THE LEARNING CENTER
Keeping an artifact log book
Contributed by member John Duncan
After chatting with a friend and new collector, I decided to take his advice and write a small article on log books. (thank Tom Sullivan for this)
Keeping a log book is an absolute must if you are collecting. There are many reasons. The most important is to keep a record of personal finds and where they came from, what time of year, ground condition, and a map of the locale. The reason is severalfold. It gives you a history of the site and what era artifacts were from it. If you ever want to go back, you will know what time of year to go and what you found before. I know this seems like a crazy thing, but if you hunt like me you can forget things over the years! Also the value of documentation cannot be stressed enough. One never knows if he might sell a relic or not. Also in the event of your death, your family will have the log to help them if they decide to sell. Without the data from a log it just becomes a rock or another arrowhead. With proper documentation, it becomes a very special rock to a real collector. It is certainly more valuable. I have seen many collectors pass up a great and authentic relic because it had no documentation. I have also seen a lot of relics sell for much more than they were worth because the buyer had a complete history of the relic.
There is a great organization called "the Society for Documentation of Prehistoric America" I urge every collector to join. It's only $15 a year and there's a great quarterly magazine with lots of pictures. You can submit an article and picture of that special find and it will be printed with the story for everyone to enjoy. It is also a way of recording or documenting your piece.Over the years I have really enjoyed this publication and have got a lot of tips for hunting!
To subscribe send $15 to G.I.R.S. Inc., 037 Eventide, Ste 2, San Antonio, Tx. 78209. You can even have relics authenticated by them. John Berner is the editor and I think his name speaks for itself!
With the flood of fake relics, documentation is more important than ever. It writes history and is a permanent record of that special relic. Authenticators can and do make mistakes. With documentation and history, a relic has a story and is one that will command much more attention to the true enthusiast.
We as amateurs have a real responsibility to our hobby. Learning and sharing with one another is what makes this a great hobby. Seeing those documented relics is what helps us to learn and grow. Yes, study, study, study!
Another thing that log should have is a record of every item you have or have had. What you paid for it and who you bought it from. You just can't get enough information in it. In case of loss by theft, this gives you a written history of it. A picture isn't a bad idea either. Remember that family, too. They need to know what it's worth in case they sell it. You wouldn't want that G10 clovis sold for $20 would you?
Believe me having a log or record book is a very important thing to do. Not only for the study benefit! It gives you a chance to "write your name in history"!!!!
John Duncan