Do You Know The Difference?

by Steven R. Cooper, EIC

Any collector of the Paleo period is well aware of the problem with reproductions. Walk into any show and there is an abundance of Paleo points on display as well as being offered for sale. Many of these points command high prices. The high prices are due to the rarity of these points. I discussed this in depth several years ago in my article The meaning of the word rare, the Paleo connection (CSAJ Volume 53:4 Pg 197).

Most dealers and collectors don’t sell reproductions on purpose. Many times these reproductions have been studied with the belief that they are real. Once modern characteristics are deemed to be ancient, the collector will be fooled over and over by the reproduction.

I was told once by a knowledgeable collector that when he first acquired a microscope he examined every piece in his collection over and over. After a few weeks he was baffled, as he didn’t know what to look for. Then he went out and bought some reproductions and everything changed! Once you compare the real with the not real it’s easy to discover what to look for. It would help every collector to own some known fraudulent artifacts so they can examine the difference.

Most modern flint knappers do so because they enjoy the skill and the art form. But there are a few whose sole purpose is to fool and enrich themselves. They study what they desire to reproduce, create it and then apply an artificial-patina to their work. I examined a piece of pottery at a recent show that was being sold in the parking lot as a reproduction. Owning a very similar real piece, I was shocked at how good the reproduction was. I asked the seller how the paint was given an aged look. He readily replied “sandblasting.” Real ancient pottery is aged by weather and time.

Knowledge is power, and once you gain it, your collecting experience will never again be troubled with doubt, worry or insecurity.

Caption under image:
**At top: Two fine Cumberland style points that were recently photographed by author. The owner was especially proud of them. He mentioned that he had been offered more than a thousand dollars for one of them. This he found especially interesting since he informed the potential buyer that neither of these points were older than a few months and that he had made them! The buyer didn’t mind and still wanted to purchase. Wisely, the owner/knapper retained them and didn’t allow them into the marketplace. The larger point is nearly four inches. The author recently attended a show where a dealer was offering excellent reproduction Clovis style points for $40, three for $100. Some said that with a little effort these points could be turned into multi-thousand dollar specimens. Paleo points are the most highly reproduced points, and if you are acquiring one for your collection great care should be taken. It is interesting to note that a collector who is a friend of the maker of these two reproductions pointed out that 10,000 years from now these two reproductions will be 10,000 years old! They will be old then, but they still won’t be real.

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