Extraordinary Common Teeth

[mattbsharks]

In a few minutes I will add to our moroccan homage  

[mattbsharks]

Double cusped convention 

[mattbsharks]

[mattbsharks]

[mattbsharks]

Cuspless. Around 3"

[mattbsharks]

[mattbsharks]

Some nestled in matrix. (The real kind, not the white paste that teeth are glued to)

[mattbsharks]

[mattbsharks]

And finally my largest Otodus o. Just under 4". Sorry I got a bit carried away haha. 

[isurus90064]

Fantastic!!! From double cusps to simple shouldered cusps (cuspless). I love these examples simply because of the range, the quality and the beauty in teeth that people often overlook. Than you mattbsharks!!

[mattbsharks]

[mattbsharks]

[mattbsharks]

[mattbsharks]

I'm glad you like them! As you said there is great beauty in the variance and the subtleties of shark teeth! 

[isurus90064]

Massive, great color too!! Love the Moroccan convention.

 

The best thing about Moroccan teeth is that there is enough material out here of a high enough quality that will show the full range of tooth characters and oddities, thanks!!

[Doctor Mud]

5 hours ago, isurus90064 said:

Thank you. To Doctor Mud's point, the condition of teeth coming from this locality is generally more like the one pictured below.

 

Otodus auriculatus

 

" - cm

 

Lutetian, Eocene

Lede Sand Formation
Oosterzele

Belgium

 

Worn, but still the biggest I’ve seen from there. Are the teeth beach finds, so worn in the surf, or re-worked teeth deposited in a high energy environment.

[Doctor Mud]

6 hours ago, isurus90064 said:

Also, on teeth as common as Otodus obliquus it shouldn't be necessary to restore them. People generally don't pay more for common teeth that are restored.

 

Nice natural Otodus oblquus teeth @isurus90064 and @mattbsharks!

 

I have a big (> 3 inch tooth) that I brought from a very high profile dealer online when I was starting out. I brought it as part of a transition set.

 

Unfortunately, now I suspect it has major root restoration. It is very good restoration work though, expertly blended into the natural colors. However hydration cracks suddenly stop then start again and the root has that slightly tacky feeling that plaster does.

 

Tempted to do the water test and maybe replace it with a natural one if need be.

 

Ill post some pictures later.

[isurus90064]

6 hours ago, Doctor Mud said:

Worn, but still the biggest I’ve seen from there. Are the teeth beach finds, so worn in the surf, or re-worked teeth deposited in a high energy environment.

 

Oosterzele is a quarry in the middle of Belgium and so we had to dig for these teeth, although the digging is actually quite easy. The thing to watch out for there is a 8-10"/20-25cm rock layer that overlies the sandy fossil layer, so as you're digging you are slowly removing the support for the rock layer.

 

This particular tooth happens to be a reworked example as is the case with the majority of teeth coming from there. A much smaller portion is in pristine condition and when they are they can be among some of the most beautiful teeth around.

 

[isurus90064]

5 hours ago, Doctor Mud said:

Nice natural Otodus oblquus teeth @isurus90064 and @mattbsharks!

 

I have a big (> 3 inch tooth) that I brought from a very high profile dealer online when I was starting out. I brought it as part of a transition set.

 

Unfortunately, now I suspect it has major root restoration. It is very good restoration work though, expertly blended into the natural colors. However hydration cracks suddenly stop then start again and the root has that slightly tacky feeling that plaster does.

 

Tempted to do the water test and maybe replace it with a natural one if need be.

 

Ill post some pictures later.

 

 

On most Moroccan teeth resto is painfully obvious. The water test is really for teeth which may have a small area of resto that does not look original but was sold to you as "all natural". Also, a quick comment in support of dealers. It's not the dealers who do this resto work. Dealers generally want the higher quality material the same way collectors do. All of this restoration is done in Morocco and when dealers buy material, they don't have the resources to be checking every tooth/fossil for quality. Reputable dealers will also tell you when and where restoration was done.

 

I should have mentioned the fact that if you like the tooth it may not be worth doing the water test. On teeth with a lot of conspicuous resto, water may well disintegrate the root beyond a point where it can be restored.

[Doctor Mud]

4 hours ago, isurus90064 said:

 

Oosterzele is a quarry in the middle of Belgium and so we had to dig for these teeth, although the digging is actually quite easy. The thing to watch out for there is a 8-10"/20-25cm rock layer that overlies the sandy fossil layer, so as you're digging you are slowly removing the support for the rock layer.

 

This particular tooth happens to be a reworked example as is the case with the majority of teeth coming from there. A much smaller portion is in pristine condition and when they are they can be among some of the most beautiful teeth around.

 

Reminds me of the site I used to dig at in New Zealand for many years. It was a 50 cm thick greensand layer underlying sandstone. In the greensand there is a phosphatic concretionary later rich in teeth and bones.

 

Most teeth appear to be re-worked, but every now and then you would find s beautiful pristine tooth.

In my younger years a friend and I would catch the bus and spend all day mining this layer.

 

Unfortunately the quarry has now been filled in as a demolition company purchased it and dumps demolition debris in there.

 

Ill post some teeth from there as it will be something a little different for the shark teeth fans out there. 

[isurus90064]

Otodus mediavus (sometimes listed as Otodus minor mediavus, which is like saying minor (or smaller) twice; the Latin adjective "-us" already means "smaller").

 

~60 Ma

Paleocene - Selandian

Berdeyka

Volgograd Region

Volga Area

Russia

 

[Doctor Mud]

4 hours ago, isurus90064 said:

On most Moroccan teeth resto is painfully obvious. The water test is really for teeth which may have a small area of resto that does not look original but was sold to you as "all natural". Also, a quick comment in support of dealers. It's not the dealers who do this resto work. Dealers generally want the higher quality material the same way collectors do. All of this restoration is done in Morocco and when dealers buy material, they don't have the resources to be checking every tooth/fossil for quality. Reputable dealers will also tell you when and where restoration was done.

 

I should have mentioned the fact that if you like the tooth it may not be worth doing the water test. On teeth with a lot of conspicuous resto, water may well disintegrate the root beyond a point where it can be restored.

I also like to give dealers the benefit of the doubt. This dealer comes across as a genuine, nice person and I’ve dealt with them for years. I’m happy with all of the other teeth Ive purchased. 

 

If the tooth is restored, it’s more subtle than the crazy root repairs I’ve seen. Large patches of root restoration carefully colored and textured to look like natural root. Anyway - Ill stop talking about it till I get a chance to post pictures 

[isurus90064]

10 minutes ago, Doctor Mud said:

Reminds me of the site I used to dig at in New Zealand for many years. It was a 50 cm thick greensand layer underlying sandstone. In the greensand there is a phosphatic concretionary later rich in teeth and bones.

 

Most teeth appear to be re-worked, but every now and then you would find s beautiful pristine tooth.

In my younger years a friend and I would catch the bus and spend all day mining this layer.

 

Unfortunately the quarry has now been filled in as a demolition company purchased it and dumps demolition debris in there.

 

Ill post some teeth from there as it will be something a little different for the shark teeth fans out there. 

 

 

Any teeth from New Zealand sound very interesting, looking forward to seeing them and of course your Otodus tooth.

[Doctor Mud]

2 minutes ago, isurus90064 said:

Any teeth from New Zealand sound very interesting, looking forward to seeing them and of course your Otodus tooth.

 

Ive really enjoyed this thread so it will be nice to contribute. I’ll post photos when I get a chance to take some later this week.

[siteseer]

On 8/12/2019 at 12:52 PM, isurus90064 said:

Otodus mediavus (sometimes listed as Otodus minor mediavus, which is like saying minor (or smaller) twice; the Latin adjective "-us" already means "smaller").

 

~60 Ma

Paleocene - Selandian

Berdeyka

Volgograd Region

Volga Area

Russia

 

 

 

Hi Isurus90064,

 

I believe mediavus is actually a latinization of "Midway."  Leriche (1942) named the species from specimens found in Wilcox County, Alabama from exposures of the Midway Group.

 

Jess

 

 

Leriche, M.  1942.
Contribution à l'étude des faunes ichthyologiques marines des terrains tertiaires de la Plaine Côtière Atlantique et du centre des Etats-Unis. Les synchronismes des formations tertiaires des deux côtés de l'Atlantique. Mémoires de la Société géologique de France, 45 (2–4): 1–110, 8 pl.