Editor: Kim Radke Web Publisher: Matt Rowe
- Message from the President.
- Message from the Editor.
- Buying Ancient Artifacts Online.
- Native American Trade Beads?
- Mother’s Day Find
Message from the President
To All AACA Members,
The Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc. or AACA has made lasting and continuing contributions to the hobby of Native American artifact collecting. Most members know about the Association’s high trust level created by the minimum guarantee and fair business rules adopted by our members when you join. Many members attend the annual national Expo, widely acclaimed as “one of the very best in the country” or wear the AACA hats on sale now. These are all benefits that are easy to see.
But many good benefits are barely seen by the membership. Mediations are undertaken with disputes settled against members and occasionally members are removed for poor business and collecting practices. A reporting system is in place for our members to report fraudulent auctions to the auction houses. The auction house eBay refers its customers to AACA rules and website for guidance in selling and collecting. Members’ auctions are monitored and advice is followed for honest selling practices. The Learning Center continues to grow and Newsletters such as this publication serve to educate collectors. All of these daily contributions by AACA volunteers help our hobby.
So where are YOU in this equation? If you joined to learn, as many do, you can ask questions and request more topics. If you would enjoy answering questions from collectors in your area, you can be listed as a regional resource. If you are at a more advanced level of collecting, write an article. My favorite editor, John Crowley of the Central States Archaeological Journal, states, “Write your page in history” and this applies to AACA members as well. Researched articles are always needed and are welcomed on the website. If you attend a lot of relic shows, pass out flyers for the Association and the upcoming Expo. Most AACA members are also members of local or national archaeological societies and they join the AACA to support the goals of honesty and fairness in the artifact trade. Wear your AACA hats and speak out your support when you can. If YOU support the AACA, find where you can help and become an active member of the most vital organization in the artifact trade- the Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association!
Cliff Jackson
Message from the Editor
Greetings AACA Members,
I have been asked to take over as editor of the quarterly AACA newsletter and decided that this was as good a time as any to introduce myself. For those who are not aware of the recent changes to the board of the AACA, I have been elected to the position of 13th director.
To say that I was honored when asked to run, is an understatement but to have actually been elected was a shock. I look forward to working with the other fine directors on the board.
Presently I live in the NW corner of Illinois with my husband and our children. For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by ancient man but it wasn’t until 11 years ago that I got my first chance to surface hunt. Anyone who has ever searched the ground looking for signs of past civilizations knows the thrill of finding that very first artifact. I can think of no better way to spend a spring day then to walk up and down the rows of a newly planted field, looking for stone.
Three years ago I stumbled onto a well-known on-line auction site and discovered a person could view and purchase every artifact ever known to man.
With this discovery, a new hobby for me also began; making consumers aware of the perils of on-line shopping.
Although I have managed to purchase some excellent relics, the hunt for my own treasures will always be my greatest love.
As I work to put together a newsletter that all AACA members will enjoy reading, I ask for your help in this adventure. I have no doubt that you, the members; have much wisdom to share and personal stories to tell. I ask that you submit those stories and that wisdom so that they can be used in future newsletters.
I welcome all suggestions and look forward to hearing from you. Please send all correspondence to theaaca_kr@msn.com
Kim Radke
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Buying Ancient Artifacts Online
By
Cliff Jackson
As a seller/collector/ buyer of ancient artifacts and as a longtime volunteer for the Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc. (AACA), I am often asked my opinion on particular auctions or sellers. The best general advice to be followed is to only purchase from reputable AACA sellers that adhere to the AACA rules and goals. You can search “AACA” under pre-1940 and see all auctions by AACA members. If AACA sellers do not follow fair business practices, the Association will hold mediation and will hold the seller to the AACA rules. If the rules are not followed, members are removed from membership.
When considering an artifact auction, look for certain “red flags” indicating that you as a buyer may not get what is offered by the seller.
1) Private auctions- The AACA has opposed the private auction feature since its inception and the Association does not permit its members to conduct private auctions. This “feature” is used to hide the names of bidders and records of past auctions from potential buyers. Honest sellers will have nothing to hide from bidders.
2) Guarantees- Good sellers will offer a guarantee of at least 14 days to give the buyer time to determine authenticity. A guarantee of less time may not be long enough to have another collector or authenticator examine the relic plus get it returned to the seller. Also, remember, a guarantee from a non-AACA member is only as good as the seller’s word as the seller has no rules to follow but his own. A good seller will stand behind his sales as being accurately described in the auction. A bad seller may decide to start his guarantee at the close of the auction, not when you receive the item and may then take a week to mail the item!
3) Pictures- Auctions with far away or fuzzy pictures may mislead a buyer into believing more than meets the eye. If auction pictures are not clear as to the true condition and identity of an artifact, email the seller for more pictures. A good seller will attempt to get you better close-ups and answer all of your questions.
4) Feedback rating- The feedback feature is often misunderstood. In grade school we learned that 90-100% is an “A”, 80-90% is a “B”, and so on. Not so with feedback. Some of the biggest sellers of fraudulent artifacts can carry a rating of 95-98% positive feedbacks. How is this possible? It is possible because of this- MANY buyers of relics DO NOT KNOW or DO NOT CARE if an artifact is ancient. Also, buyers may be hesitant to leave bad feedback even if the deal was bad because they do not want the seller to retaliate with bad feedback. So, these 2 factors combined create for the ancients buyer a feedback rating that is not a true reflection of the true authenticity of a seller’s auctions. Private feedback should be avoided as it is commonly used to hide shortcomings.
5) Questions- The online auction houses offer a means of asking the seller questions BEFORE bidding. Use this feature to determine if a seller can offer better pictures, a longer guarantee period, or to answer any other questions you may have about the ancient artifact. Not all sellers are experts on artifacts. A good seller will try to answer your questions and will give you a good idea as to whether you want to deal with them or not.
6) Seller’s Other Auctions- The other items offered by a seller will give a clearer picture of the seller’s collecting habits. Always look over other offerings and completed artifact auctions for signs that the seller may be misleading or merely uninformed about ancient artifacts.
7) Price- The saying “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is” applies strongly to collecting ancient artifacts on the internet. There are no $5 Clovises.
8) Shipping and Insurance- A good seller’s shipping policy will be stated clearly and concisely. If you are having artifacts of great value to you shipped, use insurance services available. If it is not available, ask the seller for the insurance service BEFORE bidding on an auction.
9) The Story- Some of the newest artifacts are sold with a good story, such as “my old granddad found this “or “I picked this up in ___”, or “this came from an old famous old collection”. A story is easy for a seller to make up, so a buyer should always take the story with a grain of salt and the knowledge that even in granddad’s time, there were modern replicas of ancient relics being made.
10) The Artifact itself- KNOW what you collect! If you are not familiar with a type or material, learn all you can about it BEFORE bidding. Sites like www.theaaca.com, www.arrowheads.com, www.arrowheads1.com and www.arrowpack and others are good sites to start to learn more about ancient artifacts. Many AACA members have educational websites with a wealth of information for the smart collector.
11) BUYER BEWARE- No matter whether in English or Latin, there is great truth in that warning when buying ancient relics. There are sellers that will take your money and mail you road gravel. Even more insidious are the thousands of modern replicas that are passed off as ancient artifacts for fast profits.
Your very best protection in dealing with ancient artifacts on the internet is to only deal with reputable sellers who are members of the Authentic Artifacts Collectors Association, Inc. (AACA)
Buyers may also want to pay by credit card or through Pay pal for the buyer protection they offer.
If buyers will follow these basic rules of buying, the internet auction house can greatly expand your ancients collection and provide a much more pleasant collecting experience.
Native American Trade Beads?
By
Kim Radke
If you have ever shopped online or at a flea market for Native American artifacts, you may have seen beads of this type for sale. They are usually advertised as Native American trade beads.
These beads are NOT Native American trade beads. They have never at any time in history, been traded to Native Americans in this country.
These beads are modern glass beads imported from Africa. Named after the ethnic groups in Ghana that produced them, the picture shows examples of Krobo and Ashanti beads.
These beads are made using a process of crushing old bottles and adding a ceramic colorant. The crushed glass is then poured into clay molds and fired in a wood burning mud kiln. In the past, cobalt blue medicine bottles and white cold cream jars were favorite materials used to make these beads. Today, they are made from discarded pop and beer bottles.
The age of these types of beads vary, the ones pictured here may be a few decades old but most of the beads found for sale today are new. By doing a search on the internet for Krobo African beads, you will see many examples and will be able to better educate yourself.
BE AWARE, these are modern African glass beads. They were never traded, at any time, to the native people of this country.
Mother’s Day Find
By
Kim Radke
Years ago when my kids were still very young, my husband asked me what I would like for Mother’s Day. I decided that what I really wanted was a few free hours on that day to hunt arrowheads. And so a tradition began.
Every Mother’s Day, my husband took care of the kids while I walked the fields searching for arrowheads.
This particular Mother’s Day was spectacular. It was a sunny but cool day with a light breeze to blow away the gnats that were just starting to appear. As I started my walk, my thoughts turned to a dear neighbor of ours who had unexpectedly passed away the year before. I had thought of him often that spring while hunting.
This was a man who was born on the family farm that his grandfather had originally bought. He was a lifelong farmer and he had started picking up artifacts as a child while working beside his father. His love of the past was evident whether he was showing off an arrowhead he had found or telling us about the history of the river bottoms we called home.
It wasn’t long on that Sunday morning when I realized that my time was nearly up and I would soon have to head home. I had seen plenty of flint chips and evidence of past fire pits but I had not found one single arrowhead. I couldn’t believe it and I thought to myself, “I am going to get skunked and on Mother’s Day too.”
Feeling somewhat sorry for myself, I started the trek across the field back to my car. My eyes were still searching the ground but I had pretty much given up hope of finding anything before reaching my car.
Suddenly, a voice shouted inside my head, “Turn back, look!” I did as the voice commanded and behind me lying on the ground was a 4 inch full groove axe, fully exposed.
I was stunned. I actually had to command my legs to walk the few steps towards it. As I bent down, reaching for it, I kept repeating in my mind, “Please be intact, please be intact.” Every hunter knows the fear of finding what appears to be a perfect artifact only to discover some major damage.
I picked it up and as I brushed off the dirt I breathed a sigh of relief, it was whole. It had some scuff marks from the disc but only a small amount of ancient damage to the poll. Most importantly, it was mine! I couldn’t believe it; I had gone from being skunked to finding my first axe!
Over the years, I have thought about the voice I heard in my head that day. Logically I suppose it could be explained, perhaps unconsciously I had seen the axe and had spoken to myself. Still, I would prefer to think that an old dear friend was giving me a helping hand that Mother’s Day by whispering in my ear, “Turn back, look.”
