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Walliserops trilobite


JojoMozza

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Hi there,

im thinking of purchasing this nice Walliserops trilobite. Just want to make sure that it is real. I know the photos aren’t very clear, but those were what the seller provided.

thank you!

Jojo

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That first photo is indeed not that clear. But it might just be enough. I'd tentatively say that this is real. See the mineral cracks going through the matrix? It seems to go through some of the spikes of the trilobite itself as well. So that's a positive for it likely being real. The trident in front also seems like a hassle to fake a cast of. The specimen is a little rough looking, but it might just be a bit of a rough prep it went through. So I'd say likely real, but lets see what others say as these photos are a little hard to judge from.

Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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I agree with Olof. The discovery crack is a good sign. It would be better to get a close up of the eyes. This does look like it was stained, which is a fairly common practice for these types of bugs. The prep is not the best, but far from the worst I've seen. 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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I also agree it's at least mostly real. 

There will have been repairs done, and the staining is often done to cover up scratches from poor prep and repair marks where bits have been glued together or added on. 

A lot more of these are becoming available at the moment so it is unlikely that the whole thing is a fake, simply not worth the effort.  

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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I hope for you that it is real.  Nice find from a seller.

I love the trident on the front.  Looks very fragile. 

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Thank you everyone for your help! I contacted the seller and apparently it has not been restored, repaired or stained. The photos according to him make the trilobite look like it had been stained under the light.

I am still unsure, bit the price is very good so I'll probably go and get it.

Thank you so much for the help!

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It's of course possible that the photos have been enhanced with a little extra contrast to make them pop more. Which in turn could make it look like the fossil was stained. Some small grey-ish damage spots on the back of the tail do support the idea that it hasn't been stained or painted.

Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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I would say that the spines at least have been repaired, if not restored. :unsure: 

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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Yup. 

It is next to impossible to remove this with zero repair or  restoration. 

The nodule has to be smashed open, and will cut through the trilobite in some plain or another, that is how it is located. 

Once the orientation is established it is glued back together and the careful removal of the matrix begins. 

But the longer spines that are not in the same plain as the body are nearly always broken off and have to be reattached once everything is cleared of matrix. It's practically impossible not to have a break or two with this type of specimen. Staining is commonplace over at least the places where the repairs have been made and areas where the specimen has been scratched during prepping.  

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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19 hours ago, JojoMozza said:

...apparently it has not been... repaired...

 

It's definitely been repaired in multiple places. During the discovery process, the matrix was broken into three pieces, with one split running diagonally through the thorax and another passing through the trident tips. These breaks were fixed by gluing the pieces of rock back together. Repairs on the right palpebral spine are also quite obvious in photo #2, revealing that the trilobite was damaged during preparation and was subsequently glued. However, the first set of repairs is nearly unavoidable when dealing with much of the Morrocan material from the Devonian - at the sites (eg. Foum Zguid), the trilobites are encased in hard matrix, which is then split to reveal the cross-section of the trilobite. After discovery, the sections of matrix are glued, then the excess rock is removed with metal tools to expose the entire trilobite. Since they are quite fragile, spines often break during this preparation process, which then must be reattached, as was the case with this Walliserops. 

Regards, Jason

 

"Trilobites survived for a total of three hundred million years, almost the whole duration of the Palaeozoic era: who are we johnny-come-latelies to label them as either ‘primitive’ or ‘unsuccessful’? Men have so far survived half a per cent as long."  - Richard Fortey, Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution.

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Repairs are are a given with spiny trilobites, especially Moroccan ones. As long as there isn't restoration I'm happy. I've gone and purchased it and fingers crossed it'll arrive safe and not a fake ;)

Will post clear photos when when I receive it just to make 100% sure.

Thanks again for all your help guys!

Jojo

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