It was a good day! 1817 largie, 1827 1/2 Skilling, a beautiful spoon, and odds and ends. The wedge thing is solid copper. My friend thinks it’s native American.

This is a repost blog.

Original posts by u/kriticalj on subreddit r/metaldetecting on Reddit

6 May 2021:It was a good day! 1817 largie, 1827 1/2 Skilling, a beautiful spoon, and odds and ends. The wedge thing is solid copper. My friend thinks it’s native American.

(Click through for image of metal detecting score)

(Editor’s Note: A largie is a ‘large cent’, 11⁄8 inch, 28.57 mm, minted 1793 to 1857.

A ½ skilling coin is a Swedish or Norwegian coin. Skilling is cognate to British shilling)

7 May 2021: Showed this to my friend who has an anthropology degree and they said they are 99.9% sure it’s a native American kelt ax head! I’m going to take it to the local university for confirmation next week. If it is then it’s the find of a lifetime!

Trashthegoondocks: What’s a kelt ax head? (Age, use, etc.)

Kriticalj: It’s a style of ax like this. Dates vary widely. Could be as old as a few thousand years from what I have learned. The native American peoples of Michigan and North Carolina mined native copper for weapons and trinkets, and traded to others as far south as Texas to as far east as New York and Pennsylvania.

World_Renowned_Guy: Most people don’t know that copper production was discovered in America long before the rest of the world. However, most tribes had lost the knowledge to smelt and ceased.

Kriticalj: It was over 10,000 years ago! I learned that the copper was so pure they could just hammer and heat it. One of the reasons I love this hobby…. I’m always learning something new!

Tunasquish: Such a find! Where was it discovered?

Kriticalj: Hudson valley NY

21 May 2021 UPDATE ON THE AX HEAD!!!!! I emailed the curator of archiology at the New York state museum and he says, “It is almost a certanty that you found a copper tool made by native Americans.” HOLY SHITE!!!!

(Click through for screenshot of curator’s opinion)

Explosivemilk: Old Copper Complex The grooves in it is called worming and dates it to probably between 10-15,000 years old. I have an old knife from the Michigan’s upper peninsula.

[deleted]: Why not give it to the Native American people, if they still live there? If they were moved out to a reservation, maybe they aren’t. I imagine someone telling his kids that his people made axes from metal, and that being important for them to know. I don’t mean to be the asshat for suggesting it, and I’m sorry if it offends others or gets me banned. I am honestly wondering.

Kriticalj: No worries, I’m not offended. Believe it or not but I have native ancestors that were in my area so it’s worked it’s way full circle in a way. I’m about 25% native American, Cherokee and Algonquian.

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