Resources for Identifying Arrowheads

If you want to study and identify insects, then you have a tough road ahead of you. I've read that there are over 350,000 different species of just Beetles (that's a quarter-of-a-million!). And if you want to collect and identify Native American Artifacts ("arrowheads"), the number of different types (though much smaller) is still pretty daunting: over 1,000.
One thousand different types of arrowheads, projectiles, points, blades, etc.
I only have THREE children and I still get their names wrong from time to time!

Fortunately, for those of us who enjoy walking along plowed fields and wading through waist-high creek water in search of these rocky links to our continent's past inhabitants, there are resources to help us. I have compiled a series of links to online resources that should be able to help you identify just about every tool or tip in your collection.

(1) What's the Point?
 
This simple to use and extremely helpful website contains a step-by-step guide that will ask you a series of basic questions (with pictures and diagrams) in order to zero-in on your classification. The number of arrowhead types is rather limited to just major categories, but I have found this to be very handy (and very kid-friendly).
(Click on the name or the picture to go to the website)








(2) Projectile Point Identification Guide
 

One of the largest online databases of Native American Artifacts, with thousands of reference photographs. This site breaks the USA into basic regions and contains a wealth of information about shape, flaking patterns, cross-sections, size, and age of every type of projectile and tool. I spend quite a bit of time here.

(3) Overstreet ID
 

The name Overstreet is legendary within the world of collectibles. The Overstreet Indian Arrowhead Identification Database website boasts over 60,000 reference photographs and a (somewhat) guided tour to help you classify your points. You can search by Shape, Region, or Alphabetically. 

(4) TreasureNet
 

Sometimes, even with all of the wonderful online resources at our fingertips, we still have difficulty nailing the exact category or type of our tips. TreasureNet is a fantastic forum where you can post pictures of your artifacts, and then a huge community of Indian enthusiasts will pitch in to help you identify them.

Other Helpful Resources:

Western Artifacts

Stone Tools

Arrowhead Timeline (great!)

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