GENERAL INFORMATION
My name is Dan Thomas and I was born and raised in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio area where I still reside. Rock collecting became an obsession of mine at a very young age. It began with an interest in the fossils of the Cincinnati area and grew from there. Before long my collecting interests expanded to include minerals. Eventually, I became interested in Native American arti
facts, which is now my top collecting priority. Since history has always been a favorite subject of mine it was only a matter of time before I acquired an interest for antiques of all sorts. I have found that there are no limits to this category as my interests are constantly expanding. I guess it all goes together. I also consider myself to be an artist of various talents. I enjoy carving, drawing, painting, woodworking, etc. There’s not enough time in the day or the year (for that matter) to pursue all my hobbies and interests. I love nature and the outdoors and love to travel. I take frequent collecting trips all over the United States always hoping to find something bigger and better. QUALIFICATIONS
If you were to ask me: “what qualifies you to authenticate Native American artifacts?” I would answer you in the following manner:
Let me begin by saying that I have had a life-long interest in archaeology, geology, and paleontology. In my youth, I naturally excelled in the science and history. I grew up collecting interesting rocks, fossils, and the occasional artifact from creeks and road cuts in the greater Cincinnati area, but was limited by not being able to travel far. After receiving my drivers license at the age of eighteen, I began to travel to distant areas of the United States in search of specimens. To this date, I have collected from the states of: Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. I have even collected in the Philippines where I met my wife. I have aspirations of collecting in many other states and countries as time permits. At the age of twenty-two I became intensely interested in Native Americans and their artifacts as well as artifacts from other cultures around the world. I began to actively search plowed fields and riverbanks for artifacts. I continuously went to the library and read every book I could find on the subject of archaeology, geology, paleontology, and history and gradually began to compile an extensive personal library of books. I have spent thousands of hours reading books on these subjects. I began visiting many public and private museums that have extensive collections of artifact and attending regional artifact shows. It didn't take me long to cross paths with other local collectors. In 1995 I had the pleasure of meeting Paul Fritch who became a close personal friend of mine and mentored me in collecting Native American artifacts. I still enjoy Paul's company to this day. Over the years Paul and I have taken many rock hunting trips together. Knowing Paul and his wife Judy has been an entertaining experience to say the least. At the age of 28 (year 2000) I graduated Cum Laude (3.7 G.P.A.) from Southern Ohio College with an Associate of Applied Business Degree in Computer Science. I regularly attend church services and pride myself in being a God-fearing person. I regularly conduct bible studies and engage in the discussion of God's Word the Bible. The people who know me can attest that I am an honest and reliable person and a well-respected member of my community. After many years of slobbery over other people's collections, I finally have an fantastic personal collection of my own. I have become well adept in specimen identification, preparation, and display. Last but not least, after many years of painstaking research in the areas of archaeology, geology, and paleontology; viewing many fine public and private museums; having the privilege of handling thousands of authentic specimens; traveling to archaeological sites; countless hours of field-collecting; buying, selling, and trading for authentic specimens; associating with other experienced collectors; and studying the methods fakers use to reproduce artifacts, I have acquired an expert ability to identify authentic artifacts. My research in anthropology and earth sciences is ongoing.
