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Authenticating Obsidian? ....Bad Idea?

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  • Authenticating Obsidian? ....Bad Idea?

    If i was to start collecting Obsidian?..Would that be a bad road to go down?.Its harder to detect patina?..The flaking looks modern?...Sure is pretty.

  • #2
    There is patina on Obsidian, it look s like milk wash. This shows up if point has been exposed to air for an extened period of time.
      Jack

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    • #3
      Nice Pictures as always Jack.How many of them are Texas?...And if it was dug? how bout the water and dirt?..Or before it comes to surface..

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      • #4
        These were all found in Southern Oregon around Klamath Falls. They were picked up around the lake when the water was down.

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        • #5
          So many come from there..I bet 90% of all out there comes from the great basin area unh?.I do wonder what percentage of that 90% isnt authentic.Its easily faked unh?

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          • #6
            Obsidian is dense volcanic glass, usually rhyolite in composition and typically black in color. Compared with window glass, obsidian is rich in iron and magnesium; tiny (

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            • #7
              Pretty amazing some of the places obsidian turns up..Some trade going on there.

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              • #8
                I would say that most artifacts are easily faked, but that is where education comes in handy. Its like my dad said its easy to fool a novice, but its hard to fool a pro. You got to be careful.

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                • #9
                  There was an obsidian point found at the Gault Site in Texas. The testing on it showed it had come out of Mexico. Very few obsidian pcs have been found in Texas.
                  The Gault site, midway between Georgetown and Ft. Hood in central Texas, has a long history of archeological investigation as well as uncontrolled artifact digging. Located in a small wooded valley with a spring-fed creek and an unlimited supply of excellent flint, the site was occupied intensively during all major periods of the prehistoric era. James E. Pearce, the first professional archeologist in Texas, learned of the Gault Farm site and excavated there in 1929-1930. Over the next 60 years, artifact collectors churned up the upper deposits over almost the entire site, but stopped digging when the dark rich midden soil played out. In 1990, an artifact collector dug deeper and found Clovis artifacts along with several unusual incised stones, something never before found with Clovis materials. Learning of the find, Drs. Thomas R. Hester and Michael B. Collins of the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory carried out testing at Gault in 1991, just enough to confirm the collector's story. But the property owner at the time continued to let pay-to-dig artifact collectors destroy the site.
                  Fortunately for archeology, the property changed hands and the new owners recognized the scientific importance of the site. Since 1998 a major excavation project has been underway at Gault, led by Collins. The work has been carried out by a cast of hundreds of individuals representing dozens of organizations. A relatively small core of professional staff works with university field schools from Texas A&M, UT Austin, and Brigham Young University as well as volunteers from near and far including many members of the Texas Archeological Society.
                  The Gault site is attracting national and international attention because of the wealth of new information on Clovis culture that is emerging from right here in the heart of Texas. In Clovis Reconsidered you will learn about the unfolding interpretations of what Clovis life was like 13,000 years ago at the Gault site and how these ideas are helping to mold a dramatically new view of the peopling of the Americas. You can also look through the TAS Field School Gallery for pictures of the 2001 Field School and TAS members taking part in the exciting investigations at Gault.

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                  • #10
                    Very true for sure.Seems like some of the places obsidian has turned up should tell us that other materials the same mmmmm!.

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                    • #11
                      Wow pretty interesting..Those pay digs?..cost alot...I wonder how far in to mexico or the closet volcano to the gault site is in miles..

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                      • #12
                        There are a handfull of pay digs in Texas. They are around $75.00 to $150.00 per day.

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                        • #13
                          And you mention the destroying of sites.So true i know stories..

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                          • #14
                            The Black Water Draw Site outside of Clovis New Mexico?..I hung out there some as i lived thirty minutes away for twenty years..Pretty mind blowing there.Uncovering mammoths along with Paleo artifacts..Craaaazy.

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                            • #15
                              Ironically enough about 8 miles from the farm here in Ohio they recovered a mammoth in a swampy area. It was 1968 when it was found (I would have been 2) but never heard if artifacts were found with the remains or not. Obsidian is a tough sell for me too, it just has a "to new" look to me. I have purchased some Obsidian points from Lake Co. Oregon that the seller guaranteed and there is an obvious difference in the material compared to modern knapped pieces. But do not know if I would be comfortable purchasing anything out of Obsidian on the fly. JMO have a great new year guys Bill

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