JJB Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Hello everyone, This is my first post on this forum. I've found this impressive Sabre-toothed cat skull for sale. Can you help me to identify this fossil and if it is genuine? It said to have less than 10% restoration on the maxilla and around 25 to 30% on the jaw. Any comment or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele 1937 Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 The seller claims 10% resto on maxilla and far greater on the jaw. My experience on those type of claims on dinosaur material is that its typically light and if the seller did not do it he may just be passing on what was told to him. Key also is there any resto on the teeth especially the canines. The work done looks okay but photos are not adequate to determine the extent of what has been done. If you cannot hold the specimen to examine it and use a UV light to see where the resto has been done I would recommend that the seller does it and send you the photos. Before and after photos would be ideal but rarely available. Im sure its not cheap so doing a proper due diligence will avoid future disappointments 2 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth_ Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 11 / 10 for cool factor! I love it, amazing display piece What size is it? Also, welcome to TFF! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Posted September 1, 2021 Author Share Posted September 1, 2021 Thank you for the advice Troodon, I'll investigate a bit further. The skull length is 31 cm measure in a straight line from front to rear Gareth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 I’d request photos under UV. From these photos it looks pretty good however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phos_01 Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 (edited) Hello, saw this Sabre cat skull a few weeks earlier online, I was considering also. Perhaps it's buyer is already selling it, what is a little weird. (turns out its a different one but definitely same seller. Ill send you the link) Its looks like a real skull for sure with minor repairs like others said here, if there are repairs its done very professionally and it has great appeal. I would say great piece! that UV pictures are always welcome, if the sellers refuses to make these, you should move on. Edited September 1, 2021 by Phos_01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Posted September 1, 2021 Author Share Posted September 1, 2021 Thanks for the advice LabRatKing and Phos, have requested UV photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyBoy Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Pretty cool skull. UV photos are indeed a must since you really need to see how much is real especially the canines. Will be important if you ever plan to sell it. Hopefully the photos requested fit the claims made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kehaz Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 Gorgeous skull; even with that amount of resto I think it's an amazing piece. If you are able to get UV photos, can you post them up for us less-knowledgeable newbies to learn from them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Posted September 1, 2021 Author Share Posted September 1, 2021 So I’ve requested photos in it’s raw form, before it was taken from the matrix. But unfortunately there aren't any photo’s from when it is raw, but from when it is mostly cleaned before the restoration. There are some photos which show 'white' colour area with restoration. Please see the attachments. There’s no UV photos, and some reasoning from the person who prepped the skull: “Some sellers will take UV light photo's of the specimens to show the area with restoration, but it is mainly for Megalodon teeth, dinosaur teeth or some very solid fossils. For dinosaur, sea reptile and mammal, most of these fossils are very fragile, and need to apply paleobond or B72 to strengthen the bone when removing from the matrix. The paleobond helps to hold the fractured bones together and also fill the gaps, which is the general practice. This is exactly what we did when prepping the fossil. Lastly a coating (paleobond, B72 or other coating) will be applied to the surface of the whole specimen to strengthen it, avoiding it to absorb moisture from its surroundings). For this reason, a UV light photo will show that the whole specimen is restored, hence for this kind of specimen, we will not shoot any UV photo. Hope I answer your concern. I do see a few sellers provide a half-prep sabre-toothed cat with UV photo's, this is because there is no restoration on the specimen, but this kind of specimen needs a professional prep lab to do the job, and they will work the same way as I.” So it makes sense a UV photo doesn’t make any sense here, as the skull received a full coating. Is it true that this is common practice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 Great that you are able to see this resto so you can make an informed call. Looks like some resto around the base of the canine teeth. Are they associated to the skull? You should request UV images on them they will be key on any resale. Did they have the before photos dentary? A good portion looked restored. I dont know what he is saying on UV images. All of the fill and resto on my dinosaur bones can easily be seen with a UV light and they have had B72/ Paleobond or other coatings applied. You need the appropriate UV light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phos_01 Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 (edited) On 9/1/2021 at 10:54 PM, JJB said: So I’ve requested photos in it’s raw form, before it was taken from the matrix. But unfortunately there aren't any photo’s from when it is raw, but from when it is mostly cleaned before the restoration. There are some photos which show 'white' colour area with restoration. Please see the attachments. There’s no UV photos, and some reasoning from the person who prepped the skull: “Some sellers will take UV light photo's of the specimens to show the area with restoration, but it is mainly for Megalodon teeth, dinosaur teeth or some very solid fossils. For dinosaur, sea reptile and mammal, most of these fossils are very fragile, and need to apply paleobond or B72 to strengthen the bone when removing from the matrix. The paleobond helps to hold the fractured bones together and also fill the gaps, which is the general practice. This is exactly what we did when prepping the fossil. Lastly a coating (paleobond, B72 or other coating) will be applied to the surface of the whole specimen to strengthen it, avoiding it to absorb moisture from its surroundings). For this reason, a UV light photo will show that the whole specimen is restored, hence for this kind of specimen, we will not shoot any UV photo. Hope I answer your concern. I do see a few sellers provide a half-prep sabre-toothed cat with UV photo's, this is because there is no restoration on the specimen, but this kind of specimen needs a professional prep lab to do the job, and they will work the same way as I.” So it makes sense a UV photo doesn’t make any sense here, as the skull received a full coating. Is it true that this is common practice? Hmm, ok its a detailed explanation they gave , but If I was the seller and had a bit of commercial thinking I would provide a UV photo for this budget along with the explanation that its irrelevant to make them. Now it gives me the feeling of not total satisfaction, but thats just my opinion. The preparation and restoration for the end result is very well done, that has to be said. Did you end up buying it? Edited September 7, 2021 by Phos_01 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Posted October 13, 2021 Author Share Posted October 13, 2021 Hi Phos_01 Sorry for the slow reply! I didn't see another response came in... but I never bought it in the end. It's a beautiful fossil... but you have to pay for it too! Juriaan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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