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Plummet, Pick, Bar, Cone etc Fakes

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  • Plummet, Pick, Bar, Cone etc Fakes

    Some examples of fake and authentic artifacts:
    Plummets, Picks, Bars, Cones, etc.

    Some say these finely designed and manufactured Plummets are part of a Bola set. Bolas use a combination of thongs and weights. This hunting apparatus was used as a weapon to ensnare water fowl or birds. When the weapon is thrown the weighted cords wrap around the legs of the fowl and bring it down. So much for that theory. The majority of plummets have been surface discoveries, but several were found dating from the archaic period in Ohio and Illinois mound excavations.

    Consider how precise these artifacts are made and it seems incomprehensible that they might be merely weights on a hunting apparatus. It also has been suggested they might have served as net sinkers. Too many examples of grooved stone pebbles (that no doubt were net sinkers) have been found near water sites where fish was the main source of food. Perhaps one of the most acceptable theories is suggested by studying the Japanese Samurai. Their costume consisted of a loose garment with a sash or belt for closure. The absence of pockets required a carrier for personal possessions. A small bag with drawstrings with a counterweight ornament (which balanced the bag over the belt) held personal possessions. Some have suggested that the plummet served a similar purpose. So much for more conjecture.

    Bars and other objects like picks, especially the "Intrusive Mound" types still leave us without answers as to their purpose. There are grooved bars and pyramidal cones. Bars (often called "loafstones" for their resemblance to a loaf of bread) have been suggested to be "atlatl" weights. Perhaps they were just that as their flat base would make them ideal for fastening onto the "atlatl" hurler.

    Cones are another enigma. Generally assigned to the Adena and Hopewell cultures, most have been surface finds failing to reveal their application. However the fine workmanship often seen on these artifacts certainly indicates an artifact of importance. Included in this section are Poverty Point type beads, Earspools, and the unique "Lizard" effigy stones. Most don't resemble a lizard, but they are unusual and the majority do not indicate any method of attachment. They more closely resemble an effigy of the snail. Snails were used in ancient healing rites and associated with ceremonies of the deceased.

    There are numerous unusual and strange artifacts of North American prehistory which modern archaeology has yet to assign a purpose or application. Often, we try to identify the application of an implement based upon our current lifestyles. Will our future ancestors understand our present application of the can opener in 2150 or beyond?

    Strange Plummets



    Fig. SPL#1: Seldom are grooved stone plummets made of granite and never the multicolor type granite. This one was probably turned out on a stone lathe, as it does not conform to those of the middle archaic period in America. Sold @ $175-260




    Fig. SPL#2: More plummets have been found of Red Hematite than any other substance. William Waters had hundreds in his collection. This one has been machine polished and is not right. Sold @ $250-275




    Fig. SPL#3: This plummet gives the impression of a blackjack used by officers of the law. The raised ridge on the terminal end is probably someone's idea of an "Elm Point" plummet. It is made of limestone and highly polished. It is totally incorrect. Sold @ $210-250




    Fig. SPL#4: This large gaudy multicolored granite monster has no counterpart in ancient times in America. The Gilcrease type plummet was never manufactured from such substances. Sold @ $300-360




    Fig. SPL#5: Perhaps the strangest replica of all. This machine polished slate object features double rings, broke at the perforation during manufacturing, then even the break was polished and supposedly it was found in that condition. Really? Sold @$300




    Fig. SPL#6: Somebody must have seen a lumpy, crude plummet like this limestone one somewhere, or this ridiculous piece of work would never have surfaced, the only right part is the ring! Sold @ $85-100



    Authentic Prehistoric Plummets, Cones, etc.



    Fig. AP/PC#1: Fine dark quartz symmetrical pyramidal Cone of the Adena culture. It measures 2 1/4" x 1 1/4" and was found in Highland County, Ohio. From the Hothem collection. Value range $100-300




    Fig. AP/PC#2: Not all artifacts are made of stone. This double ring Plummet is from Florida and was made of the internal por-tion of the Giant Whelk shell. Collected by Butts, Nicholson. Value range $150-300




    Fig. AP/PC#3: This wonderful Poverty Point Jasper effigy of a sitting Bird was found at the type site in Louisianna. Originally in a Texas collection, it now resides in Connecticut. Value range $600-1000




    Fig. AP/PC#4: Caddo Earspools of siltstone, the rims measure 3" in diameter and are less than 1/8" in thickness. These fine arti-facts are painted with Yellow Ochre and much color still remains. Walsh, Warring collection. Value range $1500-2500




    Fig. AP/PC#5: The "Intrusive Mound" pick, a ceremonial instrument of a little known culture. This diorite 9 3/4" example is without blemish. From Fairhaven, Preble County, Ohio and collected by Dr.Gordon Meuser in 1937. Steere, Knight, Berner collections. Value range $3500-4500




    Fig. AP/PC#6: Rare Hematite plummet found in Mississippi. The artifact is tapered and featured a dimpled base. It is highly polished and in the J.Neal Brown collection.Value range $500-750




    Fig. AP/PC#7: These effigy stones are often called "Lizards" although they seldom resemble one. Most are more kin to a Snail. This one of blue/gray banded slate was found in Butler County, Ohio and formerly in the McNeal collection, Berner, Dyer collection. Value range $950-1800




    Fig. AP/PC#8: Very unusual, scooped out unlike any boatstone yet highly attractive with the black and white quartz. Found at Tippicanoe, Indiana and formerly Ammerman, Brooks, Shirley, Baggerley collections. Value range $2000-$2500




    Fig. AP/PC#9: Grouping of three fine Adena pyramidal cones of various materials including sandstone, limestone, hematite from the Ohio valley, presently in the Wager collection. Value range $150-300 each




    Fig. AP/PC#10: This is a regional style Plummet, the center grooved type found only in the Ohio valley, 2 1/8" length, multi color serpentine and residing in the Hothem collection. Value range $100-275




    Fig. AP/PC#11: A fine poverty point type Zoomorphic bead found in Choctaw County, Alabama. Speculated to be an effigy of an Alligator and made of quartz, this artifact has experienced some fire damage and is in the David Evans collection.Value range $350-550




    Fig. AP/PC#12: Fine hematite grooved top plummets, left is a teardrop type, right is more Godar like. Both from same site. Value range $150-200 each



    "Used by Permission of the Author” and originally published in American Indian Artifacts; Genuine or Reproduction by Col. John F. Berner. Copyright © 2000 by American Antiquities, Inc.
    Last edited by painshill; 01-27-2016, 02:54 PM.
    I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.
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