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Composite?


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I just got in a 4 inch Spinosaur tooth that I thought was a steal because of the condition it was in. Pictures online didn't look too fishy, but upon getting a closer look it looks like the first inch of the tip may be composited. I'm not very experienced as a collector yet, but I have done a bit of research. Looks like the front edge had a grinder taken to it to flush it with the last 3 inches. I know(or hope at least) the other 2 crack repairs are the same tooth because the enamel lines and the front edge of the tooth match up. Looks to me like the tip has a few too many lines, and one side looks too wide, although that may just be from the damage and repair.

Am I wrong? I'm sure the vendor just got it as a lot and didn't know, but because of the condition it was only 50 bones.
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The tip definitely looks constructed. But I think it's mostly real. I think that the bottom part hasn't been tampered with. the matrix on there looks normal to me. The reddish "filling" near the top is all "repair" work I think. So that would include a constructed tip and maybe part of the top part of the tooth is also composited from another tooth.

Still. Even with some definite repair and maybe some compositing. It seems like a fairly nice tooth. Carefully cleaning it a bit might give more clues to how much has been repaired. On the last photo it looks like there's still a bit of junk on the real enamel that could be removed.

Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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You have a lot going on with this tooth and each of your photos tell a little different story. It's the type of tooth that I would like to hold to make that call. The very tip of the tooth is not real but matrix shaped to a point. The next next darker section is real and I think belongs to the rest of the tooth. The redish matrix around the base of that section is matrix glued in to hide the seam. The matrix around the base of the tooth may have been added to extend the tooth or hide imperfections in it.

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Thank you. I was fairly aware that the very tip was just dirt shaped like tooth, but having that complete shape is better to me than having a flat off on the tip. Now that I know all that red is restoration it gives me a bit of hope. Looking at the front, the white goes pretty much all the way up the base, so I think all that matrix on the other side is just a portion of the tooth that's not there anymore rather than just an extension. Either way, I definitely feel that even in this condition the tooth was worth the price.

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Enjoy the tooth, it's not everyone that has a large Dino theropod tooth. Handle with care, can be fragile.

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