What species of Collector are you???

[tomclark]

What kind of collector are you?  Do you collect only personal finds?  Specialize in hardstone or beads or certain types of points or tools or time period?  Do you collect only local or state/regional types?? Do you continue to hunt?
As for me, I only collect personal finds and I have come to appreciate and specialize in local, very local, shell artifacts around Tampa Bay.  I'm looking at the ground every day if I can.
Happy Freekin Hunting! :woohoo:  :woohoo: 

[shartis]

I like seeing other peoples collections but all my collection are personal finds. All from around York and Chester S.C.

[Neanderthal]

My tastes have changed over the years.  Honestly, I love anything that I can learn from. It's all about the education; although, I've always had a soft spot for pottery.  It's rare that I find a piece of flint that interests me anymore.

[gregszybala]

Good topic Tom, At this time and still being fairly new to this, local personal finds. My place is hear and now, so am extremely interested in what was here before me. That may change or become more refined if I find that my interest change or move to Wyoming or Arizona!

[rmartin]

My collection has changed over the years. It started as personal finds only. Then, I was antique dealer for 15 years so I started buying and selling out of little antique malls. Wound up keeping a nice large frame of Clovis, dalton. Beaver Lake, a bunch of pottery, etc. As my personal find collection grew, my purchased ones diminished. Now I have three pieces of flint(Gifts) and five pieces of pottery.

[turkeytail]

Like Ray Ive dealt in antiques for 30 years, guns, coins, baseball cards, knives, vintage fishing lures, pottery and high end glass. Still have two showcases. I started collecting artifacts as only personal finds...Very few and all broken the 1st couple years. Bought my 1st frame!! Figured out a year or two later they were all fake. :angry: Then started to study and learn. I started buying a few from Larry Garvin (Back to Earth) then more...Went nuts starting about 2002. In 2008 the company I worked for went under so I put a couple frames in the antique shop. NEVER sold a point before that. Bought several collections in 2009, around 2500 artifacts. I keep the ones I like and sell off the rest. Dont make much money but I get some nice pieces for basically free by selling the rest. I know that rubs some people the wrong way but oh-well. I dont live in a artifact rich area like Missouri, Tennessee or Florida. The finds I posted today are junk to most of you guys but it was the best day we have ever had! Our personal finds are special to us and kept in different frames from every different site. I LOVE TURKEYTAILS but I will probably never find one...So I buy them. All of the "I collect only personal find" guys should move up here! BTW...never have nor ever will EVER sell a personal find. And Tom! I could care less for shell artifacts until I found one this year! I posted on 3 sites that you are on because I value your opinion over any others when it comes to them....Thanks for your input!!!!!

[CMD]

I've always enjoyed hunting for artifacts and 90% of my collection are personal finds by my wife or myself. Beginning in the early 90's I began to supplement our collection by buying local(RI) and regional(southern New England) artifacts. I bought stuff I felt I only had a snowball's chance in Hades of ever finding myself. I do like paleo, and so I have a few fluted points from around the country.  And, of course, some of those turned out to be fake    Nowadays, I very seldom buy stuff.  Like Mark, I can't imagine selling or breaking up our personal finds. Those are the only artifacts we have that carry any real emotional attachment and those are the ones that elicit fond memories.  Anything I bought will eventually be sold, and since time marches on, I need to start doing just that. Good thread, Tom.

[south fork]

90% of my collection are personal finds mostly California and Great Basin . I have two e-bay cases one from Ohio and one from the Columbia river basin. And I'm off to hunt a new spot today.