Prehistoric stone battle axe

[mrwizard]

Very well made piece.
My uneducated guess is that it could be a jutland stone axe:
http://www.jungsteinsite.uni-kiel.de...htm#Tafel%2013

Best Regards,
Thilo

[fernando]

Very nice looking piece, Colin.
I (as certainly a lot more people out there) think that, the reason you don't find a lot more enthusiasts gathering and collecting this kind of prehistoric stuff is that, unless their provenance is "bullet-proof", you take a 99,5 % risk of acquiring fakes.
It is good that Thilo posted a link to track its ID.

[kai]

Hello Fernando,

the reason you don't find a lot more enthusiasts gathering and collecting this kind of prehistoric stuff is that, unless their provenance is "bullet-proof", you take a 99,5 % risk of acquiring fakes.

Is it that bad, currently? I remember the times when many farmers had collections of pieces gathered from their own fields...

A good magnifying glass comes in handy for sure: scratches as well as patina from genuine use are tough to fake. Patina from being buried in the soil does help, too. Status pieces which may not have seen much use (if any) and made from certain stones may be more difficult to evaluate though.

BTW, while this axe is European, I reckon this thread may be better suited for the main forum, isn't it? The time frame is quite distinct from what is discussed here in the armoury and I see no point in discussing neolithic pieces in different fora depending on wether they originate from Europe vs., say, America or the near East.

Regards,
Kai