Established in 1998
Message from the President.
Message from the Editor.
Sweet Thang.
Arrowhead Forums.
How Re-Sharpening Affects a Knife’s Appearance.
Message from the President
Fellow AACA Members,
I would like to personally invite you all to the largest authentic ancient Indian artifact weekend in the world- EXPO 06, being held July 14, 15, and 16 in Ft. Mitchell Kentucky. EXPO06 display and sales tables are nearly sold out at this time and more tables will be added, numbering well over 150 tables of ancient artifacts.
The AACA standards are upheld diligently during this show and all rules apply to all transactions. All displayers and sellers are AACA members and all relics are scrutinized and all questionable material is removed. Table holders are asked to leave any questionable material at home, so the Expo will be for one weekend the ultimate ancient artifact show with displays from all over the United States and also the rest of the world.
The Drawbridge Inn resort is an excellent place to stay while viewing lots of relics. There are two pools, a workout room, weight room, several restaurants, two bars and several thousand wild and crazy artifact collectors, all fellow AACA members, that promise to make this a weekend to remember. This is an excellent vacation weekend for the entire family.
Beginning on Friday night after setup, the Preview Party is wine, cheese and ancient artifacts, all with a great live band and many AACA members. There is a cash bar and the evening is always a good icebreaker for new friends and relics.
On Saturday morning, the main show opens at 8 am with raffles, door prizes, microscopes and artifacts galore for discriminating collectors. Several speakers are scheduled for interesting seminars open to Expo attendees for a unique learning experience. Many AACA collectors will be displaying their collections, vying for awards in many categories of collecting. Some of the largest and some of the smallest dealers from across the country will be offering ancient artifacts for sale. Buyers can take artifacts to their friends or to one of several authenticators in attendance for help in determining authenticity. All artifact sales carry a 14 day minimum refund guarantee at the Expo.
On Saturday night there is a Cocktail Party with another live band playing that great music we all love, a cash bar, and lots of artifact discussions sandwiched in with a little card playing and dancing with our wives. (We have to keep the wives happy, men). This event is always a lot of fun for everyone.
By Sunday morning a very laid back crowd of AACA collectors are all ready for even more relic deals and a few more learning seminars, including an atlatl demonstration by Gary Fogelman.
Awards are given for displays and our honorees for Lifetime Achievement, Volunteer and Founder’s award are highlighted in an awards ceremony. There are raffle drawings held both days with prizes of books, artifacts, t-shirts, hats and authentications donated by AACA members.
Any member wishing to donate raffle items, please contact me. All donations are recognized and appreciated.
By Sunday at 4 pm, the crowd has thinned, the relics packed up and your President and his cold beverage will be reviewing the Expo with your Board to critique it while it is fresh in our minds. A hush will fall over the large well-lit hall for the first time all weekend -a weekend of ancient relics, friendships and fun- EXPO 06.
If I can be of any assistance to you in regards to the Expo, please contact me at
I hope to see you there!
Cliff Jackson
AACA President
Message from the Editor
Greetings AACA Members,
As Editor of the AACA newsletter, I am striving to provide you, the reader with articles that you will find interesting, informative and educational. For your reading pleasure, this issue contains a wonderful personal find story written by Thorton ‘Gomer’ Pyles. We also have a review of a website dedicated to the artifact collector/hunter. If you love the beauty of NW artifacts, John Logan of nw_artifacts has put together a short lesson on typology.
I am always looking for AACA members who would like to contribute articles for the newsletter. Please feel free to contact me with ideas, suggestions or comments on how to make the newsletter better.
Kim Radke
Sweet Thang
By
Thorton ‘Gomer’ Pyles
Anyone who has looked for artifacts at any length will luck upon a particular area that will be nicer to them than other spot and usually becomes known as their “honey hole” or “secret spot”. My dad and I found our first favorite spot together on a very dreary, cold day. This spot has the same look and size of many other people’s secret spots that I have read about, mainly on a creek close to a river. It is a finger of land about 70 feet long and 30 feet wide.
On that first day we had walked and looked the whole area with not as much as a chip of flint showing. When we got to the end of the finger I was hollering as usual “Let’s get out of here. I hate this place.” Just as we turned to go my dad looked down to find a beautiful needle tipped point just lying flat out in plain sight. I turned and began to dissect the ground, gravel by gravel, inch by inch. Finally, I located a small but whole, serrated Palmer point. I felt relieved.
In my early days of hunting I was a very greedy and selfish person. I was under the very mistaken assumption I should find everything and the very best, and to a certain degree dictate what other people would find. My dad always upset the apple cart by finding the best and seemingly whenever he wanted. Those arrowheads were all we found that day.
However, I remembered this seemingly barren piece of land and later in the summer with my wife, daughter and son we paid a return visit to this spot. It was very late in the evening, but I managed to find 3 more serrated Palmer points, complete and larger in size than the first point found on the previous trip. This site was moving up on my most desirable place to go list.
In the following fall, October 10 1981, Dad, Mom and my 6 year old son came once again to this site. Conditions were ideal, heavy rain the night before, cloudy and overcast day, cold enough to keep most people away and no footprints. My Mom loves to hunt but seldom gets to go because she is semi-crippled. We usually get into places too rough for her but this open area was ideal for her. On the site, we walked the side sloping towards the river. I was on the top edge, my Mother was in the middle and my Dad was along the water’s edge. My son was running wildly like a dog that had just been let out of a cage. So the hunt began.
Just as we assumed the position (back bent, butt high and head to the ground) my Mother started squealing like a wild pig. She had just found the first point. The excitement instantly struck, fast heart beat, sweaty palms and centralized focus on one thing and one thing only. Suddenly I had one, a nice one, and then BANG, Mother had another and another! The walking pace quickly increased. It was a race. It was a back bent, butt high, head to the ground race. What a sight! I hollered, “Slow Mom down and I will slow down but I am hanging with her like fleas on a dog.” Things can be viscious even with family.
The count now was Mom (5), 6 year old son running just anywhere (3), Dad (0) and me (3). That was it. Any man would have broken. Dad took off running ahead as if he had stepped on a yellar jacket hole. Twenty feet ahead he stopped, bent over and immediately held up a nice point as if to say, “Here’s mud in your eye!” By the time we got to the end of the bank we had close to a total of 20 whole points. Dad had pretty much caught up with us on total points found. As quickly as it had begun the excitement waned, the dust settled, calmness returned and order was restored. As we turned and looked back down the bank we had just covered we knew the easy ones were gone. Now it was time for every man and woman to be on their own to find the hiders.
We traded places on the bank, me on the bottom in place of Dad, Mom at the top and Dad in the middle. We slowly made our way back. Just as we got to the middle of the twenty feet Dad had sprinted through, my Mom said something to me. I raised my head towards her. All of a sudden a vision of some object coming to a point materialized in my mind. Without answering Mom, my eyes went back to the ground. There she was “Sweet Thang” laying in all her natural beauty, nothing hid, flat out in full view. I began to do some pig squealing myself. There on either side of “Sweet Thang” were my Dad’s footprints where he had hurdled right across her in his burst of speed.
Mom and Dad came over to see what was wrong and as we stood around “Sweet Thang” with me still ooing and aahing it became evident they did not see what I did. Being made of unusual stone, it was completely camouflaged. Still, the point lay completely uncovered. Suddenly, through my legs a small arm reached and grabbed “Sweet Thang” with me in hot pursuit, pleading for my son to stop. This was the biggest blade, we as a family; had found up until that time. My son had no problem seeing it and since it seemed that none of us were interested in picking it up, he immediately laid claim to it.
Needless to say my Dad was devastated for several days. Luckily, he still had his share of 25 total points. “Sweet Thang” was part of the family and we had our first bona fide, proven honey hole to be visited again and again.
Arrowhead Forums
by
Kim Radke
As an artifact collector and surface hunter, I am always looking for resources where I can learn more about my hobby, view other’s collections or simply discuss points. I have found a website where I can do all of these things. Arrowhead Forums is a site dedicated to the artifact collector/hunter.
Recently I had the chance to chat with Tommy Estes of Mississippi. He is an AACA member and the editor of the Magnolia State Archaeology Society. Tommy has also been the co-administrator of Arrowhead Forums for the past 2 years. It’s a site he describes as having a fun, friendly atmosphere where members can meet other collectors to discuss their artifacts and show off their collections. Tommy says, “Sometimes we do get off topic and just talk about everyday life and funny stuff in general. It’s a great place to come and forget about the rest of the world and relax. Our motto is A Friendly Discussion Board Where the Only Dumb Question Is the One Not Asked.”
Tommy believes that one thing that attracts people to the site is that there are many artifact hunters on the board versus people who only collect. He states, “It’s great to check the board after a long weekend and see what everyone else has found.”
With over 400 members having made nearly 45,000 posts, there is something for everyone at Arrowhead Forums. Besides discussions about artifacts there are sections devoted to other topics. Tommy mentions a special section on the forum dedicated strictly to artifact fraud and scams. Another section features stolen artifacts and there AF members can ask for help in recovering their lost collections.
Tommy states that Arrowhead Forums is a family friendly and highly moderated board. “In the two years that I have been an administrator, I can recall only a few instances where the discussions got out of hand or ugly.” There is even a special section for just such discussions. Any time a topic gets out of control, it is moved to that section.
Some of the members that read the forum and post there are familiar names in the artifact collecting community. Authenticators can often be seen posting along with professional lithic restoration artists such as Thorton ‘Gomer’ Pyles. In the past, Alex Pryzgoda had started a thread called:
Q&A Ask an Authenticator, where members were encouraged to post their questions about artifacts and Alex answered them.
Arrowheads Forums is a great place to meet other artifact hunters and collectors from across the country. Fantastic personal finds are always available for viewing and questions are not only welcomed but are encouraged. Tommy invites others to stop in for a visit, the only thing required to join is a valid e-mail address.
A sample of personal finds posted on Arrowhead Forums
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How Re-Sharpening Affects a Point or Knife’s Appearance.
By
John Logan
Several factors influence the appearance of all point and knife types found, such as time period, location or region of manufacture, technology and lithic material used in manufacture, whether the point has had an impact fracture and the amount of re-sharpening.
Most knives or points found are somewhere between the mid-stage re-sharpening and the discard status. A first stage piece, one with no re-sharpening, to an early stage piece, one with 3 or less re-sharpenings, is a rare find.
Mid-stage to late stage pieces are the most commonly found. Discard status pieces can at times bear little resemblance to the original first stage pieces they came from.
Since points and knives were re-sharpened while hafted in a shaft, handle or with sinew or rawhide wrapped around the base, the basal configuration of a point or knife is an important feature that can be used to determine typology.
Pictured below are 5 types of Northwest point and knife types in various stages of manufacture.
L-R 1st stage Eastgate, early stage Eastgate, mid-stage, late stage and near discard status example. Note the gradual formation of the graceful squared
wings as these pieces were re-sharpened
L-R 1st stage, mid-stage, later stage Desert Sierra, near discard status Desert Delta and worn out Desert Sierra.
L-R Two very early stage Rose Springs arrowheads two mid-stage examples and one at or near discard status.
L-R Very early stage Mule Ear knife, note how the re-sharpening has affected the symmetry of the right side. Near discard status Mule Ear.
L-R Mid-stage Plateau Pentagonal knife, later stage example and one most likely at discard status.
