StMoney Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 I've been keeping an eye out for a stegosaurus plates for a while and I came across this guy. From some of the pictures it looks like a piece of neck armor. The shape and size seems about right but it's hard to tell if the base and tip are the right width ratios. Additionally looking at it zoomed in I'm not really seeing blood vessels and it looks more like a piece of sand stone so I'm not convinced it's real but I've been lurking on the site for a while and want to get some advice from others what they thought before paying the price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Welcome to forum + 1 for geologic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StMoney Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 6 minutes ago, Troodon said: Welcome to forum + 1 for geologic Thank you for the welcome. I've only been collecting for a handful of years and very excited to learn. Unfortunately I live in New England so I don't get much of a chance to hold and lick the fossils in person but have to rely on pics. That's how I found this site and it's been very helpful learning how to identify real from fakes, it's been a real heart saver really. Nothing worse than getting excited about a fossil to only find out it's not real Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Just keep posting your interest here and we will try to help. Avoids the heartbreak to find out that what you spent good money on is not as advertised. Bottom line with dinosaur material get it all checked out, don't trust what you see. Always get a complete provenance, for North America includes: Formation, State/Province and County/Town. Hopefully we can make your experience even better 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Indeed, welcome to the forum! There are a lot of knowledgable members here, one of the foremost of which concerning dinosaur material you've already met! And while my interests lie rather with marine reptiles, I agree this looks geological. To help you in your search, though, I've included a series of photographs of stegosaurs - with particular emphasis on their dorsal plates - in the collection of the Sauriermuseum in Aathal, Switzerland. These were all found between 1995-2002 in the Morrison Formation at Howe Ranch near Shell, Bighorn Mountains, in Wyoming. 1 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 If your interested in Stego material the attached paper gives you one of the best references for most of the post cranial bones including plates. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0138352 Example of plates believed to be cervical 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StMoney Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 Thank you both! This helps a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 Is that thing for sale as a stegosaur plate? If so... allow me to be the first one shocked. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 Doesn't look like a steg plate at all to me. Seems like a random rock. Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Andy- Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 If you want Stegosaurus very badly, you can try looking for Stegosaurus gular armor like these. Just make sure you get from a reputable source 1 1 Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 Actually, I've also once seen an actual dorsal plate for sale on everybody's favourite auction site - still in field jacket and in need of preparation due to its size and fragility... But, as @-Andy- said, your best bet would be gular armour... Have a look at this thread too: 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdereese Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 I have been collecting and studying Steg dorsal plates for a couple of years. There are unique as i have seen a wide range of conditions that they are in. It is possible that the plate could be revealed but in its current state i agree with the others in that it doesnt have enough proof showing to confirm. If you are familiar with the shape of the teeth, the plates will have the same shape of the tooth in connection with the veins recently uncovered a really decent one. Im still in the process of brushing it. It is pretty solid with no restoration just brushing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 Welcome to the forum I see a geologic form similar to a Stego plate but not a plate. Too thick and no vascular texture. Very geologic 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 As others have stated, this is just a hunk of quartzite sandstone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 as a seasoned dinosaur collector, I have to agree, there is no distinctive steg plate texture to this. And it looks like a rock... sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 I do see some shell type fossils on the first picture. Cropped and enlarged: Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdereese Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Im certainly not ignorant when it comes to Stegasaurus. I would have expected questions of maybe what else was found in the area or maybe need to see a more detailed picture before making assumptions. What i have learned from stegosaurus fossils is that they have characteristics unique to them which i call a fingerprint. If you will notice in the following picture with a bit of cleaning and different lighting, you will see why i believe this "junk" rock to be a valuable fossil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 @Jdereese This looks like marine invertebrate fossils in rock from west of San Antonio. What is the general area it was found? The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opabinia Blues Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 @Jdereese I agree with what others have said, your object looks geologic, perhaps with some fossils embedded within, but certainly not a Stegosaurus plate. Stegosaurus material on the market comes, to my knowledge, entirely from the Morrison Formation, and your object is not consistent with the preservation seen in fossils from the Morrison formation. Morrison bones tend to be a dark blackish purply color, and are often crumbly until prepared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemphix Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 +1 for marine invertebrate rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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