a few pics of some of my artifacts

[jcinpc]

though not lapidary related this is my first passion, this is what eventually steered me towrds  cabbing. With over 25 years of digging and diving for artifacts and fossils here in Florida I had run across tons of rocks sources and  slowly through the years started bringing rocks home and one day looking out  back wondered what do I do with 8 tons of coral and chert so I started selling it ot the flintknappers and then found out you could make jewelry out of this stuff so I went in that direction and it hasnt stopped yet.
I love my coral so much that on August 23rd 2007 I cut my daughters umbilical cord with a coral knife mounted on a antler handle. It is now framed with her piece of cord and it still has her blood on it. The Doc was amazed

I also dig 1800`s bottle dumps and have 1000`s of bottles packed away and these were the only pics I had on the computer.











These are just a few pics of what i have, this is all I had on photobucket. I have 1000`s of artifacts, tools etc.

[Taogem]

An amazing buch of pics !!

All are really cool to look at, but one really caught my eye. Not sure if it was part of a tool or maybe the hole and groove could indicate some kind of art related piece. Maybe even an ornament/jewelry of some kind.

[jcinpc]

that is from the cannon leg bone of the deer, the front leg. they made the bone pins from this leg bone, the scored this piece and then they would cut in half lenght ways and the quarter those pieces and sharpen the ends.  This was a cool find because it shows the use of it.

[Mark]

Wow Jeff!  You got a great start on a museum.  I am especially surprised that you found a baby down there too.  Must be a Mermaid baby.  A real cutie.  Is that a pic later of him all grown up?

Mark

[bigdogpc]

Great looking stuff!

[hulagrub]

Jeff you are having too much fun!

[DonniesTreasures]

Wow!    That is a bunch of neat stuff!  You look quite at home in the dirt!  I threw some of your stuff in the tumbler last night, finally!  It's going to be awhile before it's done though.

[thewrightthings]

Jeff, what a marvelous collection.  Especially like the arrowheads.  My grandfather had a monster collection that ended up in museums around the country.  I only got about 8, but treasure them.  Thanks for letting us see your finds.

[jcinpc]

I would rather beat all this with a hammer before I left anything to a museum.

[thewrightthings]

I would rather beat all this with a hammer before I left anything to a museum.

Just curious as to why.

[Enchantra]

My favorite pic is the one showing all the huge agate nodules - or is that coral nodules?  Either way they're gorgeous!

[jcinpc]

I would rather beat all this with a hammer before I left anything to a museum.

Just curious as to why.

I have personally seen one museum on the west coast of Florida have a sale, OF ARTIFACTS, that were donated to them, they didnt need said artifacts but needed money. Same with USF, I was visiting my archeaology freind at his office there and he just got back in and showed me a big box full of tool, fossils and arrowheads and even 2 hardstone celts, which are kind of rare here in Floirda as its not  material from here. This was a mans collection that he told his wife upon his death he wanted the items donated to the Univeristy, they didnt want nor need it so they threw it in the dumpster, my freind rescued it to use as a hands on for the kids that come through  there. Another museum, on the west coast couth of me was tyring to sale a few acres that was donated to them that has a 1 acre BURIAL MOUND on it, it was estimated to contain over 200 burials.

THey need the money not the property anymore. Half the stuff in museums are reproductions anyways. I do more good with my collection every year than any museum. I go to the annual Great American Teach-In here in town and do a presentation on Native Florida history and it has now expaneded to rocks and lapidary etc. I bring my Arch. freind and he has a power point presentation along with my real artifacts.

Heres another one I hate, the SMithsonian gave back artifacts that were in their collection

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/13/MN0O1ET3EI.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0xFeTJ6PW

[thewrightthings]

Jeff, so now I understand why you said that.  I'd be upset by that, as well.  Could be that happened to my grandfathers arrowheads, as well. 
It's nice to know that you are doing good in using yours for educational experiences.  History is precious and there is no excuse for throwing it away.
And, if someone gives something to a museum, they should at least offer it back to his or her family before selling it.

[Enchantra]

Heres another one I hate, the SMithsonian gave back artifacts that were in their collection

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/13/MN0O1ET3EI.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0xFeTJ6PW

Well at least they gave them back to the people they originally came from instead of tossing them into a dumpster.  At least they will get used in some form instead of rotting in a landfill and will go toward educating the children of the tribe and be used again.  I could think of far worse things that could happen to those artifacts.

[tasart55]

Great collection!!! Hundreds of hours I bet, lots of blisters, mosquitoes, twisted ankles, cuts, scrapes and probably worse, all for a passion that the government and some museum want to curb....how are the children of the future ever going to love archeology or anthropology if the powers to be make laws preventing the common folk from picking up or digging for artifacts? I can see destruction of sites being a NO-NO but regular digging or picking up of fossils or artifacts, c'mon...Great to see your enthusiasm for this Jeff and the fact you share it with children to get their juices fowing and off their bums messing with computer games, this is great stuff, thanks Jeff!