Three mystery pieces Ive picked up over the years.

Th3rty7 · Aug 25, 2009

Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

Any comments / opinions on these three pieces are appreciated. The first piece is made of an unknown material to me. It has drill holes? or puncture marks around the entire circumference. It looks fragile and like it could easily break, but is actually quite solid, it was found on a multicomponent site in se Wv.

The second piece to me looks worked to me as well, it has polish in areas and sits flat as a board. The material is limestone like but I'm not really sure. It was found in a creek in sw Va.

Third piece is highly polished, I think it may be creek stained hematite? It has a metallic sheen and it's fairly heavy.

All three of these pieces were found on or near sites but I've never been able to id them with much confidence, what do you think?

uniface · Aug 25, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

Second piece is indurated shale. Pieces of it naturally shaped like cigars and or balls are plentiful where I used to hunt. Thing of it is, though, they carried these quite a ways and left them. So who knows ?

creek astronaut · Aug 25, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

interesting stuff,that third piece is the one out of the 3 that i think may be a relic.have no idea what it could be though,maybe somekind of net sinker

??

Tnmountains · Aug 25, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

3rd one looks like some kinda polishing rock mabe? Is the bottom flat? Wonder if the first is some type of fossil? :icon_scratch:

GL · Aug 25, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

Fossil poop
Geofact
Neato thing I'd call a relic

ohioaxeman · Aug 25, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

the first piece may be called a concretion. seen them before, and thats what i was told! second piece looks like shale, probably (indurated). third piece, dunno, but i would of took it home anyways.

Th3rty7 · Aug 25, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

appreciate the comments and opinions, pretty sweet looking piece o fossil poop anyway.lol

allen · Aug 25, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

those are really cool finds !

uniface · Aug 25, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

Good indurated shale is amazing stuff. Not real pretty, but you can knap good points out of it, make flaked-&-ground celts out of it with razor edges, and use it to grind other hard stone with to a high level of finish.

creek astronaut · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

thirty7 said:
appreciate the comments and opinions, pretty sweet looking piece o fossil poop anyway.lol

if you get a minute could you take a pic of the third piece.take a pic of its profile,just curious to see how symetrical it is.thx 37.still a cool looking bunch of fossil poop. :thumbsup:

pointdlr · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

Thirty7,

The top piece is Hematite. I have a small cone found on an island in between OH/WV on the Ohio River that is made of the same type of cracked hematite. I call it my "brainstone", but it is hematite. I can take a pic of mine if you want to see. They are very similar.
Second piece down is some kind of shale/limestone mix. I would call it a natural formation.
3rd piece down is a mystery to me. If an artifact, I would guess some weird grooved atl-atl weight.
Hope this helps,
Jon Dickinson.

savant365 · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

For your first picture try Googling "septarian nodule". I think thats what you have there.

HH Charlie

Th3rty7 · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

greg-rocks said:
thirty7 said:

appreciate the comments and opinions, pretty sweet looking piece o fossil poop anyway.lol

Click to expand...

if you get a minute could you take a pic of the third piece.take a pic of its profile,just curious to see how symetrical it is.thx 37.still a cool looking bunch of fossil poop.

Here ya go Grocks, I put a couple of the other two in as well to show some different angles.

Charmin · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

thirty7--I just bought a book by Lar Hothem called "Ornamental Indian Artifacts" and on page 20, there's a piece that looks like yours(1st picture). It is a "cone" and is made of "brainstone" hematite(crackled surface). The one in the book was found on an island in the Ohio River near Huntington, W.V.

That's a really neat find! as are the others you posted!
regards,
sandcreek
Oops--I just read pointdlr's post! Was that your piece in Hothems book, Pointdlr?

Th3rty7 · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

pointdlr said:
Thirty7,

The top piece is Hematite. I have a small cone found on an island in between OH/WV on the Ohio River that is made of the same type of cracked hematite. I call it my "brainstone", but it is hematite. I can take a pic of mine if you want to see. They are very similar.
Second piece down is some kind of shale/limestone mix. I would call it a natural formation.
3rd piece down is a mystery to me. If an artifact, I would guess some weird grooved atl-atl weight.
Hope this helps,
Jon Dickinson.

Appreciate the help Jon, love to see your hematite " brainstone " cone.

Th3rty7 · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

Thanks for the tip Charlie, Sandcreek, interesting, that's one Hothem book I dont have, I need to study stone tools and ornamental forms. Thanks

pointdlr · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

Sandcreek,
Yes, that is my artifact in the Hothem book. Forgot it was published in that volume. If you look at my avatar, and then the back cover of the book, you will see another similarity. I think I have about 20 pieces in that book.
Thirty- I will get a pic of the brainstone for you this evening.
Jon Dickinson.

Charmin · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

pointdlr said:
Sandcreek,
Yes, that is my artifact in the Hothem book. Forgot it was published in that volume. If you look at my avatar, and then the back cover of the book, you will see another similarity. I think I have about 20 pieces in that book.
Thirty- I will get a pic of the brainstone for you this evening.
Jon Dickinson.

Jon--Hothem must have been really impressed with your birdstone to put it on the outside cover of his book! I'll have to go through this book and see what else is yours :thumbsup:

.
sandcreek

creek astronaut · Aug 26, 2009

Re: Three mystery pieces I've picked up over the years.

thx thirty7 for putting up the pic,i dont know what to think of that piece.very cool whatever it is. :thumbsup: