What do I have?

[Jelly936]

I am very new to native artifacts so my knowledge base is pretty low. I do have an idea of what this may be but I’d like some informed opinions from folks in the know on this type of stuff.

Found in a farm field in Southern Iowa/Northern Missouri. Sandstone/Soapstone.

Appears to have been worked or shaped. It has one very obvious cylindrical groove area and a second less obvious on an edge. Gouge marks could be plow strikes but they seem more purposeful/decorative looking than accidental.

If anyone can give me their opinion or inform me as to what this might be I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Gentleman please read our rules and follow them, please end the sarcastic replies.

 

[newnan man]

Having a different opinion than yours is perfectly fine on a forum like this. There are no "Gatekeepers" here that I'm aware of. People see things differently & I enjoy hearing what they think. I've never found anything like what you posted but I would have picked it up too. Wanting something to be an artifact however doesn't make it so. Also a professors evaluation from a university is not in my opinion worth very much. Yours could be an exception. Todd's Point opinion is valuable & I will defer to it as he has real world experience.

 

[Jelly936]

Having a different opinion than yours is perfectly fine on a forum like this. There are no "Gatekeepers" here that I'm aware of. People see things differently & I enjoy hearing what they think. I've never found anything like what you posted but I would have picked it up too. Wanting something to be an artifact however doesn't make it so. Also a professors evaluation from a university is not in my opinion worth very much. Yours could be an exception. Todd's Point opinion is valuable & I will defer to it as he has real world experience.

I can respect that Newnan Man!
I don’t think a university archeologists words are always gospel either however in this case I do concur with it.
Real life experience is for sure a little better in most cases and in this case in particular I also have a the opinion from a very accomplished local artifact hunter also concurring with the judgement. Independently from the archy appraisal mind you.
You seem to be an open minded person. Unsarcastically, thanks for your input.

 

[CreekSide]

True, I’ve seen where they may have worn them on their arm while shooting to prevent being struck by the string. I’ve also seen where they debunk that. Interesting stuff regardless.

Very possible on the Gorget on the arm. I’ve never seen one as small as mine I always thought they were larger. I’ve seen one found in my area with a mallard duck inscribed on the one side. I can’t tell if mine has anything on it or not due to it being in the water for so long. We have strong current in our creek’s which can erase flaking and design

 

[CreekSide]

I can respect that Newnan Man!
I don’t think a university archeologists words are always gospel either however in this case I do concur with it.
Real life experience is for sure a little better in most cases and in this case in particular I also have a the opinion from a very accomplished local artifact hunter also concurring with the judgement. Independently from the archy appraisal mind you.
You seem to be an open minded person. Unsarcastically, thanks for your input.

I’m enjoying the conversation in this thread. It’s been a long while since we have had a decent discussion about theories on artifacts.

 

[Fred250]

There is a tendency for people to err on the side of caution when identifying or authenticating artifacts from pictures, to put it kindly. After seeing all the pics, not just the first set, it’s fairly clear it is an artifact and most likely an abrader. It would be fun to have a series of I know what this is but let’s have guesses posts if anyone has anything that would fit.The way you did it won’t make friends and the thrill wears off quickly, only know from experience.

 

[Jelly936]

Thank you all for your thoughts. Awesome collections. Happy hunting. 🙏🏼

 

[ToddsPoint]

This is a gorget. Typically they have two holes. I believe they were belt buckles. Experimental archaeology is how you find answers. I’ve done it for 40 yrs. You won’t figure out much from an easy chair.

 

[newnan man]

This is a gorget. Typically they have two holes. I believe they were belt buckles. Experimental archaeology is how you find answers. I’ve done it for 40 yrs. You won’t figure out much from an easy chair. View attachment 2211524View attachment 2211525

That makes much more sense than an Atlatl weight. People still like fancy belt buckles.

 

[russau]

That makes much more sense than an Atlatl weight. People still like fancy belt buckles.

And some people like me just need those buckles to keep things up-n-going !

 

[rginn]

Yes I sure did! So you do or don’t think it was an Abrader? You made conflicting statements there. Hell it could be King Tutankhamun’s favorite pet rock delivered here by an alien spaceship from the future. I guess we may never know but for now I’ll go with what the evidence shows and what the expert in this field assessed it as. Again as previously stated I’m more than willing to be wrong and corrected! Thanks for sharing your opinion with reasoning RGINN.

Yeah I did conflict there without realizing it! Yeah abrader, or tool sharpener, same thing. I actually thought that was a good post, cause you got folks to think and come up with opinions. Don't misunderstand, I wasn't aggravated by it. I still lean to Viking runestone, haha! (Hey, I come from Oklahoma where we had a whole state park dedicated to a supposed runestone.)

 

[rginn]

This is a stone used for arrowshaft smoothing and abrading that I found in the South Canadian river bed in Oklahoma. About 4 inches long. No idea what it was but knew it was something. I was fortunate enough to have personally known Richard Patterson and Terrel Nowka, charter members of the Oklahoma Anthropological society. When I showed it to Richard, he immediately told me there was another piece just like it out there. You would place the shaft between the stones, grip them in one hand and slide the shaft back and forth, smoothing it. You could apply more pressure where needed. Makes perfect sense. Terrel agreed with that ID. Looked but never found the other half. And these guys had collections like you couldn't believe. Paleo artifacts on up to post-contact. Some stuff they had in safety deposit boxes at the local bank. I never got to see all of it. Wish I would have taken pics. They've both passed on, and I hope their collections have been preserved and kept intact. Knowing their families, I'll bet they are.