The design of a vintage Ferrari is a work of art that covers a fantastically functional machine. We view fine points as superbly crafted works of art which are extremely functional.

We have a passion for both Colombia River and Great Basin items as well as gold nuggets.

The Spot For is a member of the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA). We support the goals of this organization, and abide by their sales guidelines, which include a 14-day money back no questions asked return for any item purchased from us.   In order to comply with AACA guidelines we only purchase collections which can provide provenance showing their acquisition before the mid-1960s.   As a result we may go several years without making any significant purchases, so when we have super items listed it is a good time to add these items to your collection.

Things that we love:

 

1. Beautiful, and well-made spear and arrow points!

2. Gold nuggets of any size and shape!

Things we Don’t Love:

         

         1. Fake points.

2. People who make and sell fake points to the unsuspecting   public.

3. People who knowingly buy or sell illegally acquired artifacts.

Collecting Western and Inland Northwest Artifacts

     Over the years it has become painfully apparent there are few ways for the collector to acquire Western, Inland Northwest and Colombia River items. This situation has been caused by several factors that have made acquisition difficult:

     First, the laws in the Western States have evolved so that it is illegal to “dig” or surface collect for any artifacts unless the activity is authorized by the State.

     Second, many areas, which would yield wonderful points are within Indian Reservations or State or National Forests, which preclude collecting. As an example, 65% of the land in the State of Idaho is either State or National Forrest! As a side note, this is why Idaho remains one of the poorest states in the nation. 65% of the land in the State does not generate property tax to support State expenditures.

     Third, and most significant, is the building of dams on both the Colombia and Snake Rivers which flooded all of the old living sites on these major Rivers.

     The upshot is that to obtain artifacts a collector must have the finances to purchase large old collections as they may become available. This requires expenditure of significant amounts of money, and therefore may not be an option for many, many collectors.

     At The Spot we have been acquiring for a number of years, and therefore we are able to offer artifacts that are generally unavailable without buying an entire collection. Sure, everyone can come across a few points here and there, but unfortunately they usually do not have the provenance to prove legality, and are usually not the points that you need to fill a hole in you collection. Hopefully, our offerings will help you complete your collection. That is, if a collection is ever “complete.”

Northwest points are potentially an excellent investment.

As everyone is aware, in many parts of our Country, arrowhead hunting is a wonderful pastime that brings new finds into collections every year. This is not the case in the Northwest. As a result, the law of supply and demand indicates that prices for Western artifacts will continue to escalate.

Under valued Northwest Points

We at The Spot along with most collectors of Northwest points, love the fine detail of the gem points. It is our belief that many of the older basalt points are considerably under valued. Many of these points date to the Archaic, and have great workmanship. Why I say “great” workmanship, is because when basalt is knapped, it does not exhibit the typical “concoidal fracture” that obsidian and many of the other silica dioxide type materials exhibit. As a result, it was much more difficult for the early artisan to know how each piece would knapp. Therefore, the knapper had to have greater skill to create these beautiful forms that are found in the Northwest.

Also, basalt is not a “gem” material, and is not generally considered as “beautiful” as other materials. The result is you can still acquire great, old, and well-made points at extremely economical prices. We try to carry a quantity of these points both on this Web Site and from time to time on eBay.

Those Beautiful Nuggets

The nuggets that you will find on this Web Site are from mines in the Cargo Muchacho Mountains just outside of Yuma, Arizona.

About the Cargos

The Cargo Mountains have been a favorite location for gold mining since the time of the early Spanish explorers. Evidence exists indicating that mining in the Cargos started in the early 1780’s, which would make this possibly the oldest gold mining area in the Southwest. During the Great Depression up to a thousand or more miners tried to scrape out enough gold to buy food for the next day! The conditions were harsh, water was scarce, and temperatures rose to above 120 degrees during the broiling summers.

As with many other locations mined prior to the advent of the metal detector, the “old timers” did a great job of finding, what we consider today as, the “easy” gold. The gold in the Cargos is primarily nuggets washed from the old mountains down to bedrock in the Cargo canyons. Current mining operations are a combination of both modern equipment, including scrapers, front loaders and metal detectors, along with traditional dry washers. But no matter how you attack the problem, the work is difficult, and the climate can still be downright mean!