What about this possible mammoth jawbone? So I have a questions about large jawbone.

[pmtahiker]

In the late 1950's my Dad was working for the Boy Scouts of America professionally out of Alexandria, Louisiana.  One of his volunteer leaders north of Alexandria was a collector of Native American artifacts, and while looking for artifacts, stumbled upon a large lower jawbone near a sandy steep nearby hillside overlooking a river.  He gave my Dad the jawbone and told where he found it. We as a family went to the site and found numerous large "sharks teeth", and petrified sea shells. 

 

Dad later became friends with a oil drilling crew foreman, who gave Dad two what appears to be petrified large vertebrae the crew had found (no photo shown below) .  A letter was sent with photos to the Smithsonian museum in D.C.  in 1959 and we got a response saying likely the jawbone was that of a mammoth. My questions are:  Anyone confirm the identity? Any idea what the jawbone may be worth?   You are welcome to email me back at pinemttrailassoc._jim-AT-msn.com      Jim Hall- Columbus, GA

 

 

[Coco]

1- It is a mammoth.

 

2- We never assess the monetary value of a fossil on this forum. I think it was indicated in the forum rules when you signed.

 

3- It is never good to give your email on a forum with so many members. Private Messages (PM) are meant to communicate personally with an individual.

 

Coco

[Fossildude19]

@pmtahiker

 

 

Moved to FOSSIL ID.

 

 

Not only members, but THOUSANDS of guest-visitors view this site everyday: Posting personal information on a public Forum is unwise. 

 

As stated by Coco,  it is against our rules to perform monetary valuations. Also, talk of sales outside of the Member to Member Sales Forum is forbidden.

 

Please look online at retail and commercial websites for valuation purposes.

 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

 

[jcbshark]

That's definitely a mammoth mandible and a stellar piece for sure.

 

[Harry Pristis]

Mammoth teeth are particularly vulnerable to drying out and fracturing.  

If you value a vertebrate fossil (I exclude shark teeth here) -- and you want it to last -- consolidate it with a plastic.

You cannot reliably judge by eye what will happen to the bone after 2 years, or 5 years, or 15 years in your drawer. Bones with which you could drive nails when first collected may split after years in your drawer. Teeth, when thoroughly dry, may split. These splits cannot be repaired to the original condition because of distortion to the bone or dentin or cementum.  This may happen to any bone, so, if you're going to keep the bone, play the probabilities. Consolidate!

 

Impregnation with plastic will prevent many later headaches (I'm not telling you to soak your head in consolidant). I am saying that there is nothing more disheartening than to open a drawer and to find a prize specimen tooth split in two.

Trust the decades of museum experience.