Is it real? Indonesian Crab Fossil

[Wei Yang Low]

Dear all, would like to know if the following crab fossil is genuine before I purchase it. Have appended 2 videos in this post. I’m aware there are quite a few fake carvings marketed as genuine fossils, but I’m not sure if this specimen is a real fossil or a carving, as it appears legitimate due to the intact matrix. Would like to know what the experts think. Thanks very much!

[Tidgy's Dad]

I think it's real. 

A fake one would have a nicer looking carapace than that, I feel. 

[Troodon]

With fossils from Indonesia one has to be very careful.  Do you have images of the crab that are still so that it can be closely examined.

I say that after seeing this post.

 

[Fossildude19]

I have concerns about this. The top of the "concretion" fits perfectly over the crab, but there is no indication of the rock having been broken open.

Also, the crab looks like it was just set in some sort of plaster. The video stills are too blurry, so real photographic images are required to make any kind of reasonable assessment. @MB

[digit]

4 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

I have concerns about this. The top of the "concretion" fits perfectly over the crab, but there is no indication of the rock having been broken open.

Yup. Same thing raised concerns for me. All of the crab concretions I've seen have been prepped out by air scribing away part of the concretion to expose as much of the crab as seems prudent. These are not like Mazon Creek nodules that split and reveal the fossil inside. Knowing nothing at all about Indonesian crab concretions (other than they sometimes turn out to be skillfully produced works of carving art) I'd walk away from this one--unless you wanted some ingeniously produced artwork. Indonesia has a long tradition of very skilled carvers--both wood and stone. I have a beautifully carved and very intricate Balinese dancer carved from bass wood. Do an internet image search for "Mas Village" or "Ubud" and the word "carving" and you will clearly see that mimicking crabs is well within their skill set.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Gareth_]

1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said:

The top of the "concretion" fits perfectly over the crab, but there is no indication of the rock having been broken open.

This got my attention too. It all seems too perfect

[Top Trilo]

The part I noticed was the same thing Ken said, with the crab concretions I've seen, preparation involves an air scribing down into the rock to find it, not split and have a positive and negative.

Look at the differences from this prep thread,

 

[Wei Yang Low]

Dear all, thanks very much for the informative responses. Seems like my suspicions were warranted and I’m glad I made the right decision by seeking second opinions on TFF.

On a side note, I managed to get closer, HD images from the seller. The claws do look very intricate, so honestly I’m impressed at the level of craftsmanship if it is indeed is a carved specimen.

[Troodon]

Thank you for the photos.  Not a crab expert but have the following comments.  The walking legs just end abruptly on both sides, seems odd.  The nodule looks fabricated especially the top, you dont see the preparation work around the crab.  I wonder if this is a composite crab placed in the nodule to look complete abd fossilized.  Too may red flags I would walk away from it.

[daves64]

Modern crab in a plaster "jacket"? Seems awful colorful for a fossil. Looks almost fresh caught. 

[Crusty_Crab]

The cast is garbage, doesn't even match the fossil and is pure plaster white, contrasted with the graying matrix of the "fossil." The claws seem too detailed to be faked. The carapace seems off. Its not symmetrical, the grooves on the carapace seem ill defined and for the preservation, there seems to be vague representation of the eye socket detail. I would suspect it to be a composite. If I could see it in person, I would examine where the carapace joins the rest of the matrix. 

[digit]

The idea of a modern crab with the walking legs truncated (as is seen in many crab concretions) that has been coated with enough sealants to mimic a fossilized crab might explain the detail being seen in the claws. Without actually purchasing this item and doing in-hand investigation, you'll probably never know the real story behind this crab "fossil". We've seen a good number of crab concretions on this forum mainly because we have some really excellent preppers who spend many hours revealing beautiful crabs from real concretions. I'd say you are probably wise by taking the group's consensus that it is best to look but don't buy in this case. 

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[RJB]

Crab parts put into a manmade concretion it looks like?

 

RB

[MB]

On 9/8/2021 at 5:46 AM, Wei Yang Low said:

Dear all, would like to know if the following crab fossil is genuine before I purchase it. Have appended 2 videos in this post. I’m aware there are quite a few fake carvings marketed as genuine fossils, but I’m not sure if this specimen is a real fossil or a carving, as it appears legitimate due to the intact matrix. Would like to know what the experts think. Thanks very much!

 

 

do not buy it