Paleoworld-101 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Hi guys, i'm thinking about making my first Megalodon tooth purchase for my collection, and have located a (what seems to me) very very nice specimen that is both high in quality, big in size, and affordable in price. But i am not an expert when it comes to shark teeth, so i need a bit of a helping hand so i don't get caught out by fakes/undisclosed R and R. Can the shark tooth experts on this forum take a close look at the pics below and tell me if they think there is any R and R on the tooth? It's longest side is 4.75 inches, and the seller says there is no R and R. I trust him, as he seems like a very very reputable seller, but want to be totally sure before i shell out my dollars. It's a necessary precaution, especially since this is my first Meg tooth and i am not an expert on shark teeth. Nothing against the seller by any means. Notice how the back looks very shiny, is it polished or natural? The price is about 400 dollars, is that a good deal? Thanks guys "In Africa, one can't help becoming caught up in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt. Perhaps, it has something to do with a memory of a time gone by, when we were the prey, and our nights were filled with darkness..." -Eternal Enemies: Lions And Hyenas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 That's a pretty bad deal, especially for the price teeth are selling for at the moment. It's unrepaired, but I'd say worth about 200 tops. I suspect you searched on ebay.com.au? Try the 'shark tooth' section on ebay.com, it has much more choice. Wait around for a good Sanzviz auction and you'll get something much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samsiam Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I recently bought one near exact same size, same colour but not as perfect, has some small chips and channels in it for $100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleoworld-101 Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 I am genuinely surprised. I thought the quality of this tooth coupled with it being close to 5 inches would surely have made the 380 dollar price tag a good deal. What makes it worth far less than the posted price? To me it appears to have fabulous enamel (no peel at all), intact serrations, great tip, stunning bourlette and great root. It's quality beat literally hundreds of other teeth i saw for sale on ebay.com (not au). There were lots and lots of similar sized teeth at similar or even more expensive prices, and they all had tonnes of enamel peel, partial bourlette and ugly appearance etc. Yet many were over 400 dollars. Am i missing something here? "In Africa, one can't help becoming caught up in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt. Perhaps, it has something to do with a memory of a time gone by, when we were the prey, and our nights were filled with darkness..." -Eternal Enemies: Lions And Hyenas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 There is no commonly used term to describe the characteristic, but I'd term it 'crispness'. The tooth has clearly got a degree of wear, and just lacks the luster of a fresher tooth. It's duller than a tooth that's freshly eroded. The root actually has a degree of weathering and is slightly potmarked on the surface and lacks some of the finer structural details that you find in nicer teeth. As to what makes it worth less than 400; you could get a comparable tooth for much less. If you're looking to buy a tooth in the current market, I'd suggest taking your time and getting one at auction. Look at the preservation on a tooth like this and you'll see the degree to which that one has actually been weathered; http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php/gallery/image/16508-5-1116-megalodon-morgan-river-south-carolina/. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down under fossil hunter Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 There is no commonly used term to describe the characteristic, but I'd term it 'crispness'. The tooth has clearly got a degree of wear, and just lacks the luster of a fresher tooth. It's duller than a tooth that's freshly eroded. The root actually has a degree of weathering and is slightly potmarked on the surface and lacks some of the finer structural details that you find in nicer teeth. As to what makes it worth less than 400; you could get a comparable tooth for much less. If you're looking to buy a tooth in the current market, I'd suggest taking your time and getting one at auction. Look at the preservation on a tooth like this and you'll see the degree to which that one has actually been weathered; http://www.thefossil...outh-carolina/. Very detailed response, I have learnt something new today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleoworld-101 Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 Thanks for the replies, perhaps i will save my money for a different tooth to come along then. For 400 bucks, would i be able to get a museum quality 5 inch tooth? My main goal is to get a tooth with top notch enamel, serrations and bourlette. The shape of the tooth featured above is also what i'm going for. None of the ugly peeled and chipped teeth that always come up for sale. I have looked at Megateeth.com and there are some nice ones there, but most are over 400 dollars. At least there is the guarantee that no R and R has been performed since he found them all himself. Ebay's auctions are also a bit lack luster at the moment, but i will keep my eye out. Then again, there is that authenticity issue with ebay... One last question, i have noticed that Sydni816 often has great looking Meg teeth for sale, but i sometimes get the impression that they have been polished even though he says there is no R and R on them. Is anyone familiar with this seller? His site- http://www.megalodonsharkteeth.com/index.php?generallayout=shop&cat=_Megalodon_South-Carolina "In Africa, one can't help becoming caught up in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt. Perhaps, it has something to do with a memory of a time gone by, when we were the prey, and our nights were filled with darkness..." -Eternal Enemies: Lions And Hyenas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickNC Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Not sure what is being asked for that one, but I think it's at least a $300 tooth. I think it looks better than the one in the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Thanks for the replies, perhaps i will save my money for a different tooth to come along then. For 400 bucks, would i be able to get a museum quality 5 inch tooth? My main goal is to get a tooth with top notch enamel, serrations and bourlette. The shape of the tooth featured above is also what i'm going for. None of the ugly peeled and chipped teeth that always come up for sale. I have looked at Megateeth.com and there are some nice ones there, but most are over 400 dollars. At least there is the guarantee that no R and R has been performed since he found them all himself. Ebay's auctions are also a bit lack luster at the moment, but i will keep my eye out. Then again, there is that authenticity issue with ebay... One last question, i have noticed that Sydni816 often has great looking Meg teeth for sale, but i sometimes get the impression that they have been polished even though he says there is no R and R on them. Is anyone familiar with this seller? His site- http://www.megalodon..._South-Carolina Garry, like most dealers, cleans his teeth with a buffing wheel to remove debris. The tooth is a nice tooth, and could probably get 200 at auction. In a better market, it would probably worth closer to what he's asking. However, teeth aren't selling well at the moment, and you could do much better if you have 400 to spend. I'd suggest that you wait for a nice tooth to come along; you'll be happier in the long run (trust me, I know how eager you can get to buy your first nice meg). I keep a very close eye on the eBay market and have been selling teeth for about 5 years. If you want, I can pm you if I see a tooth that seems like a good bargain. For 400, you could easily get a comparable tooth well over 5", or a really stunning tooth around 4". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 See if you can get this one for 300. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERB-4-3-4-Megalodon-Tooth-/170954780898?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cdb2f0e2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleoworld-101 Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 Garry, like most dealers, cleans his teeth with a buffing wheel to remove debris. The tooth is a nice tooth, and could probably get 200 at auction. In a better market, it would probably worth closer to what he's asking. However, teeth aren't selling well at the moment, and you could do much better if you have 400 to spend. I'd suggest that you wait for a nice tooth to come along; you'll be happier in the long run (trust me, I know how eager you can get to buy your first nice meg). I keep a very close eye on the eBay market and have been selling teeth for about 5 years. If you want, I can pm you if I see a tooth that seems like a good bargain. For 400, you could easily get a comparable tooth well over 5", or a really stunning tooth around 4". Thanks, if you see a superb tooth over 4.5" please keep me in mind If i see another tooth i like though, could i PM you as well to get your opinion of it? The one you posted in the link is very very close to what i am looking for, but the bourlette and bit of enamel peal on the back JUST faults it. So close though! "In Africa, one can't help becoming caught up in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt. Perhaps, it has something to do with a memory of a time gone by, when we were the prey, and our nights were filled with darkness..." -Eternal Enemies: Lions And Hyenas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 No problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 4 minutes ago, chestr said: Hi, Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I just got screwed over on Ebay by this same guy, Sydni816, who advertises his teeth as 100% natural. I didn't do my due diligence, because if I had, I'd have notice that a lot of his teeth on his page are polished. Anyway, when I received the tooth, I noticed that it had marks all over it like it had been sanded and then hit pretty hard with a buffing wheel or something. It was so shiny when I got it, that I asked him what kind of coating or lacquer he applied to it, but then I noticed how all of the raised spots on the fossilized parts were leveled off flat, and mirror shiny. He also had no clue that most fossils are found in sedimentary rock or that the roots of meg teeth are fossilized, lol. We messaged back and forth a couple of times, and he fervently denied that the tooth had been altered in any way. That's my loss, I guess. It's my hope that somebody finds this before they buy from this guy. Thanks. Hi I just wanted to let you know that I don't believe you are supposed to post specific info about sellers like that. There are ways to alert people to possible scams without calling out that persons username. Someone please corrct me if I'm wrong. But I thought I had to do with this sight being held accountable for defamation. I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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