Jump to content

Fossil Trilobite Real or Fake?


Rikache

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone!

 

I was recently gifted this trilobite fossil, but after taking a look at it, it seems as though it may not be authentic. Although I don’t see obvious evidence of resin casting, i.e. air bubbles, the specimen does lack lots of clear detail in the head and in the eyes.

 

I’m hoping it’s just a bad prep job, but realistically I’m leaning towards it being a fake as I’ve seen many Moroccan fabrications similar to this one.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated and thank you all so much for your help!

136466E9-07E3-42E4-8EBC-EA736B828E9D.jpeg

4B2DA1E9-AFDB-4AF8-8C2B-609DFE960C34.jpeg

D190BD0E-4EDD-4428-B9B5-BA00E3DA8E93.jpeg

1AE93B50-8556-4FFB-89F5-80593583DDE8.jpeg

A3899428-4935-4616-8B65-44A35E53C26C.jpeg

EF6270DE-E73A-40B8-BF61-25264117DCBB.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Close up photos of any eye lenses would help with ID.

Also, can you see any noticeable cracks in the piece? 

The real Moroccan trilobites are usually found by splitting the rock in half, gluing it back together, then prepping out the fossil.

So a crack through the whole piece would lean towards it being real.

 

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

Close up photos of any eye lenses would help with ID.

Also, can you see any noticeable cracks in the piece? 

Of course! There is a “crack” running down the specimen (circled in white), but if I’m honest it kind of looks like a seam line to me since it’s slightly elevated.

FF8731B7-CA5A-4A74-BAEA-777106BB06C1.jpeg

0DC1ED29-6B4E-48FE-8976-3B1A93A4B7CD.jpeg

14D6FBE2-C959-4BD1-86DD-32A5C40B1426.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That crack indicates to me that this is real.

Also, the fact that the right side is crushed in, points to this being a real.

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

That crack indicates to me that this is real.

Also, the fact that the right side is crushed in, points to this being a real.

That’s great news! The crushed side is definitely what stumped me the most since most of the fakes I usually see are sitting perfectly flat on their underside. Thank you so much for your input!

  • Enjoyed 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...