Dracorex_hogwartsia Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Any one see the giant Tyrannosaurus rex tooth being sold on one of our favorite auction sites? I always thought I was pretty good at spotting a fake or highly fabricated tooth but if I had not seen the before picture that they posted, I think I would have been fooled by this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFOOLEY Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 It's real. "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Very honest seller showing you the before picture. Something others could learn in all types of selling. Shows you how an ugly tooth can be transformed into something sellable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Sadly they are appealing to someone with more money than brains. One 'before' photo doesn't come close to showing the actual amount of restoration done to that tooth. A 'before' photo of the other side of the tooth would be a lot more honest. For $40K you should expect before photos of both sides and a detailed restoration map reflecting an accurate percentage of restoration. After looking at all the 'after' photos, my estimate is ~20-30% of that tooth has been restored. Unfortunately, in the world of expensive commercial fossil sales, this type of vague nondisclosure is a fairly common practice. Caveat Emptor indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 (edited) I actually prefer the before picture. There is a certain elegance to how nature breaks things apart. Edited December 18, 2015 by LordTrilobite Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 I actually prefer the before picture. There is a certain elegance to how nature breaks things apart. I agree. That tooth has been so heavily patched and painted it's little more than a Objet d'art. This 5.5" example from my collection is the genuine article and came with an in-situ pic as it was discovered. It has absolutely zero repair / restoration and was found in a river channel deposit in Carter County, Montana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 $40,000?! You're joshing! "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...
Troodon Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 I actually prefer the before picture. There is a certain elegance to how nature breaks things apart. Agreed I'll take the before one but from the sellers point of view his biggest payoff would be with the repaired one. I would not pay 1 cents for it but there are buyers who will pay big bucks for a big rex tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 $40,000?! You're joshing! The seller does point out in the description that a large rex tooth went for 56k at a Bonhams auction. Factual, and that tooth was extremely ugly in poor condition. So there is crazy money being spent on rex material Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 $40,000?! You're joshing! The seller references this partially restored T. rex tooth sold by Bonhams for $56K. Obviously $40K is a bargain! QUOTE: "The excellent condition of the tooth meant that a minimal amount of crack filling was necessary for restoration, and the stunning example sold for a final price of $56,250." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Jeeeeez... what the heck are people thinking? 56K for a crappy tooth. I am appalled, and at least one other is a dummy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Absolutely nuts! What a waste of good money! Think I'll start offering my fossils at Bonham's 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 One big downside of that auction price was that dinosaur diggers took big note of it. Prices of rex teeth have been spiraling upward since then and have been getting stupid even for marginal teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Andy- Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 I'll stand on the other side of the fence and say that I'd gladly take the restored version of this tooth. Not that I have 40k lying around though... Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 The seller references this partially restored T. rex tooth sold by Bonhams for $56K. Obviously $40K is a bargain! IMG1.jpg QUOTE: "The excellent condition of the tooth meant that a minimal amount of crack filling was necessary for restoration, and the stunning example sold for a final price of $56,250." I'll stand on the other side of the fence and say that I'd gladly take the restored version of this tooth. Not that I have 40k lying around though... Personally, the hucksterism in the marketing of this specimen turns me off completely, and even if money were no object I would not buy it, just on principal. I find this level of commercialization appalling. "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...
Dracorex_hogwartsia Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 The people that are buying these types of fossils are clueless! They are not dinosaur enthusiasts like us on this forum. They are wealthy people who have more money than they know what to do with and just want a T. rex tooth because they think it would be cool. Repair, restoration, fabrication, these terms don't mean anything to them. They couldn't tell a real T. rex tooth from a fake one! I've seen a number of very large teeth in horrible condition over the years sell for crazy prices and I just had to shake my head. I guess as long as there are people that will pay big money for these types of teeth people will keep making them. Like Troodon said, I wouldn't pay a penny for that tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 I think there are lots of real dinosaur collectors that do not have a problem with some level of repair and restoration and I'm okay with that, it's a personal choice. I have restored claws in my collection but draw the line with teeth. There is also that group like Draco said that are clueless about fossils and just want to show others that they have a Rex tooth. I also think that's okay, it's their money. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Andy- Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 The people that are buying these types of fossils are clueless! They are not dinosaur enthusiasts like us on this forum. They are wealthy people who have more money than they know what to do with and just want a T. rex tooth because they think it would be cool. Repair, restoration, fabrication, these terms don't mean anything to them. They couldn't tell a real T. rex tooth from a fake one! I've seen a number of very large teeth in horrible condition over the years sell for crazy prices and I just had to shake my head. I guess as long as there are people that will pay big money for these types of teeth people will keep making them. Like Troodon said, I wouldn't pay a penny for that tooth. Personally I don't see the problem here. I know respectable collectors who'd willingly spend hundreds, if not thousands, to have their fossils sent overseas to be prepped and restored. What matters is that they love said fossil in the end. To each his own. What's more, if it helps to prolong the longevity of the fossil, why not? I have restored teeth in my collection, and I assure you, I can tell a real T. rex tooth from a fake one. Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Personally, I don't have anything against restoring in theory. But there's a difference between stabilising a fragile fossil and basically making an "art" piece out of it. I think this tooth is a bit over done. I think somewhere in the middle might be the best of both worlds, depending on the fossil of course. some things are better left alone. While other fossils could greatly benefit from some restoring and even some "beautification". One just needs to know when to stop. In this particular example, personally I can't really tell much difference between the filled in parts and the original parts since the whole surface seems to have been altered. I think maybe filling in some of the holes but leaving much of the enamel as is would be best with this tooth. So I think they "restored" too much, regardless of price. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 It's like making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and then hyping it up. The hype, I could do without. "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...
jpc Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 One big downside of that auction price was that dinosaur diggers took big note of it. Prices of rex teeth have been spiraling upward since then and have been getting stupid even for marginal teeth. This has been a downside ever since Sue, whether you purchase dino bones or, in my case, try to get access to productive lands. Two huge thumbs down for overpricing. And I am being polite... no cuss words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgehiker Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 (edited) The people that are buying these types of fossils are clueless! They are not dinosaur enthusiasts like us on this forum. They are wealthy people who have more money than they know what to do with and just want a T. rex tooth because they think it would be cool. Repair, restoration, fabrication, these terms don't mean anything to them. They couldn't tell a real T. rex tooth from a fake one! I've seen a number of very large teeth in horrible condition over the years sell for crazy prices and I just had to shake my head. I guess as long as there are people that will pay big money for these types of teeth people will keep making them. Like Troodon said, I wouldn't pay a penny for that tooth.Agree completely. The key is 'making them'. As PT Barnum said...'A sucker....'The restoration of that tooth is like 'Restoring' the Venus de Milo...adding arms. A travesty.. More and more I prefer our Alberta laws...collecting allowed outside of Parks but selling fossils not permitted. They can be part of our private collection but no commercial value. I've never been refused permission by a rancher to explore and collect on his land. He is not losing anything of value. Then happy to show them what is found so they can share in the discovery. Edited December 18, 2015 by Ridgehiker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Agree completely. The key is 'making them'. As PT Barnum said...'A sucker....' The restoration of that tooth is like 'Restoring' the Venus de Milo...adding arms. A travesty.. Bingo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 It would be interesting to see if the preference for "as is" as opposed to 'largely doctored' corresponds to those who collect as opposed to those who purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcfossilcollector Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 It seems that like great works of art, certain fossils are becoming less regarded for the natural wonders that they are, transitioning into a mode or type of currency. A fossils perceived monetary value is as nothing compared to the vastness of time and evolution that these fossils represent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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