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Dinosaur Claw?


Omnomosaurus

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I recently did a bad thing and took a spontaneous punt on a claw without much info. I'm wondering if anyone could tell me anything at all about the look of it?

 

Does it even look dinosaurian?

 

Due to the size & condition, I wouldn't be shocked if it was a replica of some sort, even though I can't find anything close online. I just can't make a decent judgement call on it being fake from eyeballing these photos.

 

The seller was obviously not the collector of the specimen (they couldn't even positively identify it as a claw) and was open about having no knowledge of the details surrounding it; all I have to go on, is that the seller was on the South coast of England and other fossils they had for sale included mostly British ammonites, Ichthy and Plesiosaur verts.

 

They also described it as "quite heavy".

 

The photos aren't particularly clear, as they're from the seller; I will update with better when it arrives.

 

I've brightened/enhanced them the best I could, so there are distortions in the detail, and the colours/sheen might not be quite true to life:

 

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5de55aedc3a1b_s-l400(3)2.jpg.005c6f1babf72a82ad423fdd14612e80.jpg

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Looks  like an Allosaurus foot claw.  The real question is if its a replica or not.   Ive been asked about it before and we went back and forth on it with the conclusion most likely one but not sure.    There are lots of small pin holes and white scratch marks which is indicative of a replica.   So you really need to hold and and determine if its real, good purchase or replica very bad purchase.   Good luck.

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1 minute ago, Troodon said:

Looks  like an Allosaurus foot claw.  The real question is if its a replica or not.   Ive been asked about it before and we went back and forth on it with the conclusion most likely one but not sure.    There are lots of small pin holes and white scratch marks which is indicative of a replica.   So you really need to hold and and determine if its real, good purchase or replica very bad purchase.   Good luck.

 

Thanks Troodon, much appreciated!

 

It didn't cost very much at all, so if it is a replica, I haven't really overpaid. It'll make a decent shelf decoration at worst.

 

I'll give an update when it gets here....are there any specific tests you'd advise carrying out to determine whether it's a replica?

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@Omnomosaurus Use a hot needle if it melts it’s a replica but you probably won’t have to do that most replicas are lighter than a real fossil and feel like plastic.

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It is hard to call it , the seller has sold lots of replicas and real nice dinosaur material in the past. I purchased some fossil from them labelled from Hell Creek. I think you would like to now this I purchased an beautiful Edmontosaurus toe bone that they labelled as a replica and it is genuine and prefect. I have my fingers cross for you. 
 

 

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22 minutes ago, Praefectus said:

Fingers crossed that its real. :fingerscrossed:

 

Thanks! Crossing fingers, toes and claws! :ighappy:

 

13 minutes ago, dinosaur man said:

@Omnomosaurus Use a hot needle if it melts it’s a replica but you probably won’t have to do that most replicas are lighter than a real fossil and feel like plastic.

 

Ooh, I haven't handled too many replicas, so if it's that easy to tell, hopefully I won't have to resort to the needle test!

 

9 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

It is hard to call it , the seller has sold lots of replicas and real nice dinosaur material in the past. I purchased some fossil from them labelled from Hell Creek. I think you would like to now this I purchased an beautiful Edmontosaurus toe bone that they labelled as a replica and it is genuine and prefect. I have my fingers cross for you. 
 

 

 

Oh wow, that's fantastic! Congrats on the Edmontosaurus bone. You've made me a bit more optimistic that there's a chance it could be real now!

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They still do replicas with different materials besides resin. Resin cast are the most common. But there are still people that make replicas out of gypsum, fiberglass, different types of porcelain, and so on. So I’m not trying to pee in your Cheerios, but if you end up doing the hot needle test and your piece doesn’t melt, you are not 100% in the clear of it being a replica yet. Just throwing that out there.

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4 hours ago, SULLY said:

They still do replicas with different materials besides resin. Resin cast are the most common. But there are still people that make replicas out of gypsum, fiberglass, different types of porcelain, and so on. So I’m not trying to pee in your Cheerios, but if you end up doing the hot needle test and your piece doesn’t melt, you are not 100% in the clear of it being a replica yet. Just throwing that out there.

 

Thanks for the input, Sully. I'd rather someone pee in my Cheerios if it helps (please noone actually pee in any of my food though). I didn't realise there were still replicas being made out of things like gypsum!

 

I will pour over the comparative weight, feel in hand, and any visible bone structure besides doing the hot needle test. I know to look out for air bubbles & seams from casting too, so I hopefully should be able to make a tentative call.

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21 hours ago, Omnomosaurus said:

I will pour over the comparative weight, feel in hand, and any visible bone structure besides doing the hot needle test. I know to look out for air bubbles & seams from casting too, so I hopefully should be able to make a tentative call.

Yeah .. when I first saw this it was the photo at the oblique angle. Is it just me or do these look like the cleaned up mold lines ?  Nature doesn't usually do straight lines .... at least .. not in this context.

 

Good Luck ! *fingers crossed*

Claw_Replica.jpg.209277db7c7b6edf813e96b605abebf1.jpg

 

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2 hours ago, SULLY said:

Please keep us in the loop. I’m pretty sure everyone is patiently waiting the outcome 

 

I certainly will! I'm expecting the claw to arrive sometime around Friday/Saturday, so will post my findings as soon as it gets here.

 

2 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

Yeah .. when I first saw this it was the photo at the oblique angle. Is it just me or do these look like the cleaned up mold lines ?  Nature doesn't usually do straight lines .... at least .. not in this context.

 

Good Luck ! *fingers crossed*

Claw_Replica.jpg.209277db7c7b6edf813e96b605abebf1.jpg

 

 

Thanks!

 

I'm a little dubious about that line too...I'd have expected to see corresponding traces of it on the opposite side too, if it was a definite mould line, so I think I'll give some extra scrutiny to that part of it once it arrives. Thanks for the catch!

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UPDATE: It's here!

 

Definitely a cast. The weight was the first give away, and it feels like a replica to hold in hand; so no need for the needle test or any other close investigation.

 

Bit disappointing, but I did only pay £47 for it, so I'm happy to use it as a learning aid for my pupils (ages 6-7) after Christmas, since we're starting dinosaurs as the class topic for the term.

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2 minutes ago, Troodon said:

Unfortunate, not unexpected but it indeed a nice learning aid.  

 

Yeah, I was expecting it to probably be a repro (but hoping to be pleasantly surprised).

 

For the price, I was happy enough to gamble, and as you say, it'll make for a nice learning aid...the children I teach can be like animals at times, so I wouldn't trust them to handle a genuine fossil!

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5 hours ago, Omnomosaurus said:

UPDATE: It's here!

 

Definitely a cast. The weight was the first give away, and it feels like a replica to hold in hand; so no need for the needle test or any other close investigation.

 

Bit disappointing, but I did only pay £47 for it, so I'm happy to use it as a learning aid for my pupils (ages 6-7) after Christmas, since we're starting dinosaurs as the class topic for the term.

Sorry it was not a real bargain but definitely a good learning tool. Your get your money out of it for the education value alone.
 

 

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On 05/12/2019 at 4:08 PM, Bobby Rico said:

Sorry it was not a real bargain but definitely a good learning tool. Your get your money out of it for the education value . 
 

 

 

Yeah, you win some, you lose some. If it helps to inspire some of the children, I can't be too bummed out about the claw.

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