Rock hounds, artifact collectors, and fossil hunters of all ages are invited to bring their treasures, unidentified objects and interesting finds to Pauls Valley’s Nora Sparks Warren Library Saturday, Dec. 13, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the area’s first Artifact Identification Day event.
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Anthropological Society and the Oklahoma Geologic Survey, the event will have experts in both archeology and geology on hand to help identify items and provide additional information and insight about the history connected to them.
OAS member Mel Phillips, who grew up in eastern Kansas and graduated from Kansas State Teacher’s College, has been an avocational archeologist for more than 68 years. He said it’s an interest that began when he found his first arrowhead at the age of 10.
His passion for understanding the prehistoric past through its artifacts has led him to share some of what he has learned, “with anyone who will listen.”
Oklahoma’s archaeological heritage dates back to the end of the last ice age, Phillips said, and Oklahoma residents regularly encounter artifacts and evidence of the historic and prehistoric past.
Phillips began participating in OAS Artifact Identification events in 2024 to help provide an opportunity for people who have found artifacts to learn more about their discoveries and about Oklahoma’s archaeological heritage.
Since then, he has traveled the state, holding events in Chickasha, Kingfisher, Norman, Ponca City, Ada, Atoka, Pryor, Tahlequah, Muldrow, Cordell, Clinton, Checotah, and Okemah, as well as one in Garnett, Kansas.
Phillips said the turnout usually varies depending on the community and the number of local collectors in the area.
Phillips said most of his knowledge and expertise centers around the places he’s lived – Oklahoma and Kansas – and he sees lots of items one would expect to see in the areas he visits, but there are always some surprises.
“I never cease to be amazed at what people bring in,” he said, recounting the story of a preschool-aged girl who showed up at his first event in Chickasha with a bronzeage point (arrowhead) from Israel, and another event where someone brought implements made from bone, which turned out to be sheep bone, believed to have originated in Great Britain.
Phillips said the events are also an opportunity for community members and collectors who are passionate about archaeology to share their finds and learn from each other.
“We talk. We do what collectors do – telling stories. They learn, and I learn lots, too,” Phillips said. “I’m just having a blast.”
Though the avocational archaeologists who help with identifications during OAS Artifact Identification events will not speculate about the value of items brought in for identification, Phillips said he does photograph items and sends a record sheet of the identified items, detailing any pertinent historical information, to the owner following the event – all free of charge.
“Just one collector to another,” Phillips said.
Items are examined on a first-come, first-served basis, and participants are asked to limit their collections to no more than 20 objects.
The Pauls Valley event on Dec. 13 will be the first time for Phillips to partner with the Oklahoma Geological Survey’s “Geologist Office Hours… On the Road” program.
OGS will have geologists on hand for rock, mineral and fossil identification, as well as hands on education.
The family-friendly event is free of charge and open to the public.
No appointments are necessary, just bring your treasures and drop by the library, 201 N. Willow St., between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.