Artifact grading/ authentication

[Justlookdown]

Hey all! I have a decent collection of points and other stone tools gifted to meand ones I have found my self while working in the southeast. My question is, what is the benifit of getting things graded/ authentiated. Does it really add much to a value if i was to sell any of the points?

[Hoss]

I would not do it with the ones you found. The ones gifted were probably not meant for you to sell. It was a gift. Cherrish the gift. Other than that it depeneds on who does the paper, what type point and the condition of said artifacts. Some so called authenticators are very good at what they do and have integrity. Then there are others who lack integrity and their paper will make your finds lose value. Its a slippery slope .

[Justlookdown]

Thank you for the response. I do have a decent collection of what I have found and others. I mainly collect groundstone so I was considering grading and selling a couple personal finds to help grow the collection I am more interested in. Mainly a fossilized croal simpson from a basement and a pretty nice petrified palm hardee found digging for a pool. So are points like that worth grading if i was to try to resale them? I definitely have my personal collection that I will keep for ever and cherish as well.

[Jethro355]

I’d listen to Hoss.

he knows.

[Lone Star]

That is a fair question.
If you find or purchase any artifact, and if it's above field grade, it may be worth getting a COA.
Not only does a COA provide proof to what it is, many times a grade is also issued to the artifact.

Now that being said, they aren't free. You need to send it to an authenticator, pay him for his service, and cover the cost of shipping it there and back to you. The average cost to COA a flint or chert point is $25- $ 30. per item. Authenticator prices vary with their specialty. Sometimes there is a quantity discount.

To get it there Priority mail with tracking is $10.75 each way. That comes only with only $100. of postal insurance, in case of loss.
So, unless your item is worth over $140 or so ,it's not worth it.

A COA can bring you a return on the investment in many cases. However it's only worth what someone else is willing to pay. I papered a Saint Mary's Hall I found at a screen (GT's Hogeye Site) dig and got $2500. for it when I decided to sell. I've also bought points for under $75, that came with a COA, because no one was willing to pay more.

I recently sent out 10 of my higher end points that I actually dug or found at screen digs to a well known authenticator. I included Priority Mail postage both ways as well as $200. cash for the ten COA's . The package was stolen by someone after it was mailed back to me. It was never scanned by the post office. That was over two months ago. They are gone forever along with the money I spent. All I will get back from the USPS is $100. for a loss of thousands, plus the cost of many digs spent trying to find good points.