Fossil Collecting and Fossil Hunting

[reinier zwanink]

I noticed that to
The skull is hard to get a good look at
I got 0 % experience with mounts but it is very clear it is not a good one
About the costs
I believe it would come to 470 480 dollars but you will need a good shipment to

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I cannot read the fine print of the sale, due to my lack of knowledge , in that language, but the price you are suggesting is not bad even for a badly done mount, that could be redone, and improved quite a bit.

[reinier zwanink]

I can translate if desired

[Tyto_Theropod]

One thing I strongly suggest with all fossil dealers is never purchase from a dealer that offers anything less than a one hundred percent return/refund policy. A reputable and established dealer will do that, and it serves to protect your investment . Makre sure to study, learn and understand as much as you can about your intended purchases before proceeding. The larger the investment, the more chance it has been restored/altered/ or may be a fake. That being said, there are many reliable dealers out there that do sell fossils and do so quite well, no matter the cost or item. I keep hearing people ask if the fossil comes with a certificate of authenticity etc. Try and realize such papers mean quite little in  reality....all they are is a dealer or seller stating they feel the item is legimate, and generally give you no more legal ground or rights than not having it would mean.Your best protection is to do business with complete refund/return policies, as they generally get it right and do not mind backing their items.
   Earlier it was mentioned or suggested to avoid purchasing Keichosaurus for example The dealer in the UK that I purchased my Psittacosaurus from is a specialized dealer in those fossils. He has in fact had a book printed showing how to authenticate these fossils and what things to watch for and examine. His name is Mike Holmes, with Triassica, and is perhaps the only seller in the world I would consider purchasing a Keichosaurus from for those reasons. He can be found on Ebay under the Name Triassica and specializes in Keichosaurus, psittacosaurus and even has a mounted Tenontosaurus he is bringing to market at this point in time.

The best way to avoid fakes when looking to purchase fossils is to no for yourself what various types of fossils should and shouldn't look like. A great site for any budding fossil collector/hunter is The Fossil Forum; I've learned a lot there.

Tyto, I'm pretty sure your unidentified trilobite is a flexicalymene from Morocco. I remember when my local museum had those in their shop.
I also found this link especially helpful:
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/collect/faketrilobites3.htm

Thanks everyone, this is all good advice, much better than mine *feels ashamed*. These are all things I should have said, but I was tired when I wrote that comment... 

Pachyrhinosaurus, I was thinking along the Calymene or Flexicalymene lines, but there are quite a few similar genera as far as I can see, and I am far from an expert when it comes to trilobites - or ammonites, for that matter. I normally just go with what the documentation tells me . Still, Flexycalymene seems like a good bet.

Moving on from my endless excuses for being stupid and lazy...

Nice collection Tyto_Theropod, how long do you need to collect them all ? 

Thanks ARUL! Some of them I've had since I was a kid, but I began collecting in 2010, so I've accumulated most of them since then.

Always a pleasure to see fossil collections, a wonderful set of Ammonite fossils.  Not sure what the collective noun for Ammonoidea fossils might be, how about a coil of Ammonites?

I like it!

I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help as to authenticating the Psittacosaurus there, A), because I don't know Dutch, and B) because it's hard to tell how genuine a fossil is from photos. As someone who's seen Psittacosaur skeletons offered on reputable sites, I personally think it looks legit, if badly mounted.

Right, I think that's all the replies I wanted to do... now onto the juicy good stuff! Today's instalment: marine reptiles! That is... bits of them ...Unfortunately my budget doesn't run to full skeletons... 



Rib section from Ophthalmosaurus icenicus, a large species of Ichthyosaur. Mid-late Jurassic, dredged off Weymouth Harbour, Dorset. From Fossiliferous.co.uk.



Ditto ditto ditto, except it's obviously not a rib section but a vertebra. I must say, I love Ichthyosaur verts. They're a very satisfying shape




All there on the label in the first photo. This is also from Fossiliferous. Go Pliosaurs!

Next I'll show off my dinosaur fossils... 

[Tyto_Theropod]

The larger the investment, the more chance it has been restored/altered/ or may be a fake.

Just to add, restoration on fossils isn't at all unusual as most fossils don't come out of the ground in pristine condition. However, a reputable dealer will tell you if a fossil has a repair, and if, like me, you're not fussed about that, it's often a good way to save money

[Arul]

Cool  so what is your oldest fossil collection ?  i mean your very first fossil hehehe

[Tyto_Theropod]

That would be the second largest ammonite here... I think

[Tyto_Theropod]

From the link you mention, i keep my eye on www.charmouthfossils.co.uk, they said they selling their fossil collection, my question do they selling a real fossil ? Do they also give a certificate/licence after we deal with them ?

I've taken a look at the Charmouth Fossils site. In lieu of the article Pachyrhinosaurus linked us to, I'd say some of their 'genuine' trilobites certainly looked suspicious. Although the other fossils look legit, at least to me, I'd recommend not to buy from there just in case. I apologise about that, but I hadn't looked at the site for ages - it looks very different from when I used to visit it. I'm now going to take a careful look at some fossil sites and edit my list of the ones I personally think seem reliable. I think I may have let my guard down a bit much

Moving on here are my (all hopefully genuine) dinosaur fossils - I have to say, much as many people think we should give other prehistoric species more attention, I just love dinosaurs and these fossils are definitely the focal point of my collection. Most of them have their own separate box:


Kem Kem Beds, Morocco



A tooth, likely Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. From that same place I bought all those Madagascan Ammonites - much damage was done that day! It's around 7cm long, and that's with the very tip missing!



Carcharodontosaurus saharicus. Quite a small tooth, which was why I was actually able to afford it! What you can't see in the picture as the badass serrations on both edges! Same dealer, same day.



Rebbachisaurus garasbae, dermal ossicle (armour). Bought from Fossiliferous.co.uk.



Rebbachisaurus garasbae tooth, same dealer.

Not pictured: vertebra, possibly from a young Spinosaur.

Alberta, Canada



Saurornitholestes langstoni teeth, Dinosaur Park Fm (~75Ma). Again what you can't see are the serrations, which are still sharp!




Edmontosaurus sp. (probably regalis given the location) ungual from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta, Canada, ~70MYO, from a 1970s private collection. This is a BIG ungual. From Fossiliferous.co.uk. It's damaged, but that meant I got it at a much lower price than Hadrosaur toes usually go for.



Ditto ditto ditto, but it's a tooth.



Partial Ankylosaur scute, same source. It was tentatively identified as ?Euoplocephalus sp., but as some recent studies have referred Horseshoe Canyon material from this dinosaur to Anodontosaurus lambei, there's an argument for labelling it as Anodontosaurus sp. Which reminds me, I need to re-label my collection! 





?Albertosaurus sp. toe bone. Same source. Weathered, with a small repair, and it's been varnished on one side. Still one of my prize possessions

Everywhere else




All there on the label for these two. The display box belongs to the bigger one, which came from Fossiliferous. The worn down one came from the same dealer as my Madagascan ammonites. Worn Trike teeth are very cheap and easy to get hold of, so there's no excuse for a dinosaur nerd not to have one!



Saltasaurus eggshell from Argentina, local dealer.

Not pictured: Pyroraptor olympius eggshell. At least, that's what it was sold to me as, and as I'm a suck for raptors and it wasn't that dear I couldn't say no. However, I'm not sure if there's any evidence to support this identification.

I hope to get more fossils from the web in future, but in the final instalment of my show-and-tell session I'll turn to fossils that I've found myself

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Do you have any good tight shots of the pyroraptor eggshell? A shot of the outside or ornamentational area and a cross section shot would be useful to help determine if its a familiar species or something I have not seen...I have eggshell from most of the known availible locales and species that are readily availible to compare with.

[Tyto_Theropod]

Do you have any good tight shots of the pyroraptor eggshell? A shot of the outside or ornamentational area and a cross section shot would be useful to help determine if its a familiar species or something I have not seen...I have eggshell from most of the known availible locales and species that are readily availible to compare with.

Thanks amargasaurus, I'll post a picture when I get time to take more photos.

Anyway, these are fossils that are absolutely genuine. I know because I found them myself, or they were found by members of my family



Given to me by my grandfather when I was a kid. He said it was fossil coral - as he was a qualified geologist, I'm taking his word for it



More fossil coral, found on a Fife beach by my mother. Given the location, it's probably Carboniferous.



A whole load o' bits from the Oxford Clay at Dunans, Skye (~155Ma).



Weathered Gryphaea brachiopods from Waterloo, Skye.



And the prize of my personal findings, a large ammonite from Dunans. ~155MYO. No prep done on this, that's exactly how I found it! In spite of the fact that the outer whorls are crushed, it's still a very interesting (and attractive!) specimen. Weathering has exposed some of its sutures, but it also retain some of what I think is its original shell (the white fragment). I couldn't swear to a species as I'm no expert on ammonites, but it could be a Ludwigia or Cardioceras. Ideas, anyone?

Not pictured: A ridiculous amount of Stigmaria (Carboniferous plant roots)! I have family in Fife, and the beaches are full of it. I don't find it all that interesting, though. Mostly I use them to display my model dinosaurs on.

That's all for now. I'll update as I get more fossils/take more pictures. Also, I don't want to hog this thread. My idea when I started it was that anyone could share their collections here, as well as general chit-chat and questions about fossils, fossil hunting and fossil collecting.

Happy fossil-ing!

[Arul]

Okay thanks for the notice 

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

Nice personal collections, Tyto. I live in an area with lots of fossils as well however I have yet to go hunting for them.
As promised, here is my collection. My usual photography setup is currently full with some sculptures I am working on, so my apologies for the blurry or awkward-angled pictures. Some pieces may also be shown more than once as I am using both new and old photos.
First, the trilobites:

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This was my first one, I got it from my dad's rock collection, Elrathia kingii.

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Another Elrathia kingii, my largest.

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All but one of my 22 elrathia.

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Kainops

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Kettneraspis

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Phacops, from Ohio

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Asaphiscus wheeleri

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Proetus and cornuproetus- my only Moroccan trilobites.
Dinosaur Material:

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Small Edmontosaurus Vertebra.

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Large Edmontosaurus caudal vert

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Camptosaurus  Caudal vertebra

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Spinosaurus tooth

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Traiceratops and edmontosaurus teeth

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Agatized dinosaur bone fragment
Fish:

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Knightia and a Diplomystus

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Carcharodon carcharias tooth

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Jianghanichthys

Nautiloids:

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Two cleoniceras and a matching set of nautilus from Madagascar

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Detail of the two cleoniceras

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Iridescent Ammonites. The first three are cleoniceras, the smooth one is a desmoceras, and (I think) the very wrinkly one on the right is a desmoceras.

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Another set of cleoniceras.

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A small cleoniceras- I'm astounded at how similar this one is to my other, larger one. Even the rough area in the coil is the same.

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Perisphinctes; last of my Madagascan ones.

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Asteroceras from Peru.

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Gold Pleuroceras from Germany. The 'gold' is natural however the color has been enhanced.

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Dactylioceras. The two on the left are from Germany, the other one is from England.

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Part of a Scaphites- From North America

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Orthoceras. Honestly these are the only fossils I will buy from Morocco anymore.
Plants:

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Neuropterus from St. Clair, PA

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Fern fossils- positive and negative. I've been told that these were collected locally, in PA. I cant say of anything I've seen similar. The impressions are very faint and would only photograph with a flash.

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Leaf fragments from somewhere in the Midwest. None are positives/negatives nor do any fit together, unfortunately.

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Petrified Araucaria wood from Madagascar

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Insect in Baltic Amber- I think its a fly of some form or another.

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This piece also comes from the Appalachian mountains of PA, including a variety of bivalves and other impressions I can't quite identify.
And for my newest one:

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A cambrian-aged gogia from Idaho I bought a few days ago.
I also have some fossil casts:

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Velociraptor skull cast I bought at IOA.

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Cast of the Berlin Specimen of Archaeopteryx I bought from The Dinosaur Store.
That's pretty well it for my collection. I do have a few smaller pieces here and there I haven't posted, as well as a Phacops from New York I had forgotten to post, but that's it for now.

[Arul]

Thats awesome Pachyrhinosaurus  i love the velociraptor fossil replica

[Tyto_Theropod]

Lovely collection you have there, Pachyrhinosaurus. How many Elrathia can a guy have?! I also like all your fish. The insect in amber looks more like a wasp to me, but that could just be the angle. Out of interest, where do the pale brown trilobites (Kainops, Paciphacops and Kettnerapsis) come from?

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

Thank you, ARUL and Tyto. Yes, it could bee a wasp, I am not the best at identifying insects beyond native ones to my area.
The pale brown trilobites come from Oklahoma. Its one of my favorite trilobite localities (after NY).

[Tyto_Theropod]

It may look like just another pebble...



...but it's actually a slightly pyritised Dactylioceras from Whitby!

[Megalosaurus]

This is an amazing collection.
I'd like to find fossils myself.
About the amphibian with skin: What species is it? from wich time period or formation? Is it carboniferous or permian?

[Tyto_Theropod]

Been doing some checking over fossil shops. I've added two more links to my initial post (one UK store, one US) if anyone's interested. I'll try and get everyone's questions answered hen I manage to get the time and space to get my collection out again.

[Kayakasaurus]

Hello I went to a Gem & rock show in Bellingham Wa and couldn't resist starting a fossil collection. Some of the sellers were local but I'm not sure about all of them. I don't know what fossils should be priced at but tell me if I was a sucker for a rock LOL. I am pretty pleased with the trilobite.  I probably spent to much but it was fun .

Ammonite 6$

Polished ammonite halves 15$ (another stand had these for less than 5$ )

Polished clam 5$

Coprolite 1$

Trilobite 25$

The last pic is stuff I already had that were gifts.

[Tyto_Theropod]

Do you have any good tight shots of the pyroraptor eggshell? A shot of the outside or ornamentational area and a cross section shot would be useful to help determine if its a familiar species or something I have not seen...I have eggshell from most of the known availible locales and species that are readily availible to compare with.

Finally had the time to post these!