Fitch1979 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 (edited) These two trilobites might not be replicas/fakes(hard to tell from the photos), but seem badly prepared and definitely overpriced for their quality. It will be great to hear what other's opinions are on these! Ouf! somewhere before .. these were real once.. but eh .. 250$ for a digested koneprusia (definately the worst prep I've seen on the international market).. and 600$ for a cetarges they tried to kill again.. somebody is thinking to hit the jackpot nice and real koneprusia might look like: Edited March 12, 2015 by Fitch1979 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave pom Allen Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 (edited) heres a couple i found in nz for sale first is being sold as HOLLARDOPS (METACANTHINA) Very Hard & rare to come across one this size. In good collectible condition$200.00 second is being sold as HOLLARDOPS (METACANTHINA) Very Hard & rare to come across one this size. In good collectible condition$60.00 Edited March 13, 2015 by Dave pom Allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilizedBob89 Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 (edited) These trilobites are giving me a headache just to look at.. It is obvious that they are fake! And the prices are ridiculous! I have few fake fossils and I can tell really quick if it is a fake one once it is in my hands! Plus paying 600... save a little more money and make a fossil hunting trip somewhere! Morocco maybe? Edited March 13, 2015 by FossilizedBob89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) Walliserops...description reads in part "All are being sold as a cast and cannot be guaranteed a genuine fossil" Many of the descriptions that start with "Natural, or Genuine" add the fact that the fossil in question is a cast, (or may be a cast) at the end of the listing... Edited March 21, 2015 by xonenine "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 There is a long tradition of skirting the truth and fine-print disclaimers in every marketplace. To me, it seems more egregious when the offered item is a specimen, supposedly of natural origin, instead merely inferior consumer goods. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Some of these are really cool! I don't see a problem with them as long as they are sold as replicas. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 Phacops rana milleri: "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 (edited) That second from last one definitely looks fake. It just doesnt look like a real animal, looks made up! Oh, it is real, just no complete ones have been found... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terataspis Edit: I just want to add that after seeing some of these fakes, I am seriously considering just collecting fake trilobites from now on. They look good, are cheaper than the real thing, and I won't have to split any more shale. Plus any school kids who see your collection still won't know the difference. That's what most museums do with their dinosaur displays anyway. As an added bonus it would be much harder to cheat me, what they'll substitute a real trilobite for my fake? As an added added bonus, most resins are organic polymers and I'll be helping to keep carbon in a solid form sequestering it from release into the atmosphere as CO2. Edited March 29, 2015 by Scylla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amour 25 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 All photo credit goes to snowhorse420 on imgur. Link to the album of fakery at this particular event. So these are all Fakes? Wow even the two part ones? Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) Gus, you always kill me, can't wait till some of our trips this year buddy.Some of the Replicas are terrific though, and also no doubt often better for long term public display. there are replicas that are much better, if you ask me, but for the time being, I am posting outright obvious trilos billed as replicas. Addressing fake trilos currently for sale as real will probably be harder to do correctly, this neighborhood is smaller than we'd think, Internet or no. The largest auction site for instance usually has around 2500/2800 trilobites for sale at any given time, not really that many, 'specially when a majority of them get relisted over and over.I haven't thought about the percentage of fakes, but I'll venture 25 to 30 percent as outright constructions or replicas as a guesstimate. Edited March 31, 2015 by xonenine "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigrex Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I know it's difficult to tell online, but I would be curious to know opinions on whether you think this is fake or not: here is another example of what looks like the same species: EDIT: Website links removed; images substituted. Links to commercial sites are proscribed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amour 25 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Easy way to get rid of bubbles is Pressure cast as I do for my 1/6 scale stuff I cast. Yep a Harbor freight paint pot, and a little work ,and it is the chamber, a small compressor to feed it air, and a done deal no bubbles, best way not to have any in the mold , is to cure it under pressure, in the same pot. So both bubble free, mold and the cast, plus use a good mold release. Works real good. $295.00 for a cast is quite a bit. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigrex Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) Sorry about that, I guess I can't post links to items for sale. The reason I was asking was because I was considering a possible purchase of the top specimen, but I'm especially wary of anything Moroccan. -And yes, I've read all the tutorials on how to tell a fake: bubbles, cracks or a seam right around the specimen, no cracks reglued anywhere on the stone, tapping it with your finger, tapping it with your teeth, bad modeling of resin, wrong color, non-uniform colors, wrong species for a locality, etc. I just wanted a second opinion. I know someone will say, well, never buy anywhere where you can't be 100% sure of their reputation. I will agree that is a safeguard, but simply wanted advice on the specimen. Edited April 14, 2015 by bigrex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Sorry about that, I guess I can't post links to items for sale.... Negative perspiration We want to stop short of singling-out dealers and focus on the fossils. Also, links are ephemeral, and a broken one is of no use to our educational purpose. 1 "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigrex Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 The second post showing the large cambro trilobites look restored, not fake. The are absolutley placed on the matrix, mainly the ones with multiple examples, but not fake. I have studied many examples of these over the years. I have removed them, cut them in half etc and find that most of them are indeed real. I have a close friend who is a dealer of only fossils from Morrocco. I have been with him a few times while his family excavated these fossils and saw how they "restore" them. I actually think there is nothing wrong with someone who buys one of these from a trusted dealer as they are much more affordable then most. I dont like the multiple example matrix's as they look unatural, but single ones are fine. I do have many different photos and cut examples to show people. I have however seen fake ones but its usually very easy to tell its fake. Any other trilobite guys on here have an opinion? Just thought id offer my opinion since i studied them and destroyed a few dozen over the last 10 years lol. Are you referring to my post or another? If you are referring to my post, that's kind of funny because one would think the 2nd photo was by the more reputable dealer, at least I would, but the price is much higher and I also think the first one looks better, just not sure if it looks too good, or I am missing something, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 Not yours bigtex, the post by xonenine. Sorry for the confusion I'll be happy to start saving the dealers text/descriptions, and in fact I should save the whole kit and kaboodle w the photos from now on to refer back to. It is not merely the dealer listing the trilobites as replicas, the bulk of the trilos I've listed so far are said to be made by the actual sellers. "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) healthy doubt is good, and necessary, no worries there! - and in reality a dealer saying a trilo is 100% replica is just as reliable as one saying it is real, they may merely lack knowledge or provenance... Edited April 15, 2015 by xonenine "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I know it's difficult to tell online, but I would be curious to know opinions on whether you think this is fake or not: ~.jpg here is another example of what looks like the same species: ~8.jpg EDIT: Website links removed; images substituted. Links to commercial sites are proscribed. Im not an expert, but the detailing in the eyes suggests that it is real. But there could have been restoration done to it, im not sure. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rew Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 My default assumption with ebay is that any Chinese fossil is fake, and almost every Moroccan fossil is fake, especially of any spiny trilobite varieties. That's not always the case, but it's a good assumption to start with. There are a few sellers I see as reliable, I try to stay away from the others. The worst fakes aren't the obvious ones (like five different types of rare trilobites arranged in a circle) but the ones good enough that the sellers think they're real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 My default assumption with ebay is that any Chinese fossil is fake,... Not true. I have a number of trilobites, fish, and an insect fossil that are definitely NOT fake. I would, however, question any larger vertebrate fossil: reptile, bird, amphibian, or dinosaur fossil from China. Oh, and the Keichousaurs are sometimes sculpted, sometimes real and heavily "restored", with bones painted on. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER 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 More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Material from Morocco and China gets a bad reputation from the sheer quantity of egregious "artistic representations" being offered. This is really a shame, because there is also some wonderful items available, but until a collector has the skills and knowledge to assess them, it is wise to just avoid them. For those who apply themselves diligently and learn to distinguish, there are some amazing fossils to be had. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deruos Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Thank you ! very interesting post. Where did you find these replicas ? In Europe I could not find anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redlichia Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Quote all! Yes true, not all the China materials are fake, the same from Morocco, is the same story, depend of the experience for understand the fake from the original, and sometime is hard. I have purchased in the years several trilobites from Morocco and sometime i bought a fake....now is more difficult a fake purchase from my part but with the modern tecniques is always more hard recognize. For example how I write in another post, I'm doubt for some Russian trilo from Carboniferous.....someone knew these? If yes please showing the photos. Are many expensive but sincerely I never bought and I haven't burned the trilobite in the table of the seller , aren't with veins of typical calcite or aragonite mineralization so are strange....I don't know. Not true. I have a number of trilobites, fish, and an insect fossil that are definitely NOT fake. I would, however, question any larger vertebrate fossil: reptile, bird, amphibian, or dinosaur fossil from China. Oh, and the Keichousaurs are sometimes sculpted, sometimes real and heavily "restored", with bones painted on. Regards, ->>>>> < Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redlichia Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 These are definitely NOT FAKE! I can say that are perfect and originals, are very nice examples and congrats!!! If you have bought these, you have the very nice and not common specimens, the black example reflecting light and bright with small cracks in the shell with brown matrix is from the same layer of Chlustinia keyserlingi (rare and expensive trilobite) from upper Ordovician, maybe from Tazanine, Morocco and are rare finds. The other more dark maybe is from the Ktaoua Fm. and is more common, all two "maybe" are Mucronaspis, someone said Mucronaspis zagoraensis but I don't know. I know it's difficult to tell online, but I would be curious to know opinions on whether you think this is fake or not: ~.jpg here is another example of what looks like the same species: ~8.jpg EDIT: Website links removed; images substituted. Links to commercial sites are proscribed. ->>>>> < Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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