Small Mosasaur Jaw Segment

[jnicholes]

Found this for sale online. I don’t know if it is real or not, but I took a gambit and got it.

 

Received it today and wanted to show you all.

 

Jared

[jpc]

I hate to tell you.. it is not really fake, but it is a reconstruction.  The teeth are real, and there are some real bones in there, but they are not part of the jaw bone.  Individual teeth and bone scraps have been used to create this appealing 'jaws'.  Notice also that the base of each tooth looks just like the sandy matrix.  Because it is.. .with some added glue. 

[jnicholes]

Well, at least teeth are real.

 

Lesson learned.

[Fossildude19]

Post anything you are looking to purchase in the  IS IT REAL section, and we can tell you about whatever it is you are buying. 

Whether it is fake, restored, composited, or real. 

 

Steer clear of Moroccan fossils that are inexpensive. China and Morocco have their fair share of fake fossils. 

Many dealers don't do in depth research into what they are selling, so it is always best to check here first.   

 

[jnicholes]

2 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

Post anything you are looking to purchase in the  IS IT REAL section, and we can tell you about whatever it is you are buying. 

Whether it is fake, restored, composited, or real. 

 

Steer clear of Moroccan fossils that are inexpensive. China and Morocco have their fair share of fake fossils. 

Many dealers don't do in depth research into what they are selling, so it is always best to check here first.   

 

Didn't know that. Thanks.

 

I guess I wasted dollars. I have been fighting depression ALL week, and got this “fossil” to help me feel better. Now that I know the truth, I am even more depressed.

 

Nobody here’s fault, just so you know, they are my emotions.

 

Don’t worry, I’ll get through it eventually.

 

Thanks for telling me, I will be more careful in the future.

[Randyw]

On the plus side if you got it cheaply enough you got a nice art display piece!

I actually have one of these pieces but I got it for less then the teeth themselves would cost so I got it for my collection knowing it’s a reconstruction/art piece and it looks good in my collection.

[jnicholes]

I’m over it now, thanks all for the support. I’ve actually had an emotional week.

 

One thing, though. The teeth are real, the rest is not, correct?

 

Either way, I would say it’s frame worthy.

 

Jared

13 minutes ago, Randyw said:

On the plus side if you got it cheaply enough you got a nice art display piece!

I actually have one of these pieces but I got it for less then the teeth themselves would cost so I got it for my collection knowing it’s a reconstruction/art piece and it looks good in my collection.

I’m actually an artist myself, specifically oil painting. Whoever did this did a good job, cause I couldn’t tell the difference.

[Randyw]

42 minutes ago, jnicholes said:

the rest is not, correct?

Well yes and no and maybe.....they often use real pieces of bone but often not jaw bone. They could be fragments of fossils from just about anything. From what I understand they have a basket of teeth and a pile of unknown fragments and they shape the fragments into an approximate shape of jaws then add the teeth and hide the joints then set it all into a matrix made up mostly of glue and sand and etc. be careful in most cases the matrix will dissolve if it gets soaked in water. But they also will sometimes completely fabricate the jaws out of different materials (ie plaster etc) so it’s hard to say without actually seeing it in person.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Randyw

[Randyw]

The areas marked in red are what looks to me to be built up areas to hid the joints or help fill out the shapes. The yellow is what appears to be shaped bone (as far as I can tell from the picture) the teeth are real and the background matrix is most likely fake.