Down by the Tn river in Florence Al there is a huge indian mound, there was a ramshackle museum next to it with a motley assortment of artifacts, nothing special.
The city decided to build a proper museum which I went to for the first time today.
I was a serious relic hunter in my youth and had a sizable collection that I gave to my son the last time he was here. I had a really nice sand tempered bowl that he wouldn't take because he couldn't prove I came by it legally. I did acquire it legally by the existing laws almost 50 years ago but the laws have changed and digging it up nowadays would land me in the poky for a very long time.
I asked the folk at the museum if they took donations, they did. I told them about my bowl and they said they would be delighted to have it.
I found it on a Mississippian site in conjunction with 6 other pots. Mine was sand tempered, the others were shell tempered, the friends with me when we found the pots split the others among themselves.
The folk at the museum proclaimed it to be a woodland bowl of which they only had two, they had a bunch of Mississippian pots. I know it is a Mississippian bowl because of where I found it but if they want it to be woodland so be it.
It has now taken center stage in their woodland artifact exhibit and I don't have to worry about the legality of owning it anymore.