Expert: Ralph Salier - 9/12/2011

Question
I had these 4 arrowheads given to me and i no nothing about the how old where thy mite be from and if thy are worth much i hope you can shed some lite on them thank you....Rick

Answer
Hi Rick,

Point identification is in part based on where  they were found and the age of  the site.  Similar looking points can be found in many places.  Take the first one for instance.  This could be a Bulverde from Northern Texas with an age of some 2000 years old, or it could be a Delhi from North Western Alabama into Tennessee and about the same age or it could be a Seneca from the Northeast but only some 1000 years old.

The next one over may be called a Kent.  These come from Coastal Texas and may be about 1000 years old or, it could be from the North Central region of the US (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana) and between 700 and 1500 years old. Or it could be a Fargo from the Dakotas and 2000 years old

So, as you can tell, with out a lot more information, I'd be guessing as to which one it could be.  Does this mean  that the cultures moved around, that is hard to say with out knowing a lot more about the other materials found with them.  But one an arrow head is out of its context all of that other valuable information is lost.   An artifact with out its context is lost to science and carries very little scientific value as a result.  As an object, it may carry black market value but since we don't know where they are from, even to a collector, they have limited value.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.  I recommend that you place them in a "riker box" and display them.

Ralph