Fossils For Sale

Fossils For Sale News July 2009

Fossils for Sale — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:30:30 +0000

This is a new type of post from us, a regular quick summary of interesting fossil related stories from around the world wehave found that you may like to check out. Hope you like it!

Scientists Flesh Out Fossilized Tissues from Mummified Dinosaur (scientificamerican.com)
Australians scientists discover 3 new dinosaur species (cbc.ca)
Dinosaur mummy yields its secrets (news.bbc.co.uk)
Feathered dinosaur throws bird evolution into a flap (telegraph.co.uk)

HALITE HOPPER HABIT GREAT SALT LAKE UTAH MINERALS CRYSTALS GEMS ROCKS GEMSTONE 2
$3.95 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 32m

Lot of 10 Genuine BALTIC AMBER Pieces w FOSSIL INSECTS
$34.99
Time Remaining: 21d 3h 41m
Buy It Now for only: $34.99

FOSSIL SILICIFIED PELESIPOD MOROCCO FOSSILS MINERALS ROCKS FOSSILIZED 2a
$2.95 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 37m

MEGALODON Fossil Giant Shark Tooth All Natural Large 347
$13.50 (7 Bids)
Time Remaining: 39m

Ammonite Genuine Fossil Half 45in
$30.00
Time Remaining: 27d 16h 36m
Buy It Now for only: $30.00

ONYX CALCITE SPHERE PAKISTAN MINERALS CRYSTALS GEMS ROCKS GEMSTONES 2c
$6.95 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 40m

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Fossils For Sale News July 2009

Podcast Alley

Fossils for Sale — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:25:04 +0000

We now have a Podcast Alley feed:

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-49ef37da17fd3234401b4ab363421baf}

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Podcast Alley

Coral Fossil

Fossils for Sale — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:19:01 +0000

It may surprise some to learn that corals can also become fossils, but in fact the oldest fossil corals are some 450 million years old, from the Ordovican period. Corals are polyps (having a body sac) and a skelleton that can become fossilised, and may live as individulas or as a colony of many polyps, eventually forming a coral reef. They are some of the most beautiful and colourful of all marine creatures and make fascinating fossils for any collection!

824CT 49x30mm Coral Fossil Cab SAH7
$4.12 (5 Bids)
Time Remaining: 59m

China shape red coral natural branch made necklacedye k037
$16.99
Time Remaining: 24d 17h 45m
Buy It Now for only: $16.99

4105CT 100 Natural Polished Blue Coral Fossil Specimen Facet Rough YCO172
$2.24 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1h 4m

South sea shape Natural coral amulet pendant AC8099 8101
$1.09 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1h 19m

Aquarium Natural White Branch Coral Reef for Fish Tank Ornament Aquarium
$9.99
Time Remaining: 22d 1h 56m
Buy It Now for only: $9.99

South sea shape Natural coral amulet pendant AC8102 8104
$2.25 (5 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1h 20m

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Coral Fossil

Dinosaur Fossils For Sale

Fossils for Sale — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:46:18 +0000

When most people think of fossils they immediately think of complete dinosaur skeletons such as a giant T Rex, complete in all its details. The truth is that there are far more incomplete skeletons or mere fragments of dinosaur bone than complete skeletons out there. For most people and many collectors the thought of owning or finding a dinosaur fossil, even if only a small piece of bone is very exciting. But, beware fakes abound, so check out our fossil buyer's guide before taking the plunge!

So, if you want to own a genuine fossilised part of a dinosaur, check below!

SC 19 Pounds of Agatized Dinosaur Bone Lot U
$50.00
Time Remaining: 1h 38m

Utah Dinosaur Bone Fragments Rough Dino Bone lot of fossil specimens 2 pounds+
$40.00
Time Remaining: 29d 10h 42m
Buy It Now for only: $40.00

SC 15 Pounds of Agatized Dinosaur Bone Lot 49
$30.00
Time Remaining: 15h 8m

Gorgeous Fossil Dinosaur Bone Genuine Authentic Fossilized Treasure Cretaceous
$145.00
Time Remaining: 20h 5m

New Deinonychus Jurassic dinosaur fossil velociraptor claw replica 43 4 inch
$10.95
Time Remaining: 1d 1h 46m
Buy It Now for only: $10.95

Large Complete Fossil Dinosaur Bone Genuine Authentic Fossilized Treasure
$195.00 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 20h 12m

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Dinosaur Fossils For Sale

Megalodon Teeth For Sale

Fossils for Sale — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:12:10 +0000

There is much interest in the Megalodon shark amongst fossil collectors and the curious. The Megalodon shark was a giant shark that lived from about 1.5 million years ago to 18,000,000 years ago, living during the Miocene and Pliocene ages, becoming extinct during the Pliocene. It was the largest carnivorous shark and indeed the largest carnivorous fish known to have existed and may be the largest shark to have ever lived. They could grow up to 16 m in length (more than 49 feet) and had jaws over 2 m wide. It used to prey on whales and other large marine animals and was at the top of the food chain.

Like all sharks, Megalodon is a cartilaginous Fish, i.e. it has no bony skeleton but is rather largely made up of cartilage. From the fossil point of view, this means that the only part of its body likely to be fossilised are the teeth. Megalodon teeth are much sought after by collectors not least because of their sheer size and ancient age. Many other types of fossilised shark teeth are also available, but it is the Megalodon shark and its teeth that catches peoples imagination.

Below are some examples of Megalodon shark teeth for sale. Many collectors would love to add a Megalodon tooth to their collection of fossil shark teeth.

MEGALODON Fossil Giant Shark Tooth All Natural Large 347
$13.50 (7 Bids)
Time Remaining: 39m

Incredible Gold Pyrite Georgia Megalodon Fossil Shark Tooth teeth
$899.00
Time Remaining: 9d 19h 31m
Buy It Now for only: $899.00

MEGALODON Fossil Giant Sharks Teeth Ocean No Repairs 387
$11.50 (3 Bids)
Time Remaining: 46m

MEGALODON Fossil Giant Sharks Teeth Ocean No Repairs 541 Huge Tooth
$21.50 (5 Bids)
Time Remaining: 50m

NEW IMPROVED DISPLAY STAND FOR MEGALODON SHARK TOOTH TEETH MEGLADON FOSSIL
$11.99
Time Remaining: 6d 23h 33m
Buy It Now for only: $11.99

507 Inch Megalodon Fossil Shark Tooth Teeth 94 oz
$29.00 (13 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1h 21m

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Megalodon Teeth For Sale

Trilobite Fossils For Sale

Fossils for Sale — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:43:49 +0000

After the ammonite, trilobites must be most commonly known and collected fossils. The trilobite is part of an extinct group of arthropods that lived in the sea over 350 million years ago. Trilobites existed during the Palaeozoic era from the lower Cambrian until the late Permian periods. They have no modern forms-95% of all marine life became extinct in the Permian extinction event, though they are closely related to crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs. In appearance the nearest living equivalent is probably the wood louse or pill bug, though this is obviously no relative however distant. The segmented body is however rather reminiscent of the trilobite. The name trilobite derives from the fact that the body of a trilobite can be divided in length three ways into two outer lobes and the central lobe. Trilobites had compound eyes like many crustaceans and insects do today and in fact the eyes of the trilobite are the most ancient visual perception system known. Like woodlice trilobites had the ability to roll up tucking their tails underneath them for protection and indeed some have been found fossilised in this state. There were many thousands of species of trilobites and most are about 2 to 10 cm in length but a few species grew to nearly 1 m in length.

Trilobites are favourite fossil for collectors easily available in common forms although some varieties are rare and consequently much sought-after. Have a look to see what is currently available to buy below:

TRILOBITE FOSSIL LaFARGE QUARRY PAULDING COUNTY OHIO
$17.50 (7 Bids)
Time Remaining: 3h 38m

Elrathia Trilobite Fossil in a Light Colored Cambrian Era Matrix from Utah
$9.99
Time Remaining: 28d 15h 16m
Buy It Now for only: $9.99

Asaphus lepidurus trilobite natural composition nice display
$140.00
Time Remaining: 5h 8m

trilobite fossil
$1.00 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 9h 29m

A Nice Elrathia Trilobite Fossils in Matrix from Cambrian Utah
$14.99
Time Remaining: 25d 1h 21m
Buy It Now for only: $14.99

TRILOBITE FOSSIL Eldredgeia venustus dinosaur mineral antique megalodon ammonite
$4.25 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 13h 23m

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Trilobite Fossils For Sale

Raw Amber

Fossils for Sale — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:27:01 +0000

Raw amber is amber in its natural raw form without any form of polishing processing or otherwise being adulterated. It is commonly used by people intending to produce amber jewellery or the like. To find out more about amber have a look at our article 'what is amber?', and to find out how to go about buying amber check out our amber buyers guide.

We have a wide range of raw amber available including Baltic amber and Dominican amber-please have a look at our current range!

Raw Baltic Amber Genuine Fossil Stones
$1.34 (4 Bids)
Time Remaining: 8h 29m

Genuine Raw Baltic Amber Necklace Cognac Color 45 cm 177 in Unpolished
$15.99
Time Remaining: 17d 19h 45m
Buy It Now for only: $15.99

Raw baltic amber necklace for child 33 cm 13 in 6 g
$10.99
Time Remaining: 28d 14h 45m
Buy It Now for only: $10.99

100 Natural Baltic Amber Stone Raw Rough MIX 100 grams
$10.00 (4 Bids)
Time Remaining: 15h 20m

Raw polished baltic amber necklace for adult 45 47 cm
$9.99
Time Remaining: 9d 15h 53m
Buy It Now for only: $9.99

NATURAL RAW BALTIC AMBER NO HOLED AMBER LOOSE STONES 1 Kg
$79.00
Time Remaining: 28d 12h 1m
Buy It Now for only: $79.00

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Raw Amber

Ammonite Fossils

Fossils for Sale — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:44:50 +0000

The fossil ammonite is the classic fossil-what the man in the street thinks of when asked what fossil looks like. ammonites lived in the seas for about 140 million years, becoming extinct approximately 65 million years ago, about the same time as the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. They first appeared during the Carboniferous period approximately 208,000,000 years ago becoming very abundant in the prehistoric seas. Ammonites belong to the group of creatures known as cephalopods, a group of creatures that today includes the ammonites closest living relatives such as the cuttlefish, octopus and squid. The only living creature that gives us a close approximation to the ammonite is the Nautilus which has very similar spiral shell structure.

The majority of ammonites have the characteristic coiled shell that is internally split into a number of small chambers. The ammonite itself lived in one of these chambers and when it grew too large for its current living chamber it formed a new one adjacent to the existing living chamber and then moved into it. This constant adding of chambers gives rise to the characteristic spiral shape of ammonites. The empty chambers were filled with gas and use to provide buoyancy in the ocean. Ammonites range in size from the quite small to the very large with large specimens commonly having shells of a metre across and weighing perhaps 100 kg. The very largest ammonites had shells with a diameter of 2.2 m.

The great thing about ammonites is as they were so prolific in the prehistoric oceans there are many many ammonite fossils to be found now. Indeed a short walk along the foreshore at Charmouth last summer produced severa,l much to my son's delight! They can also be easily found on the beaches to the west of Lyme Regis. A properly prepared ammonite can be a thing of beauty - have a look at the range shown below to see what is currently available:

1865CT 100 Iridescent Ammonite Ammolite Facet Rough Specimen Fossil YAM4522
$22.00 (14 Bids)
Time Remaining: 46m

2277g pretty Polished Split Ammonite Fossil Pair Slices Madagascar+stand
$19.75
Time Remaining: 29d 23h 17m
Buy It Now for only: $19.75

5525 Cut Split PAIR Ammonite Deep Crystal Cavity LARGE 40 Fossil 110 MYO 99mm
$10.50 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 52m

13034CT Iridescent Meseum Grade Ammonite Ammolite Facet Specimen Fossil YAM4614
$90.75 (11 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1h

2047g pretty Polished Split Ammonite Fossil Pair Slices Madagascar+stand
$19.50
Time Remaining: 29d 9h 38m
Buy It Now for only: $19.50

5505 Cut Split PAIR Ammonite Deep Crystal Cavity LARGE 30 Fossil 110 MYO 75mm
$10.00 (4 Bids)
Time Remaining: 1h 7m

Post from: Fossils For Sale

Ammonite Fossils

Fish Fossils

Fossils for Sale — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:16:26 +0000

Fish fossils are amongst the most popular fossils to collect. Ranging from pieces of the larger fish bones such as vertebrae, to complete skeletons or a ghostly outline of a fish in the rock, they are perennially popular with collectors and the curious. With such a wide range of types of fish fossil available, there is something for everyone from pocket money prices to the rare and consequently expensive! Have a look what we currently have on offer or come back soon when we are sure to have different items for you to check out.

If you are new to fossil collecting, you might like to check out our fossil buyer's guide to help you in your quest.

Fish Fossil
$5.00
Time Remaining: 16h 23m

1 Small Green River Fish Fossil Plate 50 Million Years Old
$6.99
Time Remaining: 14d 12h 46m
Buy It Now for only: $6.99

small Fish Fossil
$5.00
Time Remaining: 16h 27m

Large High Quality Diplomystus Fossil Fish from Kemmemer Wyoming
$66.00 (5 Bids)
Time Remaining: 22h 36m

CLEAN Large 1 7 8th Enchodus Saber toothed Herring Fish Tooth Fossil 0001
$17.00
Time Remaining: 28d 23h 8m
Buy It Now for only: $17.00

Large High Quality Mioplosus Fossil Fish from Kemmemer Wyoming
$220.00
Time Remaining: 22h 47m
Buy It Now for only: $289.00

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Fish Fossils

Insects in Amber – Amber Inclusions

Fossils for Sale — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:43:30 +0000

One of the most exciting finds is a piece of Amber with something trapped within it. Made famous by the film Jurassic Park insects in Amber are rare and fascinating survivors from the distant past. Properly called inclusions, many different things can become trapped in amber. How? Amber is fossilised tree resin so millions of years ago resin oozing from a tree could trap an insect in its sticky embrace. When the tree resin turns over millions of years into Amber, the insect becomes preserved for all time within the Amber. It is not just insects that can be found trapped in amber, but often plant material including rarely flowers and other small animals such as frogs and sometimes even larger insects. This is very rare however, and many of the examples of larger trapped creatures are in fact fake-have a look at our Amber buyer's guide for some tips to help you avoid these. The most obvious thing to watch for is a very obviously posed specimen trapped in a perfect shaped piece of Amber. In reality what you're most likely to find are flies trapped in irregular shaped pieces of Amber and trapped in such a way as it is obvious that they were struggling and not posing for the camera! Have a look at what is currently available on eBay which is a great source for Amber inclusions!

Fossil Insect Inclusions in Genuine Baltic Amber Stones 10 pcs 36 grams
$29.99
Time Remaining: 16h 27m
Buy It Now for only: $39.00

Fossil Insect Inclusion Genuine Polished BALTIC AMBER SPIDER s130521 3
$59.99
Time Remaining: 29d 13h 40m
Buy It Now for only: $59.99

Fossil Insect Inclusions in Genuine Baltic Amber Stones 10 pcs 66 grams
$29.99
Time Remaining: 16h 44m
Buy It Now for only: $39.00

GENUINE BALTIC AMBER WITH FOSSIL INSECT INCLUSION A43
$8.01 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 20h 33m

Genuine Baltic amber stone with flies fossil insect inclusion 050 grams
$15.00
Time Remaining: 27d 18h 18m
Buy It Now for only: $15.00

GENUINE BALTIC AMBER WITH FOSSIL INSECT INCLUSION A37
$4.95
Time Remaining: 20h 34m

Post from: Fossils For Sale

Insects in Amber – Amber Inclusions

Amber Buyer’s Guide

Fossils for Sale — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:19:17 +0000

Amber comes in many different shapes sizes and colours and can be very beautiful indeed. This quick article or Amber tutorial will give you an overview to enable you to make an educated buying decision. Amber comes in many colours apart from the traditional yellow, honey like colour. It can very in shade from nearly white through pale lemon yellow to a very dark brown or nearly black. Red or cherry amber also exists, as does blue and green coloured Amber, though this is very rare. Some pieces of Amber are transparent or nearly clear, but others are cloudy or completely opaque.

Amber is often described by the location of its origin the most common being Baltic amber and amber from the Dominican Republic. Baltic amber may also be referred to by its country of location, for example Lithuania or perhaps Polish amber. Some Amber, sometimes called Sunburst Amber, has inclusions frequently called sunspots which are small disc shaped shiny and glittery marks inside the Amber. In real amber these inclusions are very small in size and irregular in shape. it is of course also possible to find other inclusions in amber for example, insects in amber made famous by the movie Jurassic Park. Not only insects, but sometimes even small animals and flowers or plant material have been found but these are really quite rare.

So what else do you need to look out for when buying a number? Before we get on to the business of fake amber, there are a couple of things that you should be aware of when buying Amber. Firstly, Amber referred to as genuine or pressed Amber is actually a larger piece of Amber made out of small pieces that have been melted together under high pressure. Genuine amber will usually result in much more even shaped and larger pieces of Amber them would ever be found naturally. Not necessarily a problem, but nice to know what you are buying! It is also possible to fake sunburst amber, or rather the inclusions in the amber, by heating the amber in rapeseed oil. To tell the difference between real sunburst amber and this manufactured version have a look at the inclusions. In the real article inclusion is a very small and in regular in shape-in the fake they will tend to be much larger and more uniform in shape normally disc shaped or half round. Another thing to watch out for is being sold copal as Amber. Copal is much younger than Amber typically 10,000 years old or so. It is tree resin that is not yet undergone the full polymerisation process to harden sufficiently to be considered Amber. Read on for tests that can help you tell the difference. Finally, when buying jewellery that is claimed to be red and amber, green amber or blue amber, be aware that sometimes very light coloured amber is used with the rear of the amber coated with jeweller's colour paste or burnt to give it the appearance of being one of the more rare and expensive colours of Amber.

Sadly Amber is often faked, either as described previously or even through the use of plastic resins. The rare cases of insects in Amber also give the unscrupulous the temptation to fake these. So how can you tell when a piece of Amber is genuine? Here are some ideas for tests that you could carry out to help you confirm that your piece of Amber is the real deal!

1. Static test.

Real amber will become electrostatically charged when warm, so rub the piece of amber briskly against a natural fabric. if electrostatic charged, it will attract and pick up small pieces of paper.

2. Buoyancy test.

Real amber will float in seawater, so put your amber in a cup of water in which you have dissolved 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Amber should float, most fakes will sink.

3. The hot needle or burning test.

Heat a sewing needle or similar in a candle flame (taking care not to burn yourself-it will get hot!) and place the hot point of the needle somewhere on the Amber where it is not likely to be noticed. Amber were usually burn with a blackish smoke, copal with a whitish smoke, although sometimes Amber may also give off a whitish smoke. Plastic will give off black smoke. The real trick here is to note the smell given off. Plastic will burn with an unpleasant and acrid smell. Amber will probably give off a slight pine or resinous smell. Amber will also not melt unlike copal and plastic.

4. The acetone or nail varnish remover test.

Put a few drops of acetone (nail varnish remover) on the Amber. Real Amber will be unaffected by this whereas copal will become slightly sticky to the touch as it is not quite as hard as Amber. Most plastics will also become soft and tacky when treated with a solvent like this.

5. The fluorescence test.

Amber will fluoresce when an ultraviolet light is shone on it so if you have access to an ultraviolet light (sometimes called a black light) this is a simple way to tell if your piece of Amber is the real thing.

6. The sense test.

By this I mean just applying common sense. For example Amber is tree resin and so it is unlikely that you will find a genuine large piece of Amber several inches across. By the same token it is a natural material and again it is unlikely that you will find something perfectly shaped. Natural materials tend by their nature to be irregular. When looking at Amber inclusions such as insects in Amber think whether the insect looks posed or is it in the pose of an insect trapped and struggling to escape? An insect that looks like it is just posed a photograph is very unlikely to have been trapped naturally. Also when an insect is trapped it is quite common for other debris to be trapped at the same time. A single insect right in the middle of a perfect piece of Amber should ring the warning bells!

Fossil Insect Inclusions in Genuine Baltic Amber Stones 10 pcs 36 grams
$29.99
Time Remaining: 16h 27m
Buy It Now for only: $39.00

Fossil Insect Inclusion Genuine Polished BALTIC AMBER SPIDER s130521 3
$59.99
Time Remaining: 29d 13h 40m
Buy It Now for only: $59.99

Fossil Insect Inclusions in Genuine Baltic Amber Stones 10 pcs 66 grams
$29.99
Time Remaining: 16h 44m
Buy It Now for only: $39.00

GENUINE BALTIC AMBER WITH FOSSIL INSECT INCLUSION A43
$8.01 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 20h 33m

Genuine Baltic amber stone with flies fossil insect inclusion 050 grams
$15.00
Time Remaining: 27d 18h 18m
Buy It Now for only: $15.00

GENUINE BALTIC AMBER WITH FOSSIL INSECT INCLUSION A37
$4.95
Time Remaining: 20h 34m

Post from: Fossils For Sale

Amber Buyer’s Guide

What is Amber?

Fossils for Sale — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:39:52 +0000

Although it might not look like what is commonly thought of as a fossil, Amber is indeed a fossil. Much appreciated for its colour and beauty it is often treated as a gemstone and comes in a range of colours not just the classic amber colour. In fact it can range in colour from white through pale lemon yellow all the way up to Brown or even black. There are even more rare colours available such as red Amber (often called Cherry Amber) and even green and blue Amber. These other colours are rare and much sought-after. Amber itself can be completely transparent, cloudy or even opaque. Opaque amber is opaque because of the myriad of minute bubbles it contains.

So how does Amber form? What is it? As already mentioned Amber is a fossil. It is in fact fossil tree resin - not sap as it is often believed to be. Most genuine amber is between 30 and 90 million years old and usually comes from resin produced by coniferous trees although Amber can also be produced from resin secreted by deciduous trees such as the cherry or plum tree. Amber can also come from resin produced by eucalyptus trees and indeed many other types of tree. The resin is commonly secreted by the tree when it is under stress such as in periods of climate change. This resin becomes trapped and hardens over millions of years to form Amber. Younger resin is commonly referred to as copal, which looks very much like real amber but is not as yet changed sufficiently to become full Amber. Amber's chemical name is succcinite and the process by which it actually forms is a type of polymerisation of the natural organic compounds in the resin.

Where is Amber found?

The most common place to find Amber it is on the shores of the Baltic Sea or in the Dominican Republic although it is sometimes found in many other areas including washed up on the beaches of the east coast of the UK. Amber can be collected from these deposits washed upon the beaches but it can also be commercially mined. The Amber deposits of the Dominican Republic and the Baltic are believed to be the world's largest and hence most of the Amber used in jewellery comes from these sources. If you are lucky you may even be able to find a piece of Amber yourself on the seashore. For the rest of us there is always eBay! Have a look at our other articles about Amber including our very useful Amber buyer's guide-don't get caught out and end up buying fake amber.

4g Natural Golden Baltic Amber Handmade Carving Torch Pendant CHP493
$19.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 1h 7m

Lot of 10 Genuine BALTIC AMBER Pieces w FOSSIL INSECTS
$34.99
Time Remaining: 21d 3h 41m
Buy It Now for only: $34.99

Unique Hundreds Of Dolichopodidaes In Dominican Amber Fossil Jurassic Park
$500.00
Time Remaining: 2h 50m
Buy It Now for only: $2,121.00

CANTHARIDAE Large Soldier Beetle in Genuine BALTIC AMBER + HQ Picture
$0.99 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 14h 32m

Fossil Insect Inclusion Genuine Polished BALTIC AMBER SPIDER s130521 3
$59.99
Time Remaining: 29d 13h 40m
Buy It Now for only: $59.99

BEETLE w SERRATE ANTENNAE in Genuine BALTIC AMBER + HQ Picture
$2.25 (2 Bids)
Time Remaining: 14h 35m

Post from: Fossils For Sale

What is Amber?

Fossil Buyers Guide

Fossils for Sale — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:29:43 +0000

Perhaps you've just recently become interested in collecting fossils or perhaps it's been a long-term interest. Maybe you've even found some fossils of your own and are now thinking of adding more to your collection? Whatever your reasons there can be no doubt that fossil collecting can be a very rewarding and enjoyable hobby and very educational to boot! Indeed fossils can be wonderful decorative items for your home also with a large collection looking particularly impressive.

There are not many guides available for the 'newbie' fossil collector and most that do exist are are far from comprehensive. In a article like this it is not possible to cover the enormous breadth of the field of fossil collecting - in fact it may be that there is no other field of collectables that requires the depth and breadth of knowledge that collecting fossils requires. A good place to start for the new collector is with one of the collector's guide books that can be found. Try your local library or indeed just web searches to get some pointers. However there is no general guide on the market equivalent to the antiques price guides that can be found if collecting antiques is your hobby. This leads to the new collector being at somewhat of a disadvantage when appraising fossils for sale, which given the wide availability of fossils these days (especially on eBay) is a potential issue.

EBay has revolutionised many collectable markets and the fossil market is no exception. There is now a very wide range of fossils for sale on eBay, ranging in price from pocket money fossils to those potentially costing many thousands of pounds. With this in mind it's worth spending some time covering the possible pitfalls awaiting the unwary eBay fossil buyer. Of course any buyer on eBay should take some basic precautions when buying - please have a look at our general eBay buyer's guide for things to look out for. I hope this doesn't put you off - there really are some wonderful fossils for sale on eBay with many many helpful and honest sellers. In all things eBay you should take the time to ensure that you are getting what you think you are getting. The wise eBay buyer is an informed eBay buyer! With that in mind read on for some hints and tips that should help you in buying fossils on eBay.

The first thing you should do when considering buying fossils on eBay is to spend some time watching the market and studying the types of fossils available and the sellers selling them. Spend a week or two browsing and window shopping for fossils to get a feel for what is available and for individual sellers. Study sellers feedbacks and any information they have in their shop (if they have one) to further this process. Does the seller seem knowledgeable and indeed an expert in their field? Bear in mind that given the enormous breadth of types of fossils out there that the seller may sometimes not actually really know what an individual fossil they are selling is. In other words, don't always take what the seller says a fossil is for granted. Ideally, you as the collector will want to be able to identify fossils for yourself. This is especially necessary in cases where the fossil is commanding a high price - high quality and rare fossils may appreciate in value over time and it is very easy to spend a lot of money on fossils that will never even be worth what was paid for them. This is another reason to study the market for a while before buying. This way you will have a better feel for the prices that are likely to be charged for a particular type of fossil. Hence you will be less likely to buy something that is priced significantly above the norm. When buying a fossil on eBay, set your price and stick to it - if bidding, don't get caught up in a bidding war.

The biggest issue with buying fossils on eBay is being caught by fake fossils. Sadly there are many traders that are only too happy to sell fake fossils either through greed or simply because they themselves don't know that the fossil is a fake. Be especially wary of fossils being sold from China or Morocco, dinosaur eggs being a classic example of the type of fossil that is readily and commonly faked. You should be especially wary when buying from China as the Chinese government has largely banned fossil exporting from China. Chinese fossils are treated as cultural artefacts by the Chinese government and as such require permission to be exported. This permission is not usually given. So when you see a fossil on sale on eBay from China you have to ask yourself is it real? As mentioned, particularly affected by the fakery are things like dinosaur eggs, birds, turtle shells, mammals or even dinosaurs skulls and skeletons . How are they faked? Frequently skulls can be made up of crushed bone powder fragments of real bone and glue or resin. Teeth from dinosaurs can be made up of several partial fossils glued together. Teeth can also be formed from ground up bone and resin as can dinosaur claws or horns. Another tell-tale sign is a complete skeleton arranged in an almost laughably perfect pose, as if the creature had died whilst having its photograph taken! Then it would seem to have been fossilised without the slightest bit of movement or crushing in the hundreds of millions of years that have elapsed. Sometimes entire fossils are made up in a plastic mould, glued to rock and then dusted with rock powder to make them look real. Others can be entirely carved into the matrix (this is the rock that surrounds our fossil and from which it emerges) with varying degrees of skill. Sometimes skulls from modern animals are used and aged to to look like fossils artificially. Dinosaur eggs can be carved from rock.

This all sounds rather depressing but in reality there are many genuine sellers and a genuine fossils to be found on eBay. Don't let the warnings above put you off, eBay can be a fantastic place to find a real bargain or the missing item for your collection. In many cases even fake items can look impressive if used for decoration only - provided you knew what you were buying was fake and it was priced accordingly. In this case it would probably be described as a replica or reproduction.

Good luck with the hunt for fossils for your collection!

HALITE HOPPER HABIT GREAT SALT LAKE UTAH MINERALS CRYSTALS GEMS ROCKS GEMSTONE 2
$3.95 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 32m

Incredible Gold Pyrite Georgia Megalodon Fossil Shark Tooth teeth
$899.00
Time Remaining: 9d 19h 31m
Buy It Now for only: $899.00

FOSSIL SILICIFIED PELESIPOD MOROCCO FOSSILS MINERALS ROCKS FOSSILIZED 2a
$2.95 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 37m

MEGALODON Fossil Giant Shark Tooth All Natural Large 347
$13.50 (7 Bids)
Time Remaining: 39m

420 Large Megalodon Shark Fossil
$48.00
Time Remaining: 29d 14h 59m
Buy It Now for only: $48.00

ONYX CALCITE SPHERE PAKISTAN MINERALS CRYSTALS GEMS ROCKS GEMSTONES 2c
$6.95 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 39m

Post from: Fossils For Sale

Fossil Buyers Guide

What are fossils?

Fossils for Sale — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:43:21 +0000

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals and occasionally plants from many millions of years ago. Preserved remains of animals that are older than approximately 10,000 years are usually considered to be fossils, though a more strict interpretation would probably require them to be a few million years old. Fossils are found in layers of sedimentary rock and can vary in size from the very very small (such as fossilised bacteria) to the very large such as the skeletons of large animals including dinosaurs. Usually fossils that are found show only a portion of the individual animal that was fossilised. Normally it is only the hard portions of an animals body that are preserved in this way, for example their bones and teeth. Soft tissues tend not to survive and so it is very rare to find any fossil record of them. It's also possible to find fossilised traces of the animal for example footprints or even fossilised faeces - yes you can even get fossilised dinosaur poo!

So how do fossils actually form? There are a number of different processes and different types of fossilisation possible. As an example consider the fossilisation of a shellfish. When the animal dies it will slowly sink to the bottom of the sea and gradually become covered with sand or silt. The animal's body decomposes or is eaten by scavengers. As time passes the shell gets covered by more and more layers of silt gradually becoming deep and deeper under the sea floor. Over a period of many tens of thousands of years the shell gradually undergoes a series of changes. The chemicals in the shell gradually become replaced by minerals (frequently things like calcite, Iron or silica) coming from water that is passing through the shell and layers of silt. This type of fossilisation is called permineralisation. This carries on over many millions of years until eventually it results in the replacement of all of the shell with the minerals. This leaves the fossil with the shape of the original animals shell but now actually entirely composed of rock. Now we have a fossil buried deep in the rock under the seabed.

So how does it eventually come to be found? Over a period of many millions of years geological changes and movements in the Earth's crust result in what was originally the seabed being pushed up until it is no longer the seabed, but new dry land. More geological changes and the further action of the wind and rain (through a process called erosion) eventually lead to the rock bearing the fossil being exposed leaving the fossil ready to be found. The very last stage in its journey back to the light may be with the help of a geologists hammer!

As previously mentioned there are a number of ways an organism can become fossilised. We have already discussed permineralisation where the original soft tissues are replaced with minerals such as silica calcite or iron pyrite. Other ways organisms can become fossilised include carbonisation, unaltered preservation, recrystallisation and authigenic preservation. In unaltered preservation the organism is preserved as it originally was because it is protected for other effects and decomposition in some way. The classic example of this is an insect that becomes trapped in tree sap which over millions of years turns to Amber, preserving the insect in its entirety. Carbonisation (sometimes also called coalification) results in everything but carbon being removed from the organism. Authigenic preservation refers to fossils of molds or casts of organisms that themselves have entirely decomposed leaving just the cast preserved in the rock. These are fossil equivalents of the worm casts that you often find on a sandy beach. Finally recrystallisation describes the process where crystals form inside the structure of the organism. These crystals eventually replace it entirely - leaving just a crystallised copy.

The different types of mineral that replacing the original organisms structure in permineralisation often result in the final fossil having a distinctive appearance. For example in the case of an ammonite when fossilised these can show considerably different appearances depending on the mineral in question. The ammonites you usually find look like the rock they come from but it is also quite common to find pyritised ammonites which show a lovely golden metallic sheen.

Hopefully this is given you an idea of how fossils come to be and what they are. Have a look through the rest of the website or some of our recommended links to find out much more!

HALITE HOPPER HABIT GREAT SALT LAKE UTAH MINERALS CRYSTALS GEMS ROCKS GEMSTONE 2
$3.95 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 32m

Incredible Gold Pyrite Georgia Megalodon Fossil Shark Tooth teeth
$899.00
Time Remaining: 9d 19h 31m
Buy It Now for only: $899.00

FOSSIL SILICIFIED PELESIPOD MOROCCO FOSSILS MINERALS ROCKS FOSSILIZED 2a
$2.95 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 37m

MEGALODON Fossil Giant Shark Tooth All Natural Large 347
$13.50 (7 Bids)
Time Remaining: 39m

1 Small Green River Fish Fossil Plate 50 Million Years Old
$6.99
Time Remaining: 14d 12h 46m
Buy It Now for only: $6.99

ONYX CALCITE SPHERE PAKISTAN MINERALS CRYSTALS GEMS ROCKS GEMSTONES 2c
$6.95 (1 Bid)
Time Remaining: 39m

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What are fossils?

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