FossilSniper Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 On our favorite auction site, I just happened to notice this Spinosaurus tooth which I deemed at a very affordable price for its alright size of 4.5" (11.43 cm). Although I'm sure there are very knowledgeable and experienced members on this forum who would immediately brush this tooth aside, it was convincingly real until I pulled out my lie detector: photoshop. After some zoom ins and color flopping, I was easily able to distinguish the fake parts of this tooth from real parts. It's composite- and not a very shabby one. I have had my share of time buying spinosaurus teeth, and have seen plenty "scrambled egg" teeth, but this one temporarily convinced me since the filler color in the main photo is similar to the enamel's at first glance. Not bad, eh? Could just be some minor repairs. Thank you, Photoshop. This is at least partially extended, if not composite. The middle section is an absolutely different shade of green. ---- The back of the tooth was what totally blew it. What even is that interior color!? It is supposed to be white. Now the difference is even more clear. The filler bubbles are now fully visible in contrast to the natural enamel lines on the real tooth crown. ---- The same seller has another (more obviously) composited spinosaurus tooth for sale (without describing it as composited). Now that I really have stared at this tooth for some time, I can distinctively make out that which parts of tooth are not real. Too bad. I hope this tooth does not end up in any forum member's collection. Eeeek. The moment when you find out something you want is fake. Just stay safe. The internet is full of traps. FS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Your dissection (postmortem?) on this 'fossil' is clear and well supported. You obviously spent some time putting it together. Thank you! "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...
Darktooth Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 This is just one of many reasons I rarely buy fossils. I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone guy Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 This is interesting. Goes to show how good looking some of these fakes are. This is nothing compared to the "trex egg" listed on our favorite auction site. It's a nice looking rock, but 21 million $ is a bit high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 A convincing tooth for many buyers, but your detective work shows otherwise. Thank you for showing your process, which may hopefully spare others from making poor buying decisions. ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Excellent presentation! Thanks for putting in this effort for everyone. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 And I was just getting ready to buy a complete T-Rex for $5000 "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilSniper Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 Once I have more time, I may be able to show how exactly to do this simple color change. Photoshop is an effective tool for distinguishing partially fake / composited fossils, and I feel our favorite auction site would be much easier to sift through for complete fossils if PS is used correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemphix Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Obviously a composite tooth - have a look at the angle between root and tip. Good analysis with tools everyone has access to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 I am not sure what color flopping actually does. How does it help ID rebuilt teeth? I can understand what UV lighting does, but this seems pretty random. Please explaini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterpillar Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Is it your dog? http://www.paleotheque.fr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 15 hours ago, FossilSniper said: Once I have more time, I may be able to show how exactly to do this simple color change. Photoshop is an effective tool for distinguishing partially fake / composited fossils, and I feel our favorite auction site would be much easier to sift through for complete fossils if PS is used correctly. I'm quite interesting in this, but not sure if this method works always or is effective. In case of this tooth, there was different shade/color (once you see moroccan resign work, it's more easy to say even without PS - definitely some resign fill ins there in spots you marked, a lot actually). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilSniper Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 5 hours ago, aeon.rocks said: I'm quite interesting in this, but not sure if this method works always or is effective. In case of this tooth, there was different shade/color (once you see moroccan resign work, it's more easy to say even without PS - definitely some resign fill ins there in spots you marked, a lot actually). The color difference is visible from the start. You are correct. PS can just make the color difference even more exaggerated such that it is more obvious to an inquiring buyer. A good eye can do it off the spot, but I am certain this is not the case with everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seguidora-de-Isis Posted May 26, 2018 Share Posted May 26, 2018 You must have taken you considerable time to do this investigative work, and this is something I greatly appreciate, especially for your willingness to share your experience with us. I also always use this feature, but in my case, I like to use the program Photo Impression 3.0, because with this program I always get excellent photo negatives... And with some other resources of this program, I can even visualize the presence of unexplained pores traversing suspicious regions of the specimen in question... Thanks for the great post my friend @FossilSniper! And I hope it will serve as an example to inexperienced buyers who often buy for impulse, because it's a supposedly large and "perfect" specimen, just because it's cheap and a big bargain... Is It real, or it's not real, that's the question! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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