How Expensive Is This Unique Texas Flint? More Than You’d Think.

Not far from Amarillo is a very unique piece of history. The Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is home to flint that people came in search of for thousands of years. It was so sought after, that it has turned up all over the place.

So how much would you be willing to spend for some unique Texas flint?

Alibates Flint Spread From Texas To Montana And The Mississippi River

Some accounts have it turning up as far north as Montana. Some have it as far east as the Mississippi.

That's a long way for some "rocks" from the Texas panhandle to travel.

There's good reason though. The Alibates flint is incredibly special. It's very durable, and holds a sharp edge really well. Those are two very important things if you're trying to use it for making tools.

According to the National Parks website, the Alibates flint formed along the Canadian River in very specific places. There are several theories as to just how the Alibates flint came into existence, all of them hinging on perfect conditions.

One theory even involves the Yellowstone super-volcano.

"Alibates Flint" Found On...Ebay Of All Places

True story. Apparently there's a market out there for hunks of flint. There's a market in the world for just about anything.

This guy is only wanting around $40 for this big hunk of what he says is Alibates flint.. The color is nice, and supposedly it's a one-owner item.

This guy, aeroheads, wants almost $5,000 for an arrowhead he claims is made from Alibates flint. The item is listed as a spear point.

While the allure of owning a piece of history and culture such as this is appealing to me, shelling over five-grand for it seems a bit excessive considering my humble budget.

Plus, I doubt I'd get much use out of it. Spears just don't get the job done like they used to.

Fun Fact; The Alibates Flint Quarries Are A Monument, Not A Park

Looking into all of this, I did come across this fun fact. There is a distinction between being a National Park, and a National Monument. The Alibates Flint Quarries are the latter.

What's amazing to me, and I'm still trying to figure out the reasoning for why, is that Texas only has two designated National Parks. One is Big Bend. The other is Guadalupe Mountains.