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The DeLeon Chamber of Commerce didn’t
quite know what to expect on Saturday morning, November 10, as it had
never sponsored an Indian Artifact Show before.
Advance preparations and advertising paid
off, however, with a very satisfactory turn out of dealers, exhibitors
and show attendees at the City Hall downtown.
 Dealers
of Indian artifacts, books, display cases, magazines and jewelry took
up all 30 available show table. In addition, there were several
exhibitors who attended only to show off their collections.
Indian artifact enthusiasts, and those
simply curious about the show, all crowded the aisles between the
dealers tables. Although a count of show attendees was not taken,
there were likely more than 300 based on observed crowds and total
show receipts.
Most of those attending the show, in
addition to almost all of the dealers and exhibitors, were from out of
town. Parking on the south end of downtown DeLeon was quite crowded
for much of the day.
Chamber of Commerce officials seemed to
be pleased with the show’s results.
Some of the local attendees came to look,
and a few went back home to bring back some of their personal
collection for evaluation and authentication. More than a few deals
were struck both in selling an buying.
One interesting event involved a man from
Dublin who showed up with a carefully wrapped, perfect paleolithic
spear point. He said he had found it in a load of sand that had been
delivered to his yard. He was getting ready to pour some concrete over
the sand when he noticed the five inch long point.
After having casually stored it for a few
years, one of his children took it to have someone look at it and came
back telling him to take good care of it.
Several of the dealers at the show
admired the spearpoint. The lucky man said he had already turned down
an offer of $5,000. One dealer commented that he would have offered
the man at least four times that amount, in cash, on the spot.
Some of the points shown to a man noted
for his prowess in authentication were judged to be of recent vintage.
It seems that in recent years many have learned to closely imitate the
skills of Indian flint knappers, and some of their works have found
their ways into some collections.
However, one person who has well
developed knapping skills reportedly submitted two points to the
authenticator, who proceeded to pronounce the authentic point that the
man had found to be fake, and the point that had been only recently
produced as authentic.
The authenticator and others noted the
sometimes difficulty in distinguishing the real from the fake. The
only sure thing is one you have found, or know who found it.
Some locals overheard the dealers
remarking among themselves that the DeLeon show had been a good one.
With that type of initial reputation being established, next year’s
show, if one is held, will likely be successful as well. |
