Where to buy real fossils (USA) and top grade replicas?

[reptileguy]

I'm pretty new to fossil collecting, however I'd like to dive right in. I've been looking at the FossilShack, however I was wondering if there are any other reputable dealers within the US? I've heard eBay is a great place, but I don't know which dealers to avoid, does anyone know of any? 

 

I'm also interested in buying an authentic looking replica for a friends birthday. I don't want to pay a fortune (college student), but I'm mainly looking complete skulls and claws.

 

 

Thanks!

[LordTrilobite]

If you want top quality replicas. Bone Clones is really good.

 

Personally I've bought replicas from Two Guys Fossils and Dinocasts mainly. I'm happy with the quality of both of them. I think Dinocasts is Portugal based though.

[JohnJ]

Please make inquiries or recommendations for specific types of fossils via PM.  Thanks. 

[Bguild]

Hey There,

 

I can't comment on the reputation of specific Ebay dealers, but I would be VERY careful when purchasing fossils from an auction site. Many fossils are restored to some extent (some more than others) and you can get burned on the overall quality of a specimen if you don't know what restoration to look for. Restoration generally devalues a fossil and auction sites generally do a poor job of noting restoration that has been done. There's also the issue of completely faked fossils floating around auction sites.

 

That being said there are some actual good deals out there on auction websites. I would suggest you post pictures on this forum of items you find at auction that you're interested in. The members here are very knowledgeable and are great at offering second opinions on quality and authenticity. 

 

I've purchased a number of fossils over the years from online dealers. Some reputable dealers in the online world include Fossilera, Fossil Shack, Indiana9 Fossils and The Stones and Bones Collection.