Volume 59, Number 1, January 2012
On the Cover: One of the cabinet cases in the first collection of B.W. Stevens.
Photo courtesy of Bobby Onken.
B.W. Stevens (1897–1971) is recognized as one of the great collectors of Indian artifacts. Known as “Stevie” to his friends, he gained an interest in collecting and archaeology as a boy when he was befriended by Don Dickson and became involved in early excavations at Dickson Mounds.
He became a commercial artist by trade and resided in Quincy, Illinois. Stevens began building a collection in his teens, and by the 1930s he was recognized as a major figure in Indian artifacts. In 1935, he was one of three appraisers of the massive Edward Payne collection and added several choice pieces from it to his own collection.
Dr. T.H. Young eventually acquired Stevens’ entire collection in 1953 for the then unheard-of price of $105,000. Stevens later went on to build a second collection, which he continued to expand until his death in January 1971.
He was a founder of the Illinois State Archaeological Society and served as its editor for many years. In addition, he was President of the CSASI in 1965 and 1966 and also served as CSASI Librarian.
His collection covered all aspects of material culture, from points to pottery, and he made special efforts to acquire notable and exceptional pieces. He was diligent in cataloging his collection, and today it is possible to determine when and from whom he acquired an artifact, as well as when he later disposed of it.
He even included a small hand-drawn image in his catalog entries to accompany each description.
If you own an artifact from his collection, it can be identified by his sticker, which lists the catalog number and find location. When matched to his catalog records, a great deal of additional information can be uncovered.
His collection would be extremely difficult to assemble today—even with unlimited resources—because it was built at a time when far fewer people were collecting and exceptional artifacts could still be acquired at reasonable prices.
Table of Contents
| Title | Author | Page(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Message from your Editor | Steven R. Cooper | 3 |
| Letters to the Editor | David Easterla, Ollie Skrivanie, Charlie Wagers, Ron Barbato, Fred W. Marsh, Jr. and Paige Krzeminski | 4–5 |
| Obituary – William T. Pinkston (1919–2011) | — | 6 |
| Obituary – Marcia R. Thompson | — | 6 |
| Obituary – Walter D. Farr, Jr. (1926–2011) | — | 7 |
| Readers Share Some Finds | — | 8–9 |
| Thoughts About Collecting Indian Relics | Bob Reeves | 10–11 |
| From Zero to Six | John Ray | 12 |
| Kentucky Marks the Westernmost Occurrence of Elusive Stanly Points | Peter G. Murphy and Alice J. Murphy | 13–14 |
| A Website for Everyone | Lloyd E. Schroder | 15 |
| Maskettes | C.J. O’Neill | 16–17 |
| Life is Always Full of Surprises! | Steven R. Cooper | 18–19 |
| Invisible Labeling of Your Collection: Hiding the Graffiti with UV Light | E.J. Neiburger | 20–21 |
| Axe and Hoe Double Wammy | V. Gary Henry | 22 |
| A Restored Unfinished Soapstone Bowl | Clarence G. Mason | 23 |
| A New Poster from the Illinois State Archaeological Society | Rob Reber | 24 |
| The Early Bird | Tim Brawner | 25 |
| A Truly Extraordinary Cache from Mississippi | Joe Kinker | 26–27 |
| Illustration | — | 28–29 |
| Alkaline Lake Paint Cup | Don Schultz | 30 |
| The Whole Equals the Sum of its Parts | David L. Lutz | 31–33 |
| The History of an Artifact and its Previous Collectors: A Carolina “Medicine-Tube” Soapstone Pipe | Ron Harris | 34–36 |
| A Blast to the Past – 1921! “Some Personal Experiences of an Indian Relic Hunter” | William L. Waters | 37–39 |
| Wisconsin Winged Fetish: A Rare Artifact from Pike County, Illinois | Korhan B. Raif | 40 |
| A Collector Portrait – Ron “Curly” Babler of Two Rivers, Wisconsin | Jeff Steiner | 41 |
| Uncle Tom’s Cabin | Alfred Savage | 42 |
| My First Point, or Happy Birthday to Me, or Happy New Year | Kevin Willert | 43 |
| An Extinct Stag-Moose (Cervalces scotti) Shed Antler with Chop Marks | David A. Easterla | 44 |
| Book Review – Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession by Craig Childs | Review by Jim Glanville | 45–46 |
| Clues to the Past | Steven R. Cooper | 46–48 |
| My Find: What Do You Think? | Darrel Higgens | 48–51 |
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