Keichousaurus, my first ever fossil. Real or fake.

[niekfermont]

Hello ! And thank you for accepting me on this forum.

Ive just bought my very first fossil, after some discussion with some collectors ive decided to post this fossil here. Because there are alot of fake ones of this species. 

If anyone could help me with this fossil i would be extremely gratefull as im learning every day ! So all the tips given are very helpfull to me .

Ill post the pictures of the fossil below 

 

(PS, if it arrives or is proven fake i will get a refund, the owner also send me a video with solvent rubbing on the fossil to show its not paint) he also states there will be a chinese certificate with it.

 

Thanks alot in advance !

 

 

 

Fossiel - On matrix - Keichousaurus sp.

Trias - Boven Trias (201.3-251.9 miljoen jaar) - China  (ordered from taiwan)

 

[Fossildude19]

I'm seeing a lot of paint, myself. 

I think this was acid prepped, but a bit overdone.

The fossil is real, but I think some parts have been over prepped, then painted to show up/display better.

Please keep in mind, anyone with a printer can make a " Certificate of Authenticity".  They mean NOTHING.

[snolly50]

59 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

seeing a lot of paint

Indeed, to my eye the photos show an unnatural uniformity of color value. In hand, a 10X loupe will reveal the extent of any "enhancement" mischief. I believe that no matter how skilled and steady the artisan, it is virtually impossible to paint such fine structures without "coloring outside the lines." On a positive note, I like the piece's aesthetics and would be happy to own it; should in hand evaluation support no extreme monkey business.

[FranzBernhard]

14 hours ago, niekfermont said:

Because there are alot of fake ones of this species.

Interestingly, we don´t see many fakes of this fossil here on TFF. And we see quite a lot of these Keichs!

But we see very often very poorly prepped (butchered) specimens, often enhanced with paint.

This is such an amazing fossil, often preserved in very fine detail. But unfortunately, the prep is mostly very bad...

Franz Bernhard

Edited September 22, 2021 by FranzBernhard

[niekfermont]

Thank you all, you think its smart to give it an acetone bath? To remove all paint ?  I still can get a refund of it if i want to. But you guys think its real, but with paint enhanced?

[Fossildude19]

Yes, it looks real to me, with many (if not all ) of the bones are painted over, in order to make it stand out more/display better/and hide poor prep work.

[niekfermont]

3 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

Yes, it looks real to me, with many (if not all ) of the bones are painted over, in order to make it stand out more/display better/and hide poor prep work.

Thank you! What is advised to do with this.  and how much would this painting affect price?

You think its best just to keep it like this, or get all the paint off? Is it a big problem ?

[Fossildude19]

It is a matter of choice/opinion. 

I would personally probably not buy one of these online without examination in hand. 

They are neat fossils, but many have paint or ink on them. 

 

If you have already bought it, wait to receive it. Examine it with a magnifier or microscope. Try to remove a tiny bit of paint with acetone or paint thinner. 

You should be able to discern if there is paint involved. 

 

I think it looks nice, as is, but YOUR thoughts on it are what counts. 

Can you live with a real, but painted fossil that looks nice? 

 

As far as price affected by painting, I certainly wouldn't pay as much for a painted specimen as I would for a pristine non painted fossil. 

I can not say how much it would affect the price, but it would.