The Evening critic., 1884-09-02
ARCHAEOLOGICAL. TALK.

cetve the StuuenS OF Antiquities
How COunterfeits are Detected -
There should be u Law 90 Punish
the Counterfeiters.
"oh yes, it is quito an extensive bust
ness" replied DIR. Charles Rau, curator of
the archaeological collection at tho Smith
sonian Institution, to an inquiry of n
CRITIC reporter If much trouble was ex-
perienced from receiving spurious antiqui-
ties, counterfeit American archie illogical
specimens. Eyes, it is quite an extensive
business, and has caused us any amount of
worry and trouble. The business Of making
counterfeit antiquities has grown to be one
that Is firmly established as firmly estab-
lished as that Of counterfeitng Government
notes and securities. Like that 1t thrives
on the ignorance aud inexperience of the
PEOPLE, but is more secure from the fact
that expertness in detecting archaeological
frauds is much rarer than the ability to dis
cover spurious money"
NOW, Doctor, can you tell me some of
the ways by which you can detect what is
spurious? IL would be, no doubt, exceed
ingy interesting tho reporter remarked.
Come with me out into tho hall and
can show you some counterfeits in potstonc
which we received not long ago. l have no
doubt that you can at once detect that they
arc fraudulent"
He led the way to q case, in which were
number of curiously. shaped articles. pipes
fowls, birds, pots, figures of children, bears
snd smaller animals. To an eye unaccus-
toned to the examination of antiquities
they certainly looked as though they hal
been
Recovered from Past Ages.
Now, you can easily SEQ that those
things arc frauds" exclaimed DIR. Rau.
The reporter had to confess his inability
to discover anything of the kind.
How can you tell, Doctor p
why" he answered, trifle inpatient
ly,"I can tell just as soon as put my
eyes on them. Their general appearance
is such that their spuriousness can bo
readily seen. They were made by Ignorant
people, who had little knowledge of the
habits and customs of tho people who used
the implements which they were counter
feitiDg. Just as forger will often fail to
notice tho characteristics of the persons
writing which he is initiating, 50 the
maker of antiquities, failing to recognize
certain peculiarities in the implements he
istopyMg, will neglect toiincorporate them in
his work. He will also use instruments of
which the ancient workmen had no lSnowl-
ONbSs Vi ihoSthNoi ou sNS buhv pOO tuClS
Examine it carefully and you will sec that
an iron instrument was used to smooth it.
That Is one indication of spuriousness
Another thing, you will see that the bowl
of that pipe is fluted. That idea was origi-
nal with the imitators
The Indians Never Ornamented
Their Pipes I'm That Way.
Another indication that the things are
fraudulent. There's that pipe-bowl, with
four stems. That's freak of the counter
feiters. So might go on and pick out any
number of peculiarities which are incon-
sistent with the claim that these articles
are genuine. But an expert takes in all
these inconsistencies at glance and judges
Immediately that tho article is spurious.
Then, too, these countorfoiters betray
themselves sometimes by neglecting to fol-
low their copies. We had some specimens
sent to us once on which were c,rvei fig
ures of men with guns in their hands
Why that one fact showed what the speci-
mems WERE"
1T was an anachronism ?" suggested the
reporter.
Exactly, and very grave one. Why,
the people who are supposed to use those
implements had no more conception of u
gun than an unborn babe. The idea of
making those people carve figures of guns !
1t was preposterous. had simply to look
at them to be convinced OF their spurious
ness"
Some OF the Counterfe:ts CieverIy
Done.
II suppose some of the counterfeits arc
very cleverly done, are they not ?" ven
tured the reporter.
"You arc right. Great care Is exercised
sometimes in making these pseudo antiqui-
ties, rs l call them. 1t is at times very
difficult to distinguish the true from the
false. These counterfeiters sometimes havo
made a careful study of archaeological speci-
mems, so that they are able to reproduce
most of the characteristics which we look
for in a genuine specimen. When we find
them in the counterfeit VIC are puzzled"
Just as experts in hand writing are de.
ctived by forgeries cleverly executed" iu-
terjected the reporter.
Just so. It's a case of one mans keen
ness against another's. We cannot DO too
hasty in deciding that an antiquity IS spu-
rious merely because some Of the tribe or
race characteristics are not present. For it
jspossible that the article was made as a
freak, an intentional departure from the
customary standard. We have to be on our
guard for anything of that kind.
Bye the bye" he exclaimed, peering into
another case. "There are some interesting
specimens. They might be called
Unfntcnti0naI Forgertss.
They are curious limitations by nature of
certain implements. Here you will notice
some ak heads which look just as If they
had been fashioned by an Indian. It is
Jude, to be sure but it has the general ap-
pearance of an ak head uncompleted. Here
you will find some specimens with circular
holes through them, apparently bored.
They have every evidence of having been
done by human hands, but they were not.
Nature fashioned them and fashioned them
SO neatly that your wonder Is provoked.
They are certainly singular specimens. We
have had number OF these specimens sent
to tho Smithsonian by people who really
thought they were sending us genuine
specimens. They have good reason to
know that they were not counterfeits, but
simply freaks Of nature"
where do these counterfets come from ~
From various parts of the country, often
from the regions where the old mounds are
to be found, people make the counterfeits,
bury them in the mounds and dig them up
after a time to sell as genuine antiquities.
Down in Tennessee they have been making
some remarkable pots, which have sold
readily at high prices to persons searching
fJr antiquities, We have some hero. They
are made of earth mixed with powdered
shells, are fashioned by hand and have quite
n genuine look. Then number have come
from Mount Pisgah, Haywood County, North
Carolina. A wealthy man in Richmond,
Va, had quito a collection of these spurious
ones from Mount Pisgah palmed OIL on him
as genuine. He sent number here where
n a.