How to spot modern knapping

1. Look at the scars, not the shape. Under 10× a modern flake scar is bright and unweathered where an ancient one is dulled; the difference shows most clearly inside the notches, which a faker cannot age without aging the whole piece.

2. Distrust perfection. Serrations that are perfectly regular, edges razor-sharp along their whole length, and a symmetry no resharpened tool keeps are all warnings; ancient tools were used.

3. Check the material against the culture named. Heat-treated chert (pinks, reds, a waxy glow) on a type and material that was not heat-treated in antiquity, Brazilian agate or glass, Texas flint on an "Ohio" point — a modern knapper uses what is on the bench.

4. Hunt for the rechip and the rework. The classic fraud is a genuine artifact improved: a broken preform re-knapped into a rare type, a plain base given a flute, a damaged ear replaced. New work is bright against old patina; some resins fluoresce under UV; a weight that is light for the size suggests fill.

5. Weigh the paper, do not lean on it. There are well over a hundred commercial authenticators and no standard between them, and forged certificates exist. Read the observations, not the stamp.

6. Record what you found. Set the rechipping flag under Preparation if any modern work is present, put your own observations under Authentication with the methods used, and let the disclosure line print it — Stratum's gate will not let a rechipped piece list without the word in the title.