4 5/8" Modern Iowa Wing Style Bannerstone Made by Franklin Fosdick & Gerald Hummel circa 1997. Gerald and Franklin made a lot of things from stone over the years going back to the 80's or before. Coached/mentored by their main buyer Don May until he died in the early 1990's they made a good chunk of the bannerstones that are in North America. This is a very nice example of their work. However it is a one of a kind from them. This one was a copy made from a picture of one that was supposedly found in SW Iowa a few decades back. The only one of its style I believe they made. Generally they focused on Bottle Banners, Wing Banners and Hourglasses using attractive speckled granites, porphyry, quartzite and ferruginous quartz. Although there were other makers out there these guys and Billy Guthrie were the top stone makers of the 80's and 90's. Franklin is still alive but Gerald passed some years ago. If he is still physically able you can find Franklin visiting the Collinsville Relic Show or Evergreen Knapin at Evergreen Lake in Illinois in July. The surface on this piece has oxidized quite a bit just from time giving it a faded look which naturally occurs to granite.

Modern