# Largest ever and new type



## zaraspook04 (Jun 6, 2017)

My oldest son found his first ever complete artifact and the largest ever that has been found on the farm. Due to the size, I'm wondering if it is a preform?
I also found what I think to be a type of scraper. This is the first of it's kind found on the farm as well.


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## NCHillbilly (Jun 6, 2017)

Nice finds! The first one looks to be a late-stage preform for something like a Savannah River point. It's pretty much complete except for stemming and sharpening. The second one is indeed a nice scraper.


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## dtala (Jun 6, 2017)

Could be a Cobbs blade, an Early Archaic preform for a Lost Lake Kirk or knife in its own right.


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## Bow Only (Jun 6, 2017)

I don't think it's a Cobbs or a preform, it looks like it was going to be a simple cutting tool like a knife.  Preforms have more work and time involved and you can see where he stopped making one edge.  Looks like he didn't finish it with pressure flaking on one edge only.


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## NCHillbilly (Jun 7, 2017)

Bow Only said:


> I don't think it's a Cobbs or a preform, it looks like it was going to be a simple cutting tool like a knife.  Preforms have more work and time involved and you can see where he stopped making one edge.  Looks like he didn't finish it with pressure flaking on one edge only.



Depends on the stage it's at when you put it down. I probably have a couple dozen preforms that look just like it laying in my knapping pit right now. That one isn't really ready for pressure yet, except that you often use pressure flaking to lower the center line to set up striking platforms to remove flakes from the other side of the piece. In that case, you have short pressure flakes like that taken off instead of long ones like you would do to build and sharpen an edge. 

But, I agree that it's hard to tell without holding it in hand. I also believe that spalls, flakes, and preforms were used for various other purposes sometimes before they were finished into points. Bob Patton has written a good bit in his books about archaeological evidence of Clovis and other Paleo preforms being used as knives and scrapers and choppers and such before finally being worked into a point.


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