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Showing results for tags 'collecting'.
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Expectations for "Imperfect" Fossils vs. Budget
Mochaccino posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
Hello, As someone who has only started collecting fossils over the past several months and exclusively via purchasing, I wanted to ask people on this forum what their thoughts are on "imperfect" fossils; namely, their approaches and advice to tempering expectations for imperfections in a fossil given one's limited budget. It's no surprise that better-preserved higher quality specimens fetch significantly higher prices, and in general I'd rather spend more for a good, representative specimen than get a cheap, "bad" one. But prices can increase exponentially with increasi -
Has anyone been to the Spanish Fork Canyon near mill creek for collecting Eocene shells recently. Is this area still accessible off skyline drive?
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I should have done this earlier, but my trip plans only just jelled. I'm going to be in the Canon City area next week, with some side trips to South Park. Any tips anyone cares to share on fossil hunting sites? I've already been pointed at Baculite Mesa and I'll be camping practically on top of the Ordovician beds north of Canon City. Also thinking of Box Canyon further west. I've heard there are good sites near Trout Creek Pass but I don't have a precise location.
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Hello, all! I am brand new to collecting. I have always had an interest in all things ancient, but it’s grown specific to dinosaurs and their kin. Recently, I made the plunge and bought my first ever tooth (megaladon). I have yet to receive it but want to make sure I display it properly. With two littles running around, I don’t dare leave it on the stand and was considering displaying it in a shadow box or a display case mounted adult eye level on the wall. Is this a huge, cringeworthy “just no” move? Also, if displayed in a shadow box I would obviously not use glue or sc
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As a later summer vacation we decided to do a road trip - Tour de France. France having many interesting destinations and things to do and collecting fossils would be one of them. As we usually don’t plan our trips beyond a few days ahead also the fossil locations were decided on the road. But when reading about Carniol it became clear it was one we had to include. Other non fossil highlights of the trip were Bordeaux, the Pyrenees, Toulouse (great museum of natural history), Lyon and of course Pont du Gard. When finding out about Carniol I did some further reading on how to get th
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Hello FF members: I’m going out to visit Penn Dixie and go on a field trip with PRI in a couple weeks, and I was wondering whether anyone might be willing to point me to an additional collecting site or two roughly between Syracuse and Buffalo. I’m mostly interested in brachiopods, mollusks, and microfossils, but that’s not a hard limit. Don’t want to steal anyone’s honey hole, but I remember from (many) years back that there were sometimes creek or road cuts that could afford a few hours of leisurely collecting. I’m happy to trade issues of Fossil News magazine if that’s of any in
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I don´t know if I can find the time to prepare fossil hunting trip reports for TFF regularly. However, I will at least try to prepare them regularly for my personal website in pdf format. I would like to share them with you. They are in German, though: Fossil Hunting Trips 2021 (link to my personal website) Thanks! Franz Bernhard
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Hello all, I just wanted ask some advice from more experienced collectors about the direction I should take my collection in. I’m recently married and do cannot afford to by every fossil that takes my fancy anymore. As a result I’ll be saving up my money but I’d also like to take my collecting down a more specific route also. I had been collecting Proboscidean teeth for a while, but my heart is still set on dinosaurs. As I want to focus on a specific group but I want advice on which is the most worth my time. I’ve pretty much excluded theropods for a variety of reasons,
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Hello all For the last years, my main focus of collecting was the Kem Kem beds, where I tried to get every species represented in my collection. Something that's been going quite well, but is getting harder and harder to do. Some of my main bucket list items from there are extremely hard to get. Last year I started collecting stuff from the Elrhaz formation as well, which is also been going quite well. Now I want to start collecting a third ecosystem. The main focus will still be Kem Kem, but I want to start getting a bit more diversity in my collection. The goal is to
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So my wife has a business trip coming up in Sept. I'm going with her and want stuff to do on the few days she's at the office there. End of the week we are hitting up some museum places around Morrison. I'm also thinking of hitting up the Florissant Fossil Quarry, because that's at least one place I can go and find something myself. I mean I'm certainly going to buy a few fossils on the trip because well why not. So there are a few things I'll visit without her just because I don't mind the hikes. I'd kind of like to find a few things myself and I know absolutely nothi
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Hey everyone, I’m new to the forum but loved fossils all my life and recently got into building a nice collection. I have a chance to acquire a very nice Ammolite Ammonite at a decent price. I’m curious though are they more desirable in or out of the matrix? The one I’m considering has lovely colors including blue and purple and is out of the matrix. Was just curious before spending that kind of coin if I should consider in matrix. Thanks in advance! Lee
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I have several professional relationships with renowned paleontologists. Collecting ethics is a topic that I have discussed with them and other hobbyists at length. Note: I am a hobbyist and fossil collector. There appear to be a number of legitimate "scientific" concerns: 1. Do field "collectors" (hobbyists) know the difference between common and uncommon (rare) fossils they discover? 2. Do hobbyists know how to properly excavate and document fossil discoveries? This includes professional excavation techniques, proper formation and strata ID, pictures, field not
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Today was I was in a large Home Improvement store and in the flooring section I saw these cool little 8” by 8” pieces of carpet. Right when I saw them, I could see myself lying on the ground at St. Leon, Indiana, looking in the butter shale for trilobites and complaining about rocks digging into my elbows. I will place a couple of these in my pack when I collect. They don’t weigh anything, can be used for my elbows or knees and the best part is- they are FREE.
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I am always looking for different cases to take with me when I am collecting fossils (Non Mazon Creek). I picked this nice little, thin (2”) plastic carrying case. This case will be perfect for collecting road cuts that contain different species of fossils. I can’t wait to try this one out. Purchased at a large box home improvement store for $5.99.
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This has come up a bit around the forums lately, and with the shopping holidays just around the corner, I figure it is a good time to open up this can of worms! Well that and I am buying up equipment for my new earth sciences students to use, so might as well dig two trilobites with one hammer... But first, a few disclaimers: I will use brand names for some items. This is not an endorsement, but a statement on quality/price/durability, etc. With tools, not all manufacturers are the same. Why buy junk ten times, when you can buy the pro-grade once the first time?
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I love to use Plano plastic trays to store fossils at home or when I am in the field. Today I stopped at the Plano Outlet store in Plano, Illinois. I pass by Plano all of the time and never put it together that Plano, Illinois is where Plano Manufacturing was located- go figure, but enough about that. I stopped here last week to check it out and went back again today to get the below pictured item, I got it for $34.99, which is about 1/3 of the price on line, outlet stores are alright by me. I figure that I will keep the case in the car when I am out collecting and I will place fos
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Since I live so close to the famous Morrison Formation I thought I would start doing some research on what it's like to fossil collect in it because I'm seriously considering finding a way to gain access to some private land and do a little bit of collecting. I have heard it said once that the rock of the Morrison is hard and requires special tools to dig in, and that consequently it's impossible to prospect for fossils in the Morrison the same way you would in, say, the Hell Creek Formation. How true is this? Is the only way to fossil collect in the Morrison to be in a quarry? My
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Today I picked up this cool, handled container at a local hardware store for I believe $16.00. This will be perfect for me when I collect in Southern Indiana. I can separate the fossils by species as I find them.
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http://fossilspot.com/STATES/VA.HTM Happy Hunting!
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You thought I was done? NOPE! Here are some localities in the US. Some of these are going to take some searching for. http://fossilspot.com/index.html
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I have had to move to different collecting localities due to coronavirus. I used to find new, promising, localities. I hope it will help you as much as it has helped me! https://paleobiodb.org/#/
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So I briefly spoke to a palaeontologist during a Q&A session he held a while ago on his Instagram page, and I asked him what his favourite fossil was that he had or currently owned. His responses were essentially that he believes that fossil collecting is unethical because it can hinder science by hiding important finds away in private collections and prevent the public from seeing some specimens because museums sometimes cannot pay the exorbitant prices that the market creates. I’d like to hear your opinions on this issue, since this forum is essentially full of collectors. A
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I’ve already bought a few specimens, but I haven’t really collected fossils personally. What do I collect first? Where to collect? What to look for? How do I identify a promising collecting spot? I want to collect fossils without having to travel beyond my state, Virginia, (obviously due to ‘rona.) Obviously this may not be the best time to leave the house, but I want to at least be prepared for when we are released from quarantine! Already have a the basic collecting tools I just need to know how to use them (any specific techniques, or is it basically the same as when your mineral collecting
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Hi in my post Varadero fossils By dinosaur man, December 29, 2019 in Questions & Answers i said that in February I will be going to Cuba. But since then plans have changed and March 6th I’m leaving to the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana. And i was wondering if there are any fossils that I would be able to find in that area, and if I can collect, or are the laws like Cuba too! Thank you!
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“@Monica Yes, there are just so many fossils here that now only the best material is actually collected. This usually means anything articulated or reasonably complete. Isolated bones like the ones in my pictures are all pretty much ignored, which is sad, as yes they will inevitably just erode away. I think there needs to be a better system personally. It doesn't make sense to just let these great fossils be destroyed by the elements. But if collecting was allowed how could it be regulated to make sure only expendable material was taken? And how would you stop people then selling those bones f
