Cambropallas Trilobite- I think its a fake- Now With Pictures

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I have a Cambropallas I bought back in November, I think its fake. It is from Morocco. The most obvious piece of evidence for fakery I have is that it is actually losing color.  Since I bought it, the reddish brown coloring on the trilobite has rubbed off so much, some of the higher points are bare, and when touched, the powder comes right off. I also see (or at least I think I see) a crack running around the parimeter of the cephalon, from where the trilobite was put into the stone. Eyes on mine ae also asymmetrical, with the right side being twice as big as the left. I bought this fossil from a museum gift shop, who, in turn, bought them from  reputable dealer. I was wondering if this is really a fake, and if it is, what should I do with it? Pictures (if necessary) coming soon.

[SBell]

I have a Cambropallas I bought back in November, I think its fake. It is from Morocco. The most obvious piece of evidence for fakery I have is that it is actually losing color.  Since I bought it, the reddish brown coloring on the trilobite has rubbed off so much, some of the higher points are bare, and when touched, the powder comes right off. I also see (or at least I think I see) a crack running around the parimeter of the cephalon, from where the trilobite was put into the stone. Eyes on mine ae also asymmetrical, with the right side being twice as big as the left. I bought this fossil from a museum gift shop, who, in turn, bought them from  reputable dealer. I was wondering if this is really a fake, and if it is, what should I do with it? Pictures (if necessary) coming soon.

There's not much you can do unfortunately--the museum that sold it was probably not aware, and what does a 'reputable dealer' generally mean? Losing colour and possible fossil manipulation indicates that someone pulled a fast one, but who knows at one point. Pictures would be helpful though.

[Dinoguy2]

It's possible the specimen is also partially restored with plaster. Morocco fossil dealers are notorious for selling, say, mosasaur jaws where an assortment of random teeth are set into totally fabricated plaster jaws. Complete-looking specimens sell better than fragmentary ones, and nearly all fossils are at least somewhat incomplete.

If they had a partial nice trilobite with a few nicely preserved parts, they'd likely want to fill in the gaps to make it a nicer display piece. I wouldn't call that a fake, in the same way that nearly all museum displays are restored with plaster/resin parts to make them look complete. Now if the whole thing is plaster, it's a sculpture, not a fossil, so that would be fake.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I finally got to upload these:

It is clear that there is some color loss down the centre "spine" of the trilobite. (I forget what its called).
And here's one of the edge. I think I see glue.

[DinoLord]

Looks like a real fossil that has been heavily restored. The lack of air bubbles in the matrix and fossil suggests it's not a resin fake. However, the edges of the left side of the body and most of the head look pretty suspect and most likely have been restored/painted on.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

Okay, thanks. I'm very cautious with these kind of fossils, and I was worried it was a complete fake.
(Just realised this is my one hundreth post on the new forum!)