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Mazon Creek Collection- Purchased


Nimravis

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I had been in contact with a friend (Bob) of mine that I met over 30 years ago. I met him through my fossil mentor Walter. Bob and Walter would collect in the 70’s and 80’s with many well know collectors, including Francis Tully. The would also bring fossils to the Field Museum so Dr. Eugene Richardson and others, could ID some of their finds. 
 

In our talks over the last several months, he had spoke about selling his collection and I advised him that I would be interested. We came to an agreement on price and today I stopped by his house to get the collection. It contained an unbelievable amount of fossils, all prom Pit 11, with the exception of a couple that he collected at Pit 14, a place he only visited one time.  
 

I am going to post just a few pics of some of the fossils in his collection that he amassed over 30+ years of collecting. I have only looked at a small sample of what I purchased.

 

Without further ado, here are a few of the fossils.

 

A few flora pieces to begin with.

 

9E384B12-A044-4D94-9D25-5B9F54C982E4.thumb.jpeg.d7c0846b897b012dd44b09fb470426e8.jpeg

 

9ECC8BB7-FECF-453F-B365-05DB2434753F.thumb.jpeg.6589925b9d0334651d7f59baf0ad1bcb.jpeg

 

7A6A867C-170D-46BB-80EF-5E071F2FED6C.thumb.jpeg.fa1892da202f41ce83f36e005ba7f537.jpeg

 

0936AC8C-9DF8-455F-9DCE-D2BA9CA765D6.thumb.jpeg.764d59cb8fe85e6a143113b3fbb1dd16.jpeg

 

4019F533-37B1-4040-9F84-D79DA361C016.thumb.jpeg.3d065373f3ee49ce58ca07a6e1db85e0.jpeg

 

As you can see from this sample, many of these are how he found them and they were never cleaned.

 

Now to some of the fauna. 
 

This first piece is shown in the 1979 Matthew Nitecki book- Mazon Creek Fossils. This Titanoceras so. Cephalopod is shown on page 337, figure 1a - Lateral view of ventrolateral portion of body chamber. This was in the chapter “Middle Pennsylvanian Cephalopoda of Mazon Creek Fauna, written by W. Bruce Saunders and Dr. Eugene S. Richardson, Jr.

 

Bob advised me that he found this piece at Pit 14 near a chiton that he also found there.
 

A0002C4F-FC77-47DE-BC3F-2683611CA1C0.thumb.jpeg.f9223b3e65fdc61419e76d8b4f76ae58.jpeg

 

Here is one of my favorites, Bandringa rayi. This shark was loaned to the Field Museum and Dr. Rainer Zangrel took a look at it. He stated that this specimen showed the mouth (white dot area).

 

02CC28D1-E315-4EA0-9969-C200700892D5.thumb.jpeg.26d1ec08bf80b02c6903c3b85daf633c.jpeg

 

B56977E4-2A53-4ED2-B6B9-903B315C0EF5.thumb.jpeg.d0107c66bb8952d1fad5fbc3e9f23ed1.jpeg

 

51E0F41A-5C14-459D-93E7-3A6F53380B37.thumb.jpeg.975f69118595262c8bed13296b3d2920.jpeg

 

FBC68801-1F9C-4D0F-AB28-2867FF6B77D5.thumb.jpeg.3da2b197994a49e39d38bcd509c2ed7c.jpeg

 

Here are a couple Tully pieces.

 

C5EA96F3-7876-4596-A472-B3A2736617D6.thumb.jpeg.669ce7b1f8d82e972f09169eb2885f5f.jpeg

 

55A38C31-6A12-4E61-B110-808B543AC07F.thumb.jpeg.42147c4c943738c09c9eae7d90418225.jpeg

 

EAF2E033-E106-4C4A-89D9-4CB7898E393B.thumb.jpeg.885c9f33df5f281b4cdaa58d10a09637.jpeg

 

64B4144C-1974-4315-AE14-D69D388C9C0B.thumb.jpeg.df327d937bdd97d2b173e2debf340ce3.jpeg

 

06F263A4-D389-46CD-A817-5C3690AC1138.thumb.jpeg.63d9af57d3c14f44effab4c2c3e37d50.jpeg

 

9B94B8F9-5C39-49AA-A954-5813E9D3EF40.thumb.jpeg.c6f2325bdcede4ead78e319f365b9961.jpeg

 

54DC3178-4ED9-4A8D-A58A-55D590809581.thumb.jpeg.5cf28b7784d75200c154cab76b5e3cd0.jpeg

 

396C1D07-3213-4345-8FE6-BB46E3DBE029.thumb.jpeg.76050e8c3949c4f447de68cf6484fcfd.jpeg

 

C1A2A071-A62D-474D-AE03-A5EF1CB9FF9A.thumb.jpeg.b9e31d4709cd12e37244a23cf749617d.jpeg


The below one is cool because it shows the claw/mouth, folded over on the body.

 

088B891F-CED7-4F7D-9BDB-EE75BB0595C5.thumb.jpeg.8062524636257ecd5b0934e61e4474f3.jpeg


FFE5E0E3-C25D-4A8C-A98C-C7BFE074D49B.thumb.jpeg.fc747bcd3717896c4949b472cac01371.jpeg

 

This looks like a spider.

 

2BBEC311-2954-41D4-BE42-FC03D5FB132B.thumb.jpeg.30bcdf923c69267ac03b045b3baf048e.jpeg

 

Here is a scorpion.

 

7A9324F2-4CEE-43F8-A6CC-EC1B86FD988A.thumb.jpeg.a076b4f6498e4c7edabad8cc52a6ddc6.jpeg

 

72835E80-281C-4967-8472-15ABA5CE3A33.thumb.jpeg.48daabe1d8517034ff3761695b2a9eb8.jpeg

 

A couple winged insects.

 

AFE94AFF-286A-4FFD-815A-58073E009C0B.thumb.jpeg.fb48f2d73220a65a5628db6cf00b0f64.jpeg

 

B6F99DA4-91F7-41DC-B9E0-69DF2EC60783.thumb.jpeg.0ac2c3288e9d1d87da9438aba6c619e1.jpeg

 

AA01ABDB-03C5-48CC-97D4-99C6F8DB221D.thumb.jpeg.aab8e2e426e07bba335aa5d225479709.jpeg

 

309615E3-595F-415D-9887-13D5CF532215.thumb.jpeg.83480db289ea336cc36873f54f3ac941.jpeg

 

15644190-326F-4524-9DEE-374F1B2266D6.thumb.jpeg.b16d50fc6a75dbf2247fad489a4bf47a.jpeg

 

B2166362-83AD-414A-8B2D-4379E014B57A.thumb.jpeg.dc2df2b973d2bc9f41289f0b6368ba19.jpeg

 

D628BF05-E7EF-4CAE-8D39-C3CD2C96DFD9.thumb.jpeg.8a21a56ac2964c211c43eb7a2f1eb42c.jpeg

 

Continued on next post.

 

 

Edited by Nimravis
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Here are a couple worms- the first one is an Esconites zelus.

 

A1E807ED-0CEF-4F93-918A-CEE51654D699.thumb.jpeg.0565e56ecc0c3c202e5d2de0e2cd564c.jpeg

 

DF191B2B-651C-49E3-B0F9-A86032975D00.thumb.jpeg.26cb4bfe4a8c65f42e3900de5d422f24.jpeg

 

A cool jellyfish- Anthracomedusa turnbulli .

 

713EB793-6E16-4E56-9709-FD4330109D1F.thumb.jpeg.3c36433ac9b7a7e6958f612ea306c5d3.jpeg

 

92F9C396-56E6-4031-A120-A6EC0F4CDFA9.thumb.jpeg.20e4f12e15391cc2d2e87daae2623e23.jpeg

 

Mazonova eggswith a fern.

 

DABF5E36-364C-458E-AC80-8F2D087EF072.thumb.jpeg.b98d609b843647a149804ef066f99fee.jpeg

 

A large Cockroach.

 

C2614CEA-16BD-437B-8413-61392F6D5D6A.thumb.jpeg.ca345d6262473d29421d3dd39ec7a696.jpeg

 

Acanthodes Fish-

 

162D9E19-5D97-4500-A304-1DF676FB15D6.thumb.jpeg.1c7ed35bb30222dcd7190f964d44cab4.jpeg
 

053E6A1D-6C06-434F-9F4E-F1AFDBE7181D.thumb.jpeg.80bfb9422dc387a668a82c77fa008258.jpeg

 

Gilpichthys greenei fish-

 

59A18D24-48C1-4AFC-BF45-16424579ED58.thumb.jpeg.811d7031ddf074f155b6c0465580d7d1.jpeg

 

Esconichthys apopyris- Blade

 

B640F21A-3640-4B84-B76C-91F2EBB035F5.thumb.jpeg.1f89fb10acaa828e8a6e5358cad63c8a.jpeg

 

Cyclus americanus 

 

F24B67F1-7B53-4085-9654-2C25B9E31BBF.thumb.jpeg.037b496cc5343ab96f35e92e782a7c91.jpeg

 

D6BBE72D-DBD7-4FD5-AE6A-5F9379DFC111.thumb.jpeg.38e2f37b59b81192378189ee5c04e677.jpeg
 

That’s all for now- there are a lot more great pieces.

 

 

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Here are a couple more cool pieces of flora and fauna.

 

Here is a nice association of two jellyfish and a shrimp.

 

3F7CEA89-5F99-4906-95F7-9C5B688F9827.thumb.jpeg.f306e45d007b33e079ee5bcb3e80abe0.jpeg

 

Beautiful pieces of bark and a couple nice ferns.

 

2E21DC10-D37A-463C-BB91-146235EC5BC0.thumb.jpeg.39dbbde7410f9d4c70a192662b44917f.jpeg

 

54112B13-7631-44B2-8CB1-70487404E6FA.thumb.jpeg.4ea9b3350c88464ee9d370e02fab10c6.jpeg

 

2CB1A311-E072-4CE3-9FA9-730B21D58065.thumb.jpeg.78b4339b0f3135acfa9d2a08eada7ff0.jpeg

 

206B6867-C058-4F93-9E28-EC104E81F3FE.thumb.jpeg.6989923ec164ff179a50c60fb9294e56.jpeg


496B686C-E73D-4121-B502-8AB615DC7639.thumb.jpeg.499f966c821a418e1ec7b7542395bb57.jpeg

 

I believe his ID is correct on this ne t piece.

 

6FB8F016-2397-4445-866F-2735753D6C92.thumb.jpeg.c4a96f298bc48095d6cf9ddd432da498.jpeg

 

Sea Cucumber 

 

21F99DDD-3C96-4180-A20D-93148337EA24.thumb.jpeg.7cbe9373af28fbe2fd0afa3184d7f56b.jpeg

 

Crayfish

 

69D89EC1-3A84-4B4A-AE58-ED23AB060AFE.thumb.jpeg.0c520c601c17a2e56cb754018ff036de.jpeg

 

Another winged insect and a cool Tully.

 

E78155DF-BD97-4F76-9867-020C178E52CC.thumb.jpeg.bc02217f13d4729720391a3298446121.jpeg

 

F2A52E8E-ADEC-487D-A692-423C628912E1.thumb.jpeg.94e03764a6abcfe21bb93a3307955846.jpeg

 

 

Edited by Nimravis
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I have seen many excellent Mazon collections and your purchase is a real WOW of a collection. I'm sure you paid a pretty penny, but you or anyone would be hard pressed to score a better instant collection of Mazon material. Kudos on the buy.

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 HOLY COW!   Im not crazy about most Mazon Creek stuff but this stuff is Awesome!  Quite impressed with these most fantastic fossils. 

 

RB

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Excuse my language, but holy **** these are absolutely INCREDIBLE. Some of the coolest pieces I’ve ever seen!

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Fossils? I dig it. :meg:

 

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There are no words to describe these pieces. 

I know how much this means to you, Ralph, on a personal note, not just the fossils. 

Congratulations and I'm so happy you have these. :fistbump:

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Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

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Wowie zowie! I'll bet you're in 7th heaven right now and shall be remaining there for some time to come! You don't get to see such an amount of extremely well preserved Mazon Creek fossils like these every day!

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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"Tully" outstanding.  Beautiful pieces and in another great home.   My favorite is the shark but they are all special with a super story to go with it.  Congratulations you did well.

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10 minutes ago, Troodon said:

"Tully" outstanding.  Beautiful pieces and in another great home.   My favorite is the shark but they are all special with a super story to go with it.  Congratulations you did well.

 

That shark is beautiful, but I LOVE the Acanthodes and the Esconichthys apopyris. Superb!

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~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com 

 

"Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant

 

Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry.

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Excellent collection 

Material of this quality is getting harder and harder to find.

Congratulations!

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16 minutes ago, RCFossils said:

Excellent collection 

Material of this quality is getting harder and harder to find.

Congratulations!

I agree Rob. I will post more as I go along. This is the results of every weekend collecting at Pit 11, which also included the South Wilmington Sportsman Club, which he belonged to for years.

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1 hour ago, Ludwigia said:

Wowie zowie! I'll bet you're in 7th heaven right now and shall be remaining there for some time to come! You don't get to see such an amount of extremely well preserved Mazon Creek fossils like these every day!

I wish I was collecting back in the 70’s and early 80’s, the area was a great place to walk and collect.

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39 minutes ago, Troodon said:

"Tully" outstanding.  Beautiful pieces and in another great home.   My favorite is the shark but they are all special with a super story to go with it.  Congratulations you did well.

That is my favorite too Frank, I always admired it and sometimes he would bring it to the Mazon Creek Open House to show collectors.

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I have to say that is amazing chap, very well done you. I look forward to seeing what else you have got there. Mind blowing what can be preserved sometimes!

 

Was that butterfly wings I saw there?

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Absolutely gorgeous!!!! I can hardly wait to see the rest, especially the flora. Nice acquisition.

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Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

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My goodness, that is a museum-quality collection Ralph! Those pieces are incredibly stunning and I can only imagine there are going to be so many more interesting finds in the remainder. Congratulations.

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:default_faint::default_faint::default_faint:

That's all I can say.

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Here are a couple more pieces, all found at Pit 11, with the exception of the Chiton, which was found at Pit 14.

 

Paleolimulus Horseshoe Crab

 

F30F3114-072E-4CAB-8A3D-87BC86016059.thumb.jpeg.ffd21ed6f536a114d7840caa84ec4e0f.jpeg

 

Euproops danae Horseshoe Crab

 

1CE0B011-B089-4DB4-B144-76D652D80962.thumb.jpeg.12dac5a5a8c7fddaab5795065f9fae3d.jpeg
 

Mazonova helmichnus Amphibian eggs

 

28A64129-F5B5-4EE5-B8AA-BDF075CA9B84.thumb.jpeg.5e9da9550814d4f67fccd010b9e73b43.jpeg

 

Kellibrooksia macrogaster Shrimp

 

700435EF-18CD-4CE8-82BE-E9F2606EA4A2.thumb.jpeg.375b6a61ee53758f349181d56e18864b.jpeg

 

Rhaphidiophrus hystrix “Oliver Hardy Worm”

 

71A4857B-BEC1-4852-9CF0-57D0AD8FB586.thumb.jpeg.d9cdf493ddf9d3192a4b19d8e5d757c6.jpeg

 

Glaphurochiton concinnus “Chiton”

 

17C3E5CB-D4C8-421E-9B7A-7BCBA16E24AB.thumb.jpeg.0fdae44623491460739e7004da32e7c0.jpeg

 

Didontogaster cordylina “Tummy Tooth Worm”

 

5819373C-85F4-4918-8BF9-9FC24D14F088.thumb.jpeg.68c5e8f526f2bcd8471ff8844537f16d.jpeg

 

Esconichthys apopyris

 

D6AB2D0F-C40E-42F3-B63C-FD0713302267.thumb.jpeg.4e5b64ca1f678dd7a450f6ca988a68a9.jpeg

 

33E42BDC-A8DE-4A63-9CB7-5F78F5E385ED.thumb.jpeg.1d4051fad7568fe446ed129b19f35d8c.jpeg

 

Millipede-

 

71031C29-18B7-4729-B39B-1AADB8BEC284.thumb.jpeg.3b337e0ce9c2b4bdd3eb75afd5cc16c0.jpeg

 

Rutellifrons wolfforum (?) Shovel Nose Worm

 

7163F057-8A7E-434D-AA39-B9644D534229.thumb.jpeg.fec8d08ab78bdd25a9936f5a0ad2de9e.jpeg

 

DC32CC9C-3786-46D8-8838-374E950C7E03.thumb.jpeg.1ae9efa8e7ae48313358d719cb677709.jpeg

 

Achistrum sp. Sea Cucumber with mouth

 

CB538029-484D-47CF-8BDF-8C394BE0D6A0.thumb.jpeg.6e0602d456525d34f456d476d1c32b66.jpeg

 

EAF71308-460B-417C-BD7C-A0B6F8B169D9.thumb.jpeg.6f28fc73ccc9357c999fac78f2d12e86.jpeg

 

A couple more nice Tully Monsters.

 

4B8B40C6-468A-4F6F-A3E8-DBC3497ADDBE.thumb.jpeg.8e0b2d4e0f0a1ffde25dd7ca74191b66.jpeg

 

3E22EE48-29AA-4D26-96C0-19B2CB012B7C.thumb.jpeg.693f2b2b0d33163fcb2fbf2ac8b8ccde.jpeg

 

FA07F592-76F8-44C0-B167-F376B677662E.thumb.jpeg.86c92c8f1fd9231f7106a9c3990df46c.jpeg

 

I will post some more later.

 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

3E22EE48-29AA-4D26-96C0-19B2CB012B7C.thumb.jpeg.693f2b2b0d33163fcb2fbf2ac8b8ccde.jpeg

This post is gonna turn into another "Sometimes you have to whack it" in terms of length - and I'm very much excited by that. Also - this Tully Monster is SO cool, I love how you can see all of it due to it having folded on itself. Those worms are so cool too!

Fossils? I dig it. :meg:

 

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2 minutes ago, Meganeura said:

This post is gonna turn into another "Sometimes you have to whack it" in terms of length - and I'm very much excited by that. Also - this Tully Monster is SO cool, I love how you can see all of it due to it having folded on itself. Those worms are so cool too!

I agree Daniel, it looks like it is all there. Lol about what you said, I almost called this thread- “Sometimes You Have To Un-Rubber Band It”.

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