Morocco trilobite

[haventbaptized]

Hello guys I am thinking of buying a new trilobite. I found a very nice fossil of a Gerastos granulosus from Jebel Ofatn , Morocco for only 13 Euro. I have heard a lot about Morocco trilobites that's why i am asking about your opinions on the matter. Nevertheless, the buyer has 100% positive feedback and most important he gives a certificate of authentivity.

The matrix dimensions are : 64x44x18 mm

The trilobite dimensions are : max. 20 mm

And the weight is :weight: 48 grams

Here are some pictures

So, What do you guys think?

Edited June 1, 2016 by haventbaptized

[izak_]

i'm no expert but the head shield in the first picture looks... fishy?

[Fossildude19]

I think this one is real.

The brown colored trilobites from Morocco seem to be a bit less well preserved than the dark black colored ones.

In the first picture, I can see a crack in the trilobite, - this indicates that it is real. as they are generally found by cracking the matrix open, then gluing the pieces back together.

Regards,

[sdsnl]

Looks good to me. Gerastos are blind so you wouldn't see any eye lens. Gerastos are common and it wouldn't be worth it to fake them. The rare, spiny ones are the ones you need to look out for. 13 Euros is a pretty good price for a well-prepped specimen

But about the certificate of authenticity, anyone could make one of those, so don't let it affect your judgment if in the future you want to buy something rare. The certificates usually just say something like, I (the seller) guarantee this is real, you can get a refund IF you can prove that it is fake! Don't expect that paleontologists have looked at the specimen and done tests on it. Even if a seller can find a paleontologist who agrees to do the work, just imagine the cost for it!

[aeon.rocks]

and most important he gives a certificate of authentivity.

As others have stated... Certificates of authenticity are a joke, you can print one yourself also. Bug is real though, common proteid species, not worth the time to fake anyway.

Looks good to me. Gerastos are blind so you wouldn't see any eye lens. Gerastos are common and it wouldn't be worth it to fake them. The rare, spiny ones are the ones you need to look out for. 13 Euros is a pretty good price for a well-prepped specimen

Proteids have holochroal type of eyes, with a large number of tiny eye-lenses. Of course most look blind, lol, because commercial preped bugs for bargain $ are not exactly what I would call well-preped specimens, most of the details are destroyed in the proces of quick rough preparation! Here is how I imagine a well-preped specimen: http://www.trilobites.info/prep.htm

Calcite in eyelenses is softer as the rest of the shell and holochroal eyes can be burned to a polished looking surface easily when bug is overblasted.

Edited June 1, 2016 by aeon.rocks

[haventbaptized]

Thanks a lot for answering so quickly. I knew that some species of trilobites didn't have eyes but i didn't knew exactly which trilobites species were they. (So that's good to know for educational reasons ) As for the certificate I had some doubts myself.How difficult cant it be to make one? The only way I know to recognize a fake fossil from a real one is the air bubbles so as you can imagine I have a lot to learn

Again, Thanks a lot for your help

Edited June 1, 2016 by haventbaptized

[aeon.rocks]

The only way I know to recognize a fake fossil from a real one is the air bubbles so as you can imagine I have a lot to learn

Don`t worry about fakes so much, real trilobites are very common in Morocco and low quality commercial specimens very cheap and sold worldwide, just don`t expect every trilobite you see selling for 20$ is real, if spiny it most definitely isn`t... A good moto to avoid fakes is also quality over quantity, but for some reason people like to buy cheap, even if that means a few $ difference (a decent preped moroccan trilo usually cost only 20-100$ more as roughly preped specimens available for 10$ and that`s still a bargain price for hours of carefull work) and doubts about authenticity...

Do research before buying, there are plenty of topic about moroccan bugs in this forum also, and welcome to ask if you`re not sure... Btw, some specie are blind, but not always blind, if you can`t see the eyelenses, check photos attached in my last (edited) post.

Edited June 1, 2016 by aeon.rocks

[haventbaptized]

Thanks a lot that was very informative

[doushantuo]

Basse/Lemke(in German,btw)/Rhenish Slate Mts:

http://www.lwl.org/wmfn-download/Geologie_und_Palaeontologie_in_Westfalen/GuP_Heft_46.pdf

[Bguild]

This one is definitely real. I wouldn't worry too much about the more common trilobites from Morocco being faked. If you have a specimen covered in large spines it's always good to be cautious and ask second opinions if you are unsure. In my experience it's also a good idea to take a closer look at specimens with more prominent genal spines as these parts are often restored. A lot of times trilobites from morocco will have real parts and restored parts. It's just a matter of spotting any restoration that's been done which can be tricky when dealing with an online auction website.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Bguild