Esthetic trilobites or good looking fake?

[lewisdana]

I'm a newbie to the world of fossils and bought this Selenopeltis sp Ordovician from a reputable dealer who provided COA; it looks so good to my untrained eye that I am suspicious of its authenticity. Said to be from Efroud, Morocco. Approx 13 x 11 x 1 inch. Thanks

[piranha]

The trilobites could be composited and the spines are certainly enhanced / mostly reconstructed.  It is a decorative specimen with little scientific value.

[Seguidora-de-Isis]

I agree with our Piranha friend. The matrix is not true, the trilobites were accommodated in this false matrix to simulate a colony, and even the thorns were painted... It is a classic set-up of Morocco, and there are hundreds of examples scattered throughout the stores...

 

 

It really is not very useful for science, but it is excellent for decoration, weight for papers and for anchoring doors on days of very wind.

 

 

[Fossildude19]

Don't ever be swayed by Certificates of Authenticity. 

Anyone with a printer can make one of these up.   

They are meaningless.

 

[Seguidora-de-Isis]

1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said:

Don't ever be swayed by Certificates of Authenticity. 

Anyone with a printer can make one of these up.   

They are meaningless.

 

 

Certificate of authenticity? No problem! My cousin is a mechanic, he lives in colombia, but in his spare time he sells fossils and minerals on the internet. And he was kind enough to send this certificate to me to post here ... Now just print!

 

 

Brief Note: Here in Argentina nobody is normal, and if someone appears normal, we soon know that for sure it is a tourist.

[Fossildude19]

16 minutes ago, Seguidora-de-Isis said:

 

Certificate of authenticity? No problem! My cousin is a mechanic, but in his spare time he sells fossils and minerals on the internet. And he was kind enough to send this certificate to me to post here ... Now just print!

 

 

Brief Note: Here in Argentina nobody is normal, and if someone appears normal, we soon know that for sure it is a tourist.

[caldigger]

Yep unfortunately, COA's are only worth the paper they are printed on ( and of course the cost of the ink as well!)

I see COA's offered all the time, backed by some unknown "Geologist" of that country.

 I thought it was the job of a Geologist to study the Earth, not sit in a warehouse signing certificates for online sales.

[lewisdana]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I know not to put any significance in  the COA but does anyone think this item is authentic? The dealer will refund my costs if requested. Thanks again. 

[FranzBernhard]

6 hours ago, caldigger said:

COA's are only worth the paper they are printed on ( and of course the cost of the ink as well!)

Can the ink on the paper also be recycled??

Franz Bernhard

[Kane]

55 minutes ago, lewisdana said:

Thank you everyone for your responses. I know not to put any significance in  the COA but does anyone think this item is authentic? The dealer will refund my costs if requested. Thanks again. 

There may be elements of this that are authentic, but I would wager that these bugs were not only decoratively enhanced, but that they were grafted to the matrix. If it were me, I'd go for the refund.

[Troodon]

I've seen hundreds of fakes at the Tucson show and this one looks real with the spines added

[caldigger]

12 hours ago, lewisdana said:

Thank you everyone for your responses. I know not to put any significance in  the COA but does anyone think this item is authentic? The dealer will refund my costs if requested. Thanks again. 

If you are feeling uneasy about the purchase now,  you likely always will.

Perhaps you should get your money back. 

There are thousands more of these type pieces being cranked out in factories every day if ever you change your mind.

[Wrangellian]

10 minutes ago, Troodon said:

I've seen hundreds of fakes at the Tucson show and this one looks real with the spines added

Are you sure the spines are all added? No doubt enhanced in some places, but they've sure gone out of their way to make a contorted sculpture just to add spines to. I would think they would go the easy route and make a flatter plane to put them on, but look at the way that one sticks way out toward the center of the piece, which they have carved a horn shape around. Also, would they not normally carve a positive sculpture (convex spines), rather than empty moulds like these appear to be?

I could be way off, and I certainly would not buy it if I had the kind of doubts I have, to say nothing of their prepping methods and aesthetics...

[Troodon]

30 minutes ago, Wrangellian said:

Are you sure the spines are all added? No doubt enhanced in some places, but they've sure gone out of their way to make a contorted sculpture just to add spines to. I would think they would go the easy route and make a flatter plane to put them on, but look at the way that one sticks way out toward the center of the piece, which they have carved a horn shape around. Also, would they not normally carve a positive sculpture (convex spines), rather than empty moulds like these appear to be?

I could be way off, and I certainly would not buy it if I had the kind of doubts I have, to say nothing of their prepping methods and aesthetics...

Agree might not be added but enhanced.  Most fakes Ive seen are flat and have multiple different species on the plate.  Agree I also would not buy it just because of the these uncertainties unless you knew the source.

[Seguidora-de-Isis]

1 hour ago, lewisdana said:

But does anyone think this item is authentic?

 

I think you did not understand...

 

Without better photos, we can not say that these trilobites are authentic, they may be authentic, but they may also have been shaped into shapes, but only with better photos to know. You can examine them with a magnifying glass. The trolobites can not have bubbles, but a texture to the touch.

 

The fact is that definitely these trilobites are not part of this rock where they are now, and this rock, we call matrix. These trilobites were alone...

 

 

And someone with a lot of patience and needing money, decided to make a fake rock to put these trilobites...

 

 

Now that the fake matrix rock was ready and the trilobites well-set, everything, it was beautiful, was not it?  Ooooops! Now just paint the thorns!

 

 

All set, and with a certificate of authenticity next, everything looks even more beautiful!

 

 

I hope everything has gotten a little clearer now ... Mi hermano!

 

Small note: It may not have happened necessarily in this exact order. It's just a hypothetical example.

[lewisdana]

Thank you all for your responses ( and efforts from Argentina); sounds like we can all agree that if it is more likely  fake, the fabricator should get an A for effort, at least. Im attaching a few more higher resolution photos in hopes of further critique. I guess, no matter what the ultimate truth, its so esthetically pleasing ( and I didn't pay a heck of a lot for it at auction), at the least it looks cool on my bookcase. 

 

I welcome any more commentary. Thanks again all. ( additional pics next post)

[lewisdana]

few more pics

[Seguidora-de-Isis]

53 minutes ago, lewisdana said:

Thank you all for your responses ( and efforts from Argentina); sounds like we can all agree that if it is more likely  fake, the fabricator should get an A for effort, at least. Im attaching a few more higher resolution photos in hopes of further critique. I guess, no matter what the ultimate truth, its so esthetically pleasing ( and I didn't pay a heck of a lot for it at auction), at the least it looks cool on my bookcase. 

 

I welcome any more commentary. Thanks again all. ( additional pics next post)

 

I see serious interruptions here, so my opinion remains exactly the same. But if you like this, then that's really what matters. Every collector should feel good about your purchase.

 

[Seguidora-de-Isis]

2 hours ago, Troodon said:

Agree might not be added but enhanced.  Most fakes Ive seen are flat and have multiple different species on the plate.  Agree I also would not buy it just because of the these uncertainties unless you knew the source.

 

What specie of trilobite is this? They seem to be pretty big! Although they are quite suspicious, because they are too perfect and this always gives me fear. But they are huge and beautiful!

 

[Wrangellian]

8 hours ago, Seguidora-de-Isis said:

 

I see serious interruptions here, so my opinion remains exactly the same. ...

 

 

Yes I see this now too... this is why larger, clearer pics help!

The spines are at least partly reconstructed.

Even without reconstruction, I'm generally not wild about the Moroccan prep work that mostly looks like it was done with a hammer/nail and files, but if there are no better specimens available and the price is right, it might be worth having.