# What is this american native artifact worth?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-american-native-artifact-worth/193762>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 8, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-american-native-artifact-worth/193762 "2003-08-08T04:28:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@cw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cw)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-american-native-artifact-worth/193762/1 "2003-08-08T04:28:55Z")

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When I was a kid (about 15 years ago), I found an indian axe head on the shore of a lake in Oklahoma. The corp. of engineers had just hauled in a new load of sand for the beach, in which my artifact was contained, so I don’t know where it came from (more than likely, the Arkansas river here). Any ideas on what a relic like this would be worth and what are the deciding factors? If I took it to a university could they take it from me as a national treasure (I’ve heard this).

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-american-native-artifact-worth/193762/2 "2003-08-08T05:16:45Z")

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Check out the likes of Ebay, and sites like [this one](http://www.rubylane.com/shops/adventurousaardvark/item/AA-1165) for how much such artefacts are being sold off for.

As a WAG, I’d say that your axehead’s archeological value would be diminished due to the fact that it wasn’t sighted _in situ_. A glance at sites of Google seem to point to it being a crime in the US to loot or steal from known archeological sites, not simply pick up something from an isolated position.

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**Author:** ![cw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@cw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cw)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-american-native-artifact-worth/193762/3 "2003-08-08T05:51:40Z")

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hmm, mine looks more like a tomahawk head. More for killing than chopping.

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**Author:** ![Antiquarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Antiquarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antiquarian)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-american-native-artifact-worth/193762/4 "2003-08-08T13:20:47Z")

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Ahh another thread to which I can contribute based soly on my profession!

As an American and an Archaeologist I’ll give you the dope!

A museum would only buy it if it were rare. And as I can not see a pic, I’d say you stumbled across a run of the mill axe head or bludgeoning stone, commonly used in war and as decoration. I doubt anyone would give you more than a few bucks for it. Unless it looked similar to [one of these.](http://www.karamat.com/bison.html) your out of luck. Why don’t you keep it as a nice relic. I have ton’s of nice minerals, stones, relics at my house. They are set in shelves and lit up for display…but then again refer back too my profession…I’m a rock hound.