# Ancient Native American copper-culture spear and axe from Wisconsin



## Plumbata (Jun 1, 2012)

For a decade I have been interested in the "copper-culture" artifacts made ages ago by the natives who once lived in modern day Michigan and Wisconsin. I've collected European weapons and tools dating to the Bronze age for almost half my life, so it is no stretch that I have been watching the market for metal tools/weapons made by Native North Americans. Most good ones go for very respectable amounts of money.

 A while ago I came across an ebay "alternative" and saw these two items priced at obnoxiously low prices. The seller ranted about how evil ebay is, etc. All vibes detected regarding the legitimacy of the items were solid, so I happily paid 140 for both items, including shipping.

 Copper culture artifacts are found regularly by metal detectorists, but artifacts of this quality are exceedingly rare. Previously, I had some nondescript examples of copper tools and projectile points, but after coming across the centerpieces of a lifelong detectorist's estate my collection was markedly improved.

 I'm no expert, but I'd guess that the artifacts are 2,000-4,000 years old.

 They were found in Oconto county, Wisconsin. The glacial float "nugget" on the right I found in a local creek full of glacial till a number of years ago.







 The Axe head weighs 274 grams. The float nugget weighs 272 grams. The Atl-Atl spear-point weighs 48 grams.






 Most copper native axes/celts and spear and arrow points were made with tangs, not sockets.











 If not real, please let me know why. If real, then that is awesome.


----------



## epackage (Jun 2, 2012)

Amazing stuff that would have impressed me if only 3-400 years old, the fact they were able to achieve such great results that long ago boggles the mind. Very nice pieces indeed...

 Please educate me on the term "Float Nugget", is it because it "floated" along with the glacier?


----------



## Plumbata (Jun 2, 2012)

Thanks Jim! I agree that even if a few hundred years old they would be extraordinary. They really demonstrate the general universality of the functionally ideal form of axes/spearheads as seen in entirely separate copper and bronze-age cultures around the world. The vast majority of native copper axe-heads are in the form of celts, and most spear points had tangs, not sockets. The extra effort which went into these pieces is absolutely wonderful. The price paid for both is only about 1/3rd or 4th of the value of the spearhead alone (and the axe is worth far more). Seems too good to be true, but the circumstances surrounding the purchase have convinced me that it was all legit. They came from an estate sale of a hardcore detectorist, and were bought for pennies on the dollar because they were "cool" by a friend of the seller. The friend lost his job and had his seller friend sell for him. Neither seemed knowledgeable of the market at all. 

 One of the reasons I have been so interested in copper artifacts is precisely because they represent an aspect of truly ancient North American native technology rarely encountered/understood by the casual observer. Most people think they never left the stone age, but at least some were firmly "chalcolithic" []

 There is no direct evidence that the natives knew how to smelt and cast copper, but it may have happened. There is evidence of lead smelting, though offhand I am not sure if it is 100% conclusive.

 The manner in which these pieces were formed was very labor intensive. They would heat the raw nuggets they had found loose or mined from primitive pits (evidence of such pits can still be found today) in a fire to 900 degrees or more. Similar to glass, they needed to anneal the copper in order to remove intrinsic zones of stress. They would then hammer it some, but since copper "acts" differently than other metals it often becomes brittle, has negative lamination effects, or will just plain break if deformed excessively without being annealed again to re-orient the structure of the copper atoms. Anyway, each of those pieces went through countless cycles of hammering and annealing.

 Regarding the copper nugget I found in one of my favorite fossil hunting creeks in Peoria, IL (at first i thought it was a chunk of melted green plastic; only one edge was visible), i figure that quoting another resource would best explain the term "float"



> I often get a startled expression from people when I mention drift copper or float copper. They think: "Copper is dense - how can it float or drift? What is it floating or drifting on?" Drift refers to glacial drift, which is any sediment deposited as a direct or indirect result of glaciation. Copper nuggets carried by glaciers and melt water rivers is drift copper. Float is a geological term used to denote any material that has been carried by erosion away from its spot of formation. A slab of rock slides down a hill. It is now float. A glacier carries a rock a hundred miles and drops it as it melts. That rock is now both drift and float, whose source is "up glacier" somewhere. Thus, in our area,"drift copper"and "float copper" refer to the same thing.


 
 The nugget almost undoubtedly was transported by a glacier from present-day michigan/great lakes area. It is shown as a reference to the patina on the artifacts, both of which show dings/damage from use.

 As a sidenote, I will soon be going to the creek with my detector in search of more copper nuggets, and perhaps coins washed down from a 100+ year old city park directly upstream. I have been spending lots of time researching the incidence of gold (and diamonds) in Illinois/Indiana brought down by glaciers, so i may try to find some flakes of gold in the creek with my father's prospecting equipment. It's a long shot, so I'll only be banking on more copper, hehe.


----------



## Plumbata (Jun 2, 2012)

Seems I forgot to add this image:


----------



## AntiqueMeds (Jun 2, 2012)

interesting items. no idea if they are authentic.
 We dont see much aboriginal copper here in the east.
 I saw copper jewelry dug from two burials but thats it. 
 Small lightweight items. Copper items would have been very highly prized by the owners.


----------



## Der RattenfÃƒÂ¤nger (Jun 2, 2012)

Nice items. 

 I'd say the spearpoint is genuine and 'bout 3200 years old imho.
 But I'm not sure with the axe head. Looks a bit odd to me.

 Regards,
 Luca


----------



## Dugout (Jun 2, 2012)

Stephen, it is awesome that you could add these items to your collection. You are very fortunate.


----------



## epackage (Jun 2, 2012)

Thanks for the education Stephen, great stuff


----------



## stumpknocker (Jun 2, 2012)

The rolled edges look typical for the time period. Below is a link to some interesting history of the copper from that area.

 http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/02/lake-superior-mines-old-copper-culture.html  


 Those are very unique pieces. Thanks very much for sharing.


----------



## Plumbata (Jun 2, 2012)

Thanks for the comments people! I am pretty sure they are real though can't be certain, but figured the price was worth the gamble.

 Matt, i think I recall you talking about the dig. You found something like 15,000 beads too, right? I also agree that outside the copper regions, even raw nuggets would have been highly prized. I doubt that a socketed axe or spear would have been carried by just anyone.

 Luca, I have no idea how old the spear is, but I have a bronze age spearhead of almost identical dimensions, and with a similar rolled but un-joined socket which is probably 3,200 years old. Don't have many bronze age items.

 Thanks for the link stumpknocker, it was an interesting read. I don't think I will be investing much time attempting to verify the suggestion that there was a large international copper trade going on 4,000 years ago, but it is an interesting idea. Not as bizarre as a my "Hollow Earth" book which argues that the earth is in fact hollow and UFOs actually originate within the earth, and fly out from portals in the poles. []

 Anyway, the pictures were very helpful; I had not actually seen other native socketed axes which looked so similar to mine:


----------



## stumpknocker (Jun 2, 2012)

> the pictures were very helpful; I had not actually seen other native socketed axes which looked so similar to mine:


 

 I was thinking these looked very similar to the one you posted as well but while Iâ€™m not too convinced about the European Copper connection I think it would be safe to say this area was the main hub for Native American Copper Tools and Ornaments such as yours.


----------



## blobbottlebob (Jun 2, 2012)

Hey Plumb. As you know, Wisconsin has naturally occuring veins of copper ore. These were torn through by glaciers and can turn up in glacial morraines as huge (or small) chunks of pliable green ore. I once found a piece that was over 12 pounds near the Wisconsin Dells. One slight word of caution, the historical pursist types want the state to have the right to keep all Indian artifacts. They believe that these items are historical artifacts and that they do not belong to any one person. Therefore, in theory, these artifacts cannot be found and kept by private persons (other than the state). A law has been passed to that effect. As far as I know, no one yet has ever been proscuted under that law but it is out there . .  .

 Having said all of that, I think your items are super cool and that you definitely got a great deal.


----------

