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Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show 2023 PHOTOS


Troodon

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10 hours ago, piranha said:

 

Specimens like this with less than 8 segments showing are a very common occurrence in the Asaphidae. The cephalon shifted post-mortem and covered the first segment. If you look closely at the posted example above, the second segment is partially obscured as well. In only a few minutes of searching, Google produced numerous Isotelus  images with less than 8 segments. Here is another example with a more pronounced telescoping of the cephalon.

 

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thanks!

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On 2/2/2023 at 2:22 AM, Phos_01 said:

Scrolling trough this topic, from the start, watching all these pinpointed locations, seeing at these big tents, stores, even motels ? streets and such, I just can't help but feeling overwhelming. It looks almost impossible to see everything, it looks half as big as Belgium lol 

 

Its one of my dreams to visit this fair, but how big can one fair be? It looks like you need a week to visit everything, with the risk of the good being sold. Making this trip for a European is expensive, plane tickets, hotel, rent a car, but mostly time. I would be very stressed knowing I did not see some other Dinosaur merchants while im miles away and could not make it in one day. 

Why issnt there just a major big expo showroom like we have in Europe, like for example Munchen , dat would make this much easier for the customers. I prefer to see everything at once, buy the same day, perhaps for the really expensive items visit the day after while you had some time to consider. 

Just some thought about Tucson.

 

Actually, there was a show that was main event.  Dealers would buy at all the shows and then take those specimens to sell at "the main show," The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show.  It opened a couple of weeks after the wholesale shows.  Collectors would fly in from all over the world for it.  I remember those days of the late 80's and 90's, but over time, collectors realized they could cut out the middleman and see the wholesale shows especially after the restrictions of licensed buyers only being allowed in were lifted.  They were increasingly ignored anyway.  The main show still takes place but it became less-attended over time. 

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On 2/2/2023 at 10:58 AM, FossilDAWG said:

I assume the high prices are across the board, and not just dinosaur/vertebrate specimens?

 

Don

 

We were there last week and good quality trilobites are up a bit, but there was also fairly good variety and generally flexible pricing. Some of the dealers were pretty much cleared out by then anyway! I was most surprised by how expensive, and how little available, some Permian vertebrates were, though there was one seller with some truly astounding Devonian fish. 

 

It did seem that Green River pieces--at least at a few dealers--had been trending down in price. Most dealers I spoke to said that the show had gone well for them, but that shipping and booth costs were up. 

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On 2/5/2023 at 11:59 AM, Troodon said:

Been Fun

 

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Thanks again for sharing. I always enjoy this and learn something (or things!) new each year. :default_clap2:

 

what was the highlight for you this year? Or is that hard to pin down? <_<

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On 2/6/2023 at 8:24 PM, Doctor Mud said:

Thanks again for sharing. I always enjoy this and learn something (or things!) new each year. :default_clap2:

 

what was the highlight for you this year? Or is that hard to pin down? <_<

 

Thanks

Look there are a lot of outstanding fossils at the show that everyone would have a different take on depending their area of interest.

I loved that ventrally viewed  Ichthyosaur from the UK, the T rex foot claw and jaw section were super in many ways.   There were,  like most years, some unbelievable trilobites that I could not photograph and a few other dealers were like that, so that's okay, why one needs to attend.

But best in show, that's easy, a dealer doing a favor, showed me this unbelievable jurassic theropod jaw with teeth.  It had been sold and the seller did not want me to talk specifics or take pictures.  Its was super cool for a dinosaur guy.   

 

It was good not great show but I was happy to continue to be able to  walk around and hold and see some pretty spectacular items.  Its like a museum but sometime you get to touch and hold.  Overall it was just a spectacle that continues to amaze with the amount of people that come from every corner of the world to buy and sell.

 

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I'm late to the party, but have just looked through every page, and I also thank you for your work on this. I wish I could go, but physical issues, and location make it a tough proposition. i am personally interested in Chinese miocene and pliocene mammal fossils. I saw no pictures of such, and wonder if there were any. Another question: I have acquired a couple of miocene mammal skulls from China, which i prepped quite a bit, which I'm sure are not fake or composite, though there has been a ban on fossil export from China for quite a number of years. Is this the reason for lack of Chinese material, or were you not in a position to capture any of it. Sorry if this is disrupting, but I don't know how or where to ask (Photo of an antelope, gazelle, from China i have been working on.)

IMG_5296.jpeg

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5 hours ago, nearpass said:

I'm late to the party, but have just looked through every page, and I also thank you for your work on this. I wish I could go, but physical issues, and location make it a tough proposition. i am personally interested in Chinese miocene and pliocene mammal fossils. I saw no pictures of such, and wonder if there were any. Another question: I have acquired a couple of miocene mammal skulls from China, which i prepped quite a bit, which I'm sure are not fake or composite, though there has been a ban on fossil export from China for quite a number of years. Is this the reason for lack of Chinese material, or were you not in a position to capture any of it. Sorry if this is disrupting, but I don't know how or where to ask (Photo of an antelope, gazelle, from China i have been working on.)

IMG_5296.jpeg

 

nice skull. Did you buy it in Tucson some years ago or in the net? As I remember (last visit was 2020) there are not many on the show, same in Europe.

@Troodon: have you seen some?

 

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6 hours ago, nearpass said:

though there has been a ban on fossil export from China for quite a number of years.

I'm sure this played a huge part why there was no material at the show.  BTW, nice skull, looks like you still have some work in front of you.

 

Having said that even when the ban was not in affect I dont recall seeing a lot of mammal material around other than Cats, which caught my attention.  Probably just  did not noticed or remembered  other type of animals.   My focus was in other areas.

 

@siteseer Jess any recollections of Chinese mammal material. 

 

 

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On 2/6/2023 at 1:55 PM, siteseer said:

The main show still takes place but it became less-attended over time. 

Yes the good old times.   The main show actually starts today through Sunday at the Tucson Convention Center.  Its pitched as the largest, oldest and most prestigious gem and mineral show in the world since the 70's.

 

I attended it in 2021 just to see how its changed.   The gems and minerals were unbelievable, jaw dropping, even the Smithsonian had an exhibit.  Fossils, well lets say you had to look hard to find any.  Not the show to visit if you were looking for them.  Great event to attend, if you are in town, just to see all these beautiful spectacular items.

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On 2/7/2023 at 11:54 PM, Troodon said:

 

Thanks

Look there are a lot of outstanding fossils at the show that everyone would have a different take on depending their area of interest.

I loved that ventrally viewed  Ichthyosaur from the UK, the T rex foot claw and jaw section were super in many ways.   There were,  like most years, some unbelievable trilobites that I could not photograph and a few other dealers were like that, so that's okay, why one needs to attend.

But best in show, that's easy, a dealer doing a favor, showed me this unbelievable jurassic theropod jaw with teeth.  It had been sold and the seller did want me to talk specifics or take pictures.  Its was super cool for a dinosaur guy.   

 

It was good not great show but I was happy to continue to be able to  walk around and hold and see some pretty spectacular items.  Its like a museum but sometime you get to touch and hold.  Overall it was just a spectacle that continued to amaze with the amount of people that come from every corner of the world to buy and sell.

 

You can’t beat holding an amazing specimen in your hands!

 

I’ll never forget the first time I held a big Meg tooth. The weight of it. Amazing to be able to experience first hand such significant snapshots of our planets history. 
 

 

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21 hours ago, Troodon said:

I'm sure this played a huge part why there was no material at the show.  BTW, nice skull, looks like you still have some work in front of you.

 

Having said that even when the ban was not in affect I dont recall seeing a lot of mammal material around other than Cats, which caught my attention.  Probably just  did not noticed or remembered  other type of animals.   My focus was in other areas.

 

@siteseer Jess any recollections of Chinese mammal material. 

 

 

 

21 hours ago, Troodon said:

I'm sure this played a huge part why there was no material at the show.  BTW, nice skull, looks like you still have some work in front of you.

 

Having said that even when the ban was not in affect I dont recall seeing a lot of mammal material around other than Cats, which caught my attention.  Probably just  did not noticed or remembered  other type of animals.   My focus was in other areas.

 

@siteseer Jess any recollections of Chinese mammal material. 

 

 

 

 

Hi Troodon,

 

Yeah, there was a lot of the Late Miocene mammal stuff from China in the late 90's and early 2000's.  There was some Early Miocene and Pleistocene material too.  China shut down the export of it all so what you see now are probably from that time.  There were tons of skulls that were real monsters.  That matrix would fall apart if it got soaked so enterprising dealers gummed giraffe teeth into hyena skulls to make them look more complete.  Sometimes, there were bits of three different animals in a "skull."  Some dealers still bought them because they were cheap and they could sell the individual jaw sections and teeth.  You could get some decent hyena, giraffe, and three-toed horse jaw sections that way along with some loose teeth.

 

Jess

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On 2/7/2023 at 11:54 AM, Troodon said:

showed me this unbelievable jurassic theropod jaw with teeth.  It had been sold and the seller did want me to talk specifics or take pictures

did not? Or allowed you to take pictures? Now im curious 

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55 minutes ago, Phos_01 said:

did not? Or allowed you to take pictures? Now im curious 

Oops,.. NOT.   what I get for found everything on my phone

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On 2/10/2023 at 2:55 AM, siteseer said:

Here are some of my skulls from China, all recently acquired. Having done some prep on all of them, they are not composite or faked, although a couple have some very well done repair. These are either being smuggled out, or from old collections, hence my question. I received them from Taiwan. There are also some appearing regularly on online auction site. (adcrocuta, Canis teilardi, plesiogulo, ferinestrix) 

 

Hi Troodon,

 

Yeah, there was a lot of the Late Miocene mammal stuff from China in the late 90's and early 2000's.  There was some Early Miocene and Pleistocene material too.  China shut down the export of it all so what you see now are probably from that time.  There were tons of skulls that were real monsters.  That matrix would fall apart if it got soaked so enterprising dealers gummed giraffe teeth into hyena skulls to make them look more complete.  Sometimes, there were bits of three different animals in a "skull."  Some dealers still bought them because they were cheap and they could sell the individual jaw sections and teeth.  You could get some decent hyena, giraffe, and three-toed horse jaw sections that way along with some loose teeth.

 

Jess

 

IMG_5303.jpeg

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On 1/30/2023 at 6:17 AM, Troodon said:

They are super hard to find and I just don't see them for sale

I saw a few stegosaurus fossils in the Denver show a few years back 

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On 1/30/2023 at 6:17 AM, Troodon said:

They are super hard to find and I just don't see them for sale

 

Every year that passes, I am thankful I picked up my Stegosaurus cervical vertebra when I had the chance. It's one of the most prized pieces in my collection. I purchased it back in 2016. It was part of an articulated set of 5 vertebrae. The seller was intially selling it as a set but ended up selling them off individually because he had to meet a deadline, if I recall correctly. If I had the money to buy the whole set, I would have done it because it pains me to see associated/articulated dinosaur pieces get broken up.

 

Since then, I have seen less than 10 Stegosaurus pieces pop up on the web. When they do pop up, they get snatched up almost immediately. It's one of the most iconic dinosaurs of all time, so there's always demand for its material.

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On 1/30/2023 at 5:13 AM, Troodon said:

An indeterminate Theropod Leg from Uzbekistan 

 

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Theropod Feet

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P1270275.JPG

This seller had Nemegt material? Any Dromy material?

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3 minutes ago, hxmendoza said:

This seller had Nemegt material? Any Dromy material?

Hi Henry yes I think, nothing had labels on it, to your first question and did not see any Dromaeosaurid material.

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an interesting article in the New Yorker about Tucson, presence and future. Focussed on high end minerals and how business goes

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/1/2023 at 8:25 AM, Troodon said:

A gold Trex why not

Is it made of pure gold? so handsome! Will it cost more than the real t.rex skull?

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Just now, HunterLacrosse said:

Is it made of pure gold? so handsome! Will it cost more than the real t.rex skull?

No just painted

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