This small, honey-colored chert gunflint appears to have been extensively struck on both edges, implying that its owner did not immediately throw away the flint after only one or two uses, but rather reused the flint until it was expended (or lost). The yellowish, waxy color of this flint indicates that it is most likely of French origin (the British gunflint was typically crafted from dark gray- to black-colored chert ); it was the preferred gunflint in the United States from the Revolution to the ca. 1840s and is commonly found on homestead sites of this period. Its tiny size suggests that it was likely used in conjunction with a small caliber hunting rifle/musket or pistol (Witthoft 1966: 32; see also Hamilton 1987 (1980): 138-175).
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