little collection.

TXCreekWalker · Jul 19, 2025

Older The Better said:
Nice on the Thebes, I’ve always wanted to find one of those… I’m no expert on telling if points are authentic but a few things I saw that made me think they were real, the variety of material, the variety of points. the point types themselves, you have a nice Thebes but the rest as far as profitable points for collectors aren’t high dollar. They also have imperfections or damage. If it was a collection made by a faker they wouldn’t be in for a huge payday. I personally never care much about monetary value in points anyway and say it’s a nice little collection.

Monetary value is not really important to me either. I have no plan on selling anything. My son and daughter who are seven and five are beginning to develop an interest as well, so I hope they can maintain that, and I can pass everything on to them when the time comes.

I also found these two about a month or so earlier at the same place. The people I showed pictures to at the time believed the right one was likely a Wells point, but now I don't know. I first thought it could be a Hell Gap. It may not even have been from the same collector as the ones above.

Dejure · Jul 22, 2025

I don't have photos of it, but my brother's father-in-law had a set of ceremonial points that are beyond anything I've EVER seen. He dug them up at the mouth of the Okanogan Rive (dumping into the Columbia) near where Fort Okanogan stood a whole bunch of days back. Chief Long Jim's daughter told him and us where to look for artifacts. As she said, the Corps of Engineers had already trashed the sacred grounds (they "moved" all the graves around the turn of the century, so it was a non issue to the ancestors, if anyone looked about there for artifacts).

Anyway, points were as broad as my hand, and as long. They were beautifully crafted from agate not common to the area. The closest place to find agate we, owners of a Rock Shop filled with inventory from our adventures, knew of was, in Montana.

Our years of rock, bottle and artifact hunting taught us native indians traded with other tribes for materials and products not available locally.

TXCreekWalker · Jul 23, 2025

Good thing to keep in mind Dejure. Ultimately they ended up in Texas. When that occurred is anyone's' guess. The original finder could have lived in the Midwest or eastern part of the US when they were found, and moved here later, or they were part of an estate of someone who lived there whose belongings were sent to a relative here and the Wells was added later.

However, I am not altogether sure the larger one in the last picture is a Wells. While reading about the cross-section of Thebes, I got an "Ah-ha" moment because of its propeller-like cross-section. The supposed Wells has that same "twist" to it both looking from the tip and from the base. Wells points have an elliptical cross-section, so I wonder if it is actually type of knife? Cross-section identification is new to me, so I may not even be interpreting this correctly. I am included a couple of photos of both ends nonetheless.

The first is the tip, and the second is from the base:

Dejure · Jul 24, 2025

Addendum to my post above:

(1) About fifty years ago, Ripleys, of the Believe It Or Not variety, offered my brother's father-in-law ten grand for that one find.SIDE NOTE: About fifty years ago, Ripleys, of Believe It Or Not fame, offered him ten grand for that one find.

(2) My share of the family collection disappeared back when I was overseas, at Sam's request. The only arrowhead I know was mine is in a display at my brother's.

I found it at the Vantage, Washington, bridge when the "new" one was being built, about six decades back.

It's somewhat boomerang in shape. I assume that was so it would not leave its target and could be pulled back. That is, it's a fishing arrowhead and STILL has a fish scale on it.