Discusses the development of a simple method to source sherds from pots used in a trading system along the south coast of New Guinea. As the ceramics were frequently sand tempered, the sand content could be subjected to petrographic analysis to provide clues to the geology and location of the source areas. Thin-sections of sand from sites along the coast were made in resin and compared to the temper in thin-sections of sherd. Identification was most readilyobtained from a chert/quartz feldspar ratio which proved to have a specific range for each area. This identification could be easily done with only a microscope, without requiring additional analytical instrumentation. -- AATA