Fossil Collecting and Fossil Hunting

[Tyto_Theropod]

Again, it pays to know what you are buying and dealing with before purchasing it....having said that, it is just as possible to purchase fake fossils from ...by example Morroco, and their mass market mosaurus jaws for instance etc. ..in America people that sell dinosaur bone often sneak in various types of jaspers, and woods that appear similar to bone but are not. The issue is not just with Chinese fossils, and a smart collector will take the time to learn what he/she is doing before purchasing, regardless where the material is from.

Quite right too. I wasn't implying that the Chinese fossils were the only dodgy ones - I personally no longer buy anything from Morocco, because the forgeries are getting better almost by the month. It's just too much of a risk. But in the end it doesn't matter what country they come from. What matters is common sense. For example, I once saw an American dealer trying to sell what looked to me like a mineral or a small piece of petrified wood as a fossilised Deinonychus tendon!

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I personally no longer buy anything from Morocco, because the forgeries are getting better almost by the month. It's just too much of a risk.

I think the same. The only Moroccan fossils I buy anymore are the polished orthoceras.

I bought a whole lot of fossils the other week at a flea market. Most of them were only a dollar but none came with ID

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I was told this was coral from Florida, but after consulting with others at another forum it looks like a stromatalite. I can't say if the location is correct but most of the other fossils appeared to be locally-found (I'm in South Central PA).

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Brachiopods from Deer Lake.  I have little doubt to the ID/location of these since I've seen them like this before.

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I think this is a trilobite negative-- again there is no information on location.

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Gastropod (which the seller somehow mistook for plant material  ). There are litle impressions of a gastropod and bivalve on the other side of the matrix.

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Lots of brachiopods. I don't know the species or anything but I think these are local. I don't know anything more about them except that they look cool.
And finally, this sphere, which is not a fossil but a nice one nonetheless:

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If anyone has any further ID or information about these or similar ones I'd appreciate it.

[Tyto_Theropod]

Nice haul - the brachiopods are especially lovely. I too think the first fossil looks more like a stromatolites than coral, but they could also be the result of non-biological phenomena (I've heard of something like this being incorrectly sold as stromatolites). Nevertheless, I personally think looking at the photo that stromatolites are the most likely candidates.

[DinoLord]

Your trilobite negative is just of the pygidium.

[Derek.McManus]

I collected some trilobites from the local coast as a child and was very amused to discover a beautifully preserved fern in a Chinese slate floor I had put down once.

[Megalosaurus]

[...]
I bought a whole lot of fossils the other week at a flea market. Most of them were only a dollar but none came with ID
[...]

Its amazing to have a fossil for such a cheap price.

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

While it's not particularly useful as a fossil field guide, Ashley Hall's (AKA LadyNaturalist) new book "Fossils For Kids" is a great way to get youngsters excited about fossil hunting if you want to take your little ones with you.
https://dinodadreviews.com/2020/07/28/fossils-for-kids/

[Giganotosaurus]

What are some genuine sites to buy fossils off of? I know they must be super expensive.

[Mononykus]

https://www.fossilera.com
They are good, and have stuff that varies from $5 to thousands.

[Faelrin]

Went to a fossil and mineral collecting event today with my father, and we got to meet @Pachyrhinosaurus in person. Well he invited me after all! Was pretty cool to see all that was had. Some stuff I had never seen before like Pyromorphite. One vendor even had a whole woolly rhino lower jaw for sale. If only I didn't just go blow so much on Mattel SDCC stuff I would have more to spend, lol.

I regret not grabbing pics, because I bet @Halichoeres would have had a field day with all the beautiful fossil fish specimens that were for sale then. I even recognized a few like Cyclobatis.

Ultimately I tried to keep spending low, and was mainly interested in one thing: I got my first trilobite specimens. These were found locally, about an hour away from where I live currently. Both belong to the genus Olenellus, which is one I was familiar with in my previous non stop research into all things Cambrian last year. Cute little things. Can only imagine how fun they would have been to hold in hand if they were still alive anyways.

I also got a piece of Kyanite that was found in the same state as well (and I mostly just got it because I just found it while playing Subnautica yesterday, which I got recently, and this was a new mineral to me), and a piece of Baltic amber with what appear to have tiny insects and insect bits (including wings on the one side).

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

It was nice meeting you, @Faelrin. This was the first year we had our show in that venue and it was our best yet.

Nice to see you got some local pieces. It's always great to appreciate fossils that were found in your own area.

I walked out with several trilobites and some nice fossil casts, but I think my favorite acquisition was an australaster starfish.

[Faelrin]

Oh those sound really nice. I think I saw one fossil of a few tiny starfish there. Not something seen often for sure.

Hope to visit again next year if its held. Hope I'm better prepared then too, lol.

And yeah this kind of reminds me of that other thread I made not too long ago, and where I did read up on the formation these were from, etc and how amazing it was to see there was so much around here. Seeing and having them in person really drives it home in a way reading about it just doesn't.

I guess it makes me feel lucky that we live so close to the remains of ancient ecosystem, and like a half billion years old. It might not be the famous Burgess Shale but I'd dare say these little ones are worth remembering too. I can only wonder what stories they could tell if they could, but I'll have to leave my imagination and whatever evidence is out there to fill it in instead.

[Halichoeres]

Very cool! I've never been to this particular show, but I've been to one in New Jersey, and probably saw some of the same sellers. It's kind of astonishing the things that are available in the private market!

[DinoToyCollector]

Hey,

I bought this little Trilobite in a shop but I have no idea of what it is. The shop stated it was found in Madagascar. I think it is a middle to late devonian Phacopida but I am by far no expert on this. Is there anyone having a more specified answer on what this is? The Trilobite is ~2,5 cm / 1 inch in length.

[Crackington]

Hi @DinoToyCollector, it looks like Phacops to me too, I have a similar fossil which I bought a few years back.

@Faelrin thanks for sharing your fossils too - looks like great haul and glad you were able to meet up with a fellow member at the rock and mineral show. Been missing these kind of events the last couple of years.

[Libraraptor]

I think reviving this thread made sense. The thread itself was in danger of becoming a fossil. I might have a few questions about an ammonite from the Devon my son found last week. Picture follows.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

That looks more like a proetid, from Morocco, not Madagascar. Inexpensive ammonites are common from Madagascar so it was probably a mix up.

Unfortunately, most Moroccan trilobites are either heavily restored or completely fabricated. I can't say for sure on yours though since I don't have it in-hand, but I try to avoid buying these types of fossils from dealers I'm not familiar with.

[Libraraptor]

In my area, we live on mostly Devonic clay shale and compact limestone. So I think what my son fond here is most likely a Goniatid?

[DinoToyCollector]

@Pachyrhinosaurus
I think you are right. Thank you. After doing some "research" (well, calling the shop) I noticed that I grabbed a Trilobite from the wrong box. So yes, it IS the typical Moroccan trilobite.