Thunderbird or Eagle flint effigy???

[raincrowe]

Over the holidays I found and bought a small bird flint Indian effigy in a antique store.... this was supposed to have been found in Ohio
This item was bought in 1987 with a collection of arrowheads from an Ohio collector according to the store owner..The effigy looks to be old and authentic.... Although there is some that claim they really don't exist....others say they are all fakes...some are found but very few are orginal
I have seen some pictures of ones found but none look identical to the one I have but close...When trying to research the item on the internet
it's all over the page....
1) If none exist then why copy them at all?
2) Native American culture placed high importance on the Eagle & Thunderbird
I bought a knife made by a Cherokee knife maker signed with silver feather & Pappy 97...(1997) the handle was horn and shaped like an eagle...
The knife that he made looked to be a ceremomial piece I would like to find more information if available!!
His information is with another thread
https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... hp?t=62328

[kris_kross]

your thunderbird is a fake/"fantasy" piece. There have been loads of fake Indian artifacts made over the years. My dad used to deal in artifacts and he knew guys that knapped flint and would make spear points, arrowheads, etc. In addition this stuff was also made in other countries and imported into the US. He had a friend with an import/export business who used to get shipping crates full of "native American" pipes, banner stones, spear points, etc. He knew another guy who would bury this stuff in the ground, soak it in coffee, microwave it, leave it out in the sun and rain, etc. to "age" it into looking more authentic. There are probably many more fakes out there than authentic pieces but I've seen plenty of authentic stuff also.

[Gunsil]

I agree with Kris, fake/fantasy item. Why do people make them? Simply to remove money from the wallets of the unaware.

[raincrowe]

I agree with Kris, fake/fantasy item. Why do people make them? Simply to remove money from the wallets of the unaware.

If that is true.... then how could anyone tell the orginal stuff from the fake ones?

[raincrowe]

your thunderbird is a fake/"fantasy" piece. There have been loads of fake Indian artifacts made over the years. My dad used to deal in artifacts and he knew guys that knapped flint and would make spear points, arrowheads, etc. In addition this stuff was also made in other countries and imported into the US. He had a friend with an import/export business who used to get shipping crates full of "native American" pipes, banner stones, spear points, etc. He knew another guy who would bury this stuff in the ground, soak it in coffee, microwave it, leave it out in the sun and rain, etc. to "age" it into looking more authentic. There are probably many more fakes out there than authentic pieces but I've seen plenty of authentic stuff also.

You claim you can tell when a piece is authentic and have seen plenty of the pieces?...What is the criteria used in when making this decision?
For intstance on the eagle piece.... what (signs) gives it away to make an instant decision?...I would like to learn some of the points to look for!!
I would like to thank you for the information and would like to learn to identify using this technique; so I don't make such a costly mistake again

[ea42]

Raincrowe this is pretty informative with some good references at the end:

https://relicrecord.com/blog/authentica ... rrowheads/

A couple more:


https://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/inf ... o-look-for



https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Pro ... -Artifacts

Eric

[Rockingkj]

I really like the poured pewter bolster knife. Pouring to fill that feather is not easy. Nicely made.

[raincrowe]

Raincrowe this is pretty informative with some good references at the end:

https://relicrecord.com/blog/authentica ... rrowheads/

A couple more:


https://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/inf ... o-look-for



https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Pro ... -Artifacts

Eric

Thanks Great information...One should be cautious,use common sense,and research more!!

[raincrowe]

I really like the poured pewter bolster knife. Pouring to fill that feather is not easy. Nicely made.

Thanks... I was trying to determine if the feather was silver (magnet won't stick) but pewter does seem likely!!