Five lines, too "lined-up" to be accidental, and on a surface too polished to not have been ground smooth when the Celt was finished--so are they 'tally marks' or something else--photo should show them clearly, you'll have to decide for yourself. The material, is it Hematite, or some similar iron-bearing ore-- the iron coloration (rusty red in the pits of the stone) , the density (weight) agree, they say the stone contains iron. When you pick the piece up your first impression is the weight, naturally, second is the incredibly heavy polish to the Celt. The piece comes from a far southwest Indiana collection, so seeing a piece of hematite (Plummet, Celt, or Rub-stone (or earplug) isn't that unusual--the Mississippians and/or the Hopewell who both called the area of two rivers home (Wabash and Ohio Rivers meet there), they could easily either trade for iron bearing material from other tribes who lived in what's now the area between Kentucky and Barkley lakes (iron deposits there, and previous-century blast furnaces). Length is slightly under 2&1/2" by 1&3/4", thickness tops out at nearly 1&1/8". Was it longer once, salvaged, or was the piece always 'stubby'? The body of the Celt is very symmetrical, so if it was reworked the maker/ user did one fantastic job of shortening it. With all the polish, it's interesting that the natural pitting that's typical with hematite was not ground smooth, so the shape was intentional, There are no plow scrapes, but there is an ancient nick in the bit, along with a very small modern ding on a bit corner; patina there shows the look of a modern scratch on an ancient (patinated) surface. Every detail is lifetime guaranteed authentic. Shipping is $7.00, and payment accepted by check or M.O. (paypal not accepted)--Roy A.