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How do you choose?


Yoda

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I have a question, for which there is no right or wrong answer. 

And I do realise that it's very personal. 

 

But when faced with choosing to buy a fossil out of a batch, and there is a fair amount of variation, how do you choose which one to go for?

A smaller specimen with more detail? Or larger with less detail?

 

I would be interested to hear opinions.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png MotM August 2023 - Eclectic Collector

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You're right, that is a very personal question which is on the other hand much too general for me to give you an answer other than to say that my choice would be based on my personal preference.

 

Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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I personally prefer my fossils to have better details. 

I really don't buy fossils unless I can get a bargain on them. 

However, I do look at them frequently, and enjoy having highly detailed specimens over larger items. 

Not only is this personal preference, but also depends on how much room you have to display/store them.  ;) 

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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3 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

but also depends on how much room you have to display/store them.  ;) 

I need more room, but for some reason they won't let me build onto my apartment. :default_rofl:

Frankly for me, it would be the the one that appeals to you the most. Kind of like "Goldilocks"  maybe not the biggest or smallest, but the one that is " just right".

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I tend to lean towards the more detailed specimens (my preference).  Unless they're too small to see the details with a naked eye, then I tend to gravitate towards the best looking larger fossil. 

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Definitely quality over size, as other have said. Also as Tim said I too only buy at bargain prizes but I do find nice specimens at low costs. It all depends on what you are after. Other factors may come into your decision too , like I don’t like matrix if has been sculpted, I like an natural association. On the  subject of matrix, sometimes the positioning of the specimens can come into account. I don’t have much of a budget , so I would prefer to a get a really detailed partial specimen for very little money than to get a large badly preserved specimen for lot more money.  The most important part is you must choose what you like. 

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I don’t buy often, but when I do, I seem to be a mixed bag. 

For instance:

I wanted a big Meg tooth. So I bought the largest one in my budget. It’s in decent shape, but I could have gotten one a little smaller with better diagnostic detail. 
 

The last thing I bought was St. Clair plant material. It wasn’t the largest piece in my budget, but the best looking one (IMHO) of the bunch. 
 

I guess it just depends on my mood and what I want at the time. 

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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Honestly, it depends for me, it's always a trade off between size and quality + detail of the fossil in question. 

 

Sometimes it's the size (say if it's a common fish fossil), sometimes it's the detail (for a rarer fossil), sometimes it's just because it's relatively unique (a mass mortality rate, a fossil where the animal was eating something before it perished).

 

And of course, price. Sometimes you can find really good fossils cheap, sometimes you can pay a little extra to get a very detailed fossil. 

 

All personal preference really. 

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It depends on what you want it for. If your intent is to create a display, then the showier piece works best. If your intent is research then detail rules. I prefer detail even though I do no research. I prefer a fragment with awesome detail over a complete specimen that is poorly preserved. Most of the time you have no choice but to settle for something in between.

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Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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7 hours ago, Righteous said:

I like the ones that give me that “WOW” impression when I look at it. 

 

10 hours ago, caldigger said:

Frankly for me, it would be the the one that appeals to you the most. Kind of like "Goldilocks"  maybe not the biggest or smallest, but the one that is " just right".

 

1 hour ago, FrozenFlame said:

Sometimes it's the size (say if it's a common fish fossil), sometimes it's the detail (for a rarer fossil), sometimes it's just because it's relatively unique (a mass mortality rate, a fossil where the animal was eating something before it perished).

These sum it up better then anything I could say!

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Thanks everyone for your thoughts. 

 

I do realise that it is personal and everyone has different ways of approaching it. 

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png MotM August 2023 - Eclectic Collector

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17 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

What’s your thought ?   

Me??

Not really sure. That's why I was asking. 

I tend to like a larger specimen - perhaps has more impact on my display shelf. 

 

I have seen some Glossopteris online which I am thinking about. 

But of the few he has I can't make up my mind!

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png MotM August 2023 - Eclectic Collector

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10 minutes ago, Yoda said:

Not really sure. That's why I was asking. 

I tend to like a larger specimen - perhaps has more impact on my display shelf. 

Their is your answers , get the one that in your opinion has the most impact as a display piece. This way you can’t be wrong.  :dinothumb:

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One factor not yet mentioned is locality. If I had two glossopteris to chose from, a harder to get locality might tip the scales, like Antarctica. Some Megalodon collectors value different localities differently as well.

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36 minutes ago, Yoda said:

have seen some Glossopteris online which I am thinking about. 

But of the few he has I can't make up my mind!

You could always post pics for us to look at and give opinions on...

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48 minutes ago, Scylla said:

One factor not yet mentioned is locality. If I had two glossopteris to chose from, a harder to get locality might tip the scales, like Antarctica. Some Megalodon collectors value different localities differently as well.

True indeed but I don’t think it was in the ops original question as he said “to choose out of a batch”. But a good point anyway  , I like buying old collections because lots of times you get specimens from now lost locations. Ok @Yoda I would like to see and understand your dilemma.  :dinothumb:

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In the end I believe collectors should decide what they like and not what others like or choose.  Its an individual choice that they are in the best position to decide.

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I find for me, this dilemma comes up quite often.

 

But here is the one I mentioned above.

I struggled to get just the photos and not all the other info off the sellers website. (Perhaps I should start another topic??)

 

first one - 17cm across

A.jpg

 

14cm across

B.png

 

Both the same price

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png MotM August 2023 - Eclectic Collector

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Maybe that's because the items you are looking at are typically not that dissimilar.   But how can I tell you what you like that's your call.   Color may resonate with some collectors while others composition may be more important.  If it's that difficult for you to select then which one you choose might not be important.  Either will work and both are fine but dont let others tell you what you like.

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If you owned both and there was a house fire, which one would you choose if you only had time to rescue one?

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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