Whats it worth

[teammajic]

I got this from a friend of mine to add to my collection not a 100% if its real he got it from a amish farmer who said he plowed it up over 20 years ago any guisses on what it mite be worth if it is real and any way to tell if it is real ?

 

[monsterrack]

Dirt is not a true patina on an object.

Patina is from the chemicals in the dirt, water and air it is a mixture of all and that's why patina is different all over the country.

 

[teammajic]

It has in perfections in it there just hard to see cause of the color. By all means im not saying mine is real cause i dont now im no expert on them just a hobby rock hunter when i am not detecting or bottle hunting .

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Sorry for my ignorance but this is the Definition I got....

pa·ti·na
pəˈtēnə/
noun
[COLOR=#878787 !important][/COLOR]

• 1.
  a green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals, produced by oxidation over a long period.
  
  Keep @ it and HH !!
  

 

[monsterrack]

Just as an FYI, having 40 or 140 years of hunting artifacts is not a good indicator that someone can identify a real from a fake. It only insures that person has a good group of authentic artifacts to use as a control group to learn from.

If you're going to send it off send it to either Maury Meadows or Roy Motley. I know both of them and are confident you would get the correct answer, not necessarily the one you want to hear.

However, I hope you don't spend your money doing this. That axe is not close to correct. The porous material it's made from is commonly used in fake axes because it's easy to shape with a grinder. The material is often cinder block or some other sort of easy-to-grind man made material.

Hippy

A soft stone is not always true I know of a group of brothers in Al. that use hard stone by using silicon carbide grinders, they will cut any stone like butter, not counting a diamond. These boys in Al. have been making fakes for over 40 yrs and they are real good at it. once again only a high power scope will tell the truth.

 

[unclemac]

Sorry for my ignorance but this is the Definition I got....

pa·ti·na
pəˈtēnə/
noun
[COLOR=#878787 !important][/COLOR]

• 1.
  a green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals, produced by oxidation over a long period.
  
  Keep @ it and HH !!

....and the rest of it reads....

[h=3]noun[/h]

• a green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals, produced by oxidation over a long period.
  
• a gloss or sheen on wooden furniture produced by age and polishing.
  
• an impression or appearance of something:he carries the patina of old money and good breeding

 

[unclemac]

...or try this....

Patina - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Patina (/ˈpætɨnə/ or /pəˈtiːnə/) is a tarnish that forms on the surface of copper, bronze and similar metals (produced by oxidation or other chemical processes); stone;[SUP][1][/SUP] a sheen on wooden furniture produced by age, wear, and polishing; or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure. Patinas can provide a protective layer to materials that would otherwise be damaged by corrosion or weathering. They may also be aesthetically appealing.
On metal, patina is a coating of various chemical compounds such as oxides, carbonates, sulfides, or sulfates formed on the surface during exposure to atmospheric elements (oxygen, rain, acid rain, carbon dioxide, sulfur-bearing compounds). Patina also refers to accumulated changes in surface texture and colour that result from normal use of an object such as a coin or a piece of furniture over time.[SUP][2][/SUP]
Archaeologists study the patinas found on flint tools and ancient stone monuments.[SUP][1][/SUP] Stone develops a corticated layer over time that is due to a range of complex factors. This has led stone tool analysts in recent times to generally prefer the term "cortification" as a better term to describe the process than "patination".[SUP][3][/SUP]

 

[teammajic]

If it ant it ant. If it is great . But no sweat to me if it ant you live and learn from mistakes you make and gambles that you take that pay off. Theres a local guy in tennessee close to were i live my buddy that looked at it told me to bring it to him and he could tell me so im gonna go see him this week .

 

[rock]

@ team All kidding aside. When you get it checked out use a microscope and if it is old you should be able to see the tiny brown spots. If no tiny brown spots are showing then it isnt old. If the tiny spots are there then it is old. You cant see these spots with a M Glass. Only by a scope. Good luck and I hope it turns out the way you want it too, rock

 

[teammajic]

Thanks rock.

 

[Tnmountains]

Good luck we all learned something new form this post. I did. Look forward to you posting some more.
HH
TnMtns

 

[teammajic]

Thanks

 

[Charl]

No kidding dirt isnt patina? I never knew

no, it's not rock. That's why I told you recently it is perfectly harmless to clean a sandstone pipe with a toothbrush and water, or even a dab of dish washing fluid and water. All that will do is clean the dirt off. Patina does not wash off with water. After all, if an artifact is centuries old and on the surface, it's been washed by rain countless times, if underground, saturated by rain many times. No harm to patina is done by all those centuries of rain....

 

[Charl]

So what type of stone do you believe the Ax to be made of? Looks almost like Soapstone to me. I have a piece of it I can show.

They would never use soapstone for an axe. Too soft. It appears like hardstone. I agree with those who think it's likely a modern reproduction. As far as polish, well, that's not a deal breaker. Many hardstone tools were polished when manufactured or as a result of usage. It's a full groove axe, but again, got a hunch it's modern unfortunately. But could be wrong, it's only photos we're going by, but hippy sounds pretty certain. I wouldn't call it too perfect, there are many wonderfully made axes out there with little usage wear.

 

[rock]

no, it's not rock. That's why I told you recently it is perfectly harmless to clean a sandstone pipe with a toothbrush and water, or even a dab of dish washing fluid and water. All that will do is clean the dirt off. Patina does not wash off with water. After all, if an artifact is centuries old and on the surface, it's been washed by rain countless times, if underground, saturated by rain many times. No harm to patina is done by all those centuries of rain....

I guess you didnt see the response where I said I was joking. You can not remove mineral deposits with any soap. There you go

 

[diggummup]

Good looking axe. The Amish wouldn't lie would they? On the other hand if someone was gonna replicate a hardstone axe, they could do it without power tools.

 

[NC field hunter]

Here is a fake axe head. I took a burning on a group of artifacts at the start of summer. You can see the wheel grinder marks. The bit and poll grinder marks go vertical and the groove, horizontal.







If the grinder marks aren't visible, I'll try to magnify them. I see no grinder scars on your piece. I'm thinking you have a good piece. However, you see I have been in the fire. I would hate for you to listen to this burnt child, only to be burned.

 

[SouthTexasFinds]

Got a good laugh out of this thread, but was just curious if OP had ever received an answer regarding the axe

 

[outlawatheart]

when I was first starting out back in the late 60's everyone use to scrub the heck out their finds and even knew a couple of guys who DID dip their stuff in varnish. In the 70's it was mineral oil or kerosene to make them shine. I have been guilty of cleaning creek patina off of my early finds. I have seen quite a few as clean as that one. If its fake its a darn good one.
Unless that Amish farmer was first to break that ground, which is doubtful, something that big escaping the disc is phenomenal. Good save on that one!

My guess is it is real, no sign of a grinder and some, but not a lot of faking in axes.... Years ago most people cleaned their finds, so being clean doesnt mean not real, 20 years ago many even put a coat of shellac on their artifacts to make them shiney.

Value is always relative as to what someone is willing to give and what your willing to sell for..... Guessing $50-$100.....

 

[Buckleberry]

Looks like one of those cement axes...all that weird pitting.