Indian Relics – Daryle Lambert’s Antique and Collectibles Blog – Where to find them.

Beautiful Indian Banner Stone

When I was a little boy, my uncle Billy took me to a shed on his farm and showed me a large tin can full of arrowheads and asked if I would like to have them. You should have seen my eyes as I assured him that I would.

It seems that a large contingent of Indians gathered at the side of the Ohio River near my uncle’s farm and their relics got buried there. He had collected arrowheads, pipes, axes and flagstones over many years. These relics would come to the surface when the fields were plowed and they would be picked up and put in tin cans. There are still places today where you can go and have an excellent chance of finding something.

Joshua, my 11 year old son, traveled with me to see another aunt and uncle, not the same uncle I mentioned before. They live in the same neighborhood where I had hunted for relics in my childhood so I asked Joshua if he would like to travel a few miles to see if we could be successful and find a real relic. He got a very large smile and said "sure", so off we went.

But before we left it was important to be prepared, so we went and found two tobacco sticks to dig in the ground with. With these sticks, we hoped to turn the ground and uncover a real Indian relic. After several hours of searching, we still hadn’t found a single arrowhead but what a great time we had spent together. There were old bottles, cans and even a few jars but nothing to take home. I was so hoping to find something on our treasure hunt but it wasn’t to be. I show Joshua arrowheads at every show or house sale we attend but most of them are fake and the only way I could guarantee that they were real was if we found them ourselves. Being with someone you love and doing something you enjoy together is as good as it gets.

There are many guide books on antique Indian relics and before you buy, be sure that you can tell the real from the fakes. The real things just seem to continue to increase in value. An 8” spear point can easily bring you thousands of dollars. The thing that I have always wanted to find is a banner stone. Often the banner stones come in the shape of animals or other items that meant something to the Indians. These are the top end of Indian relics.

I do want to give you a warning before you go out on your search for Indian relics. It can become an obsession. The history of the American Indian is the history of our country and without the Indians there would be no country as we know it. Plus, the craftsmanship of the Native American Indian has never been duplicated in my opinion.

Joshua has told me that there wasn’t another thing that he wanted to do more over the Christmas Holidays than spend time with me. With God’s help, I have been able to grant that wish. We will return to Chicago Sunday and I hope that all of you feel as blessed as we do. Merry Christmas.





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