Found an Ammonite

[jnicholes]

So, an interesting story. I went to North Idaho for a funeral. I went to a thrift store after the funeral. I found this Ammonite there. No joke. It even had a Certificate of Authenticity next to it.

 

25 dollars? I couldnt pass up this opportunity. I was able to get it!

 

Its a nice specimen!

[caldigger]

Looks to be a specimen of Moroccan origin.

[JohnJ]

Sadly, it is mostly carved.    The darker part in the photo is the unaltered portion.  

[caterpillar]

Like 90% of moroccan ammonites, internal parts are mostly carved

[will stevenson]

theyve done a nice job carving this one though

[jnicholes]

5 hours ago, caterpillar said:

Like 90% of moroccan ammonites, internal parts are mostly carved

Really? I didn't know that. Is there any way to tell for sure If it was carved or not?

 

Just curious.

 

Yes, it is Moroccan, by the way.

[minnbuckeye]

Could the dark part of the ammonite just be the lighting?? Look at his fingers. They are dark in the same area the ammo is. Maybe post a new picture in sunlight. 

 

Mike

7 hours ago, JohnJ said:

The darker part in the photo is the unaltered portion

 

[Kane]

One giveaway is the lack of regularity in spacing between the ribs in the altered portion, in addition to the skewed radial angles. The carving seems to have been done in a hurry.

[jnicholes]

1 minute ago, Kane said:

One giveaway is the lack of regularity in spacing between the ribs in the altered portion, in addition to the skewed radial angles. The carving seems to have been done in a hurry.

Well, at least I have an ammonite fossil.  And at least now I know for the future. You learn something new everyday!

 

Count your blessings. At least I have a new fossil put in my collection.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Jared

[Kane]

1 minute ago, jnicholes said:

Well, at least I have an ammonite fossil.  And at least now I know for the future. You learn something new everyday!

 

Count your blessings. At least I have a new fossil put in my collection.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Jared

And may this be the first of many ammonites in the years to come.  

[jnicholes]

2 minutes ago, Kane said:

And may this be the first of many ammonites in the years to come.  

I hope I find more. By the way, I just noticed something interesting on the fossil I want to ask about. I'll post the question and the picture later, as it is 6:48 a.m. here and no sunlight.

[jnicholes]

Here is a better picture in sunlight, I took it yesterday and forgot I had it.

 

I actually forgot what I was going to ask! Oh well.

[Ludwigia]

Well, if you figure on the hourly rate of the carver and the shipping costs from Morocco, then the deal was not so bad, eh? Here's what one looks like when it's relatively well-preserved and not carved. Costs a little more than $25 though.

 

[jnicholes]

32 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

Well, if you figure on the hourly rate of the carver and the shipping costs from Morocco, then the deal was not so bad, eh? Here's what one looks like when it's relatively well-preserved and not carved. Costs a little more than $25 though.

 

Thanks for the info and the picture. It wasnt a bad deal, as you said.

 

Only difference is the species. Mine according to the seller is an Acanthoceras Ammonite.

 

Jared

[caldigger]

7 hours ago, jnicholes said:

Here is a better picture in sunlight, I took it yesterday and forgot I had it.

 

I actually forgot what I was going to ask! Oh well.

If you question was where is it carved, it starts at the 4:00 position on the outer whirl and continues to the center.

I would say the majority of these we see on the sales market here in the states have some amount of carving on them.

If you are happy, that's all that really matters. 

[jnicholes]

3 minutes ago, caldigger said:

If you question was where is it carved, it starts at the 4:00 position on the outer whirl and continues to the center.

I would say the majority of these we see on the sales market here in the states have some amount of carving on them.

If you are happy, that's all that really matters. 

When I really think about it, I am quite happy. Carved or not, the fossil is still there, and thats all that matters to me.

 

Its an okay fossil!

 

Jared

[Randyw]

27 minutes ago, jnicholes said:

When I really think about it, I am quite happy. Carved or not, the fossil is still there, and thats all that matters to me.

 

Its an okay fossil!

 

Jared

That’s what really important! I’d have purchased it too!