BluDevil Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 Hello! I'm a pretty new collector, and I'm currently looking to purchase a Megalodon tooth for myself. They've been a dream of mine to have for a long time now, so I'm happy I might finally have a chance! I took a glance at a few websites, and found this. Is it real? Is it fake? (And, whichever it is how can you tell?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 It is a tooth from the extinct shark, Megalodon. I can see no indication from the photo that it is in any way altered or ersatz. edit: I missed the second part of your inquiry. My judgement based on the photo alone - it is not "restored" as many defects are present (as are seen in the majority of these ancient teeth). Completely manufactured replicas are made, but they tend to be "perfect." That is not to say that a dedicated forger could not produce a tooth with defects, but they do not. It is much more profitable for a malefactor to "enhance" a large tooth than a smaller one. The effort being the same, the deceiver would go for maximum ill-gotten profit. Of course any decision on a fossil of any type is best made with the piece in hand. The genuine tooth will have a certain heft and feel. Of course knowing the source/dealer is another important piece when purchasing fossils. Good luck, I believe that tooth to be authentic. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seguidora-de-Isis Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 Welcome to TFF and receive hugs here from Argentina! The sudden change of coloration scares me a little, but it can often happen and just by this photo, I agree with our friend Snolly, it looks real to me enough. This tooth looks a little narrower than normal, so it's possibly a tooth from behind the mouth. And this is a very interesting thing because the sharp rear teeth held the victim, while the front teeth were cutting and destroying the victim. Is It real, or it's not real, that's the question! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronzviking Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Welcome to the Forum from sunny Florida. Let's see the flip side, so we can see the serrations and condition. The root appears to be shiny, is it? If so a sealant or resin might have been used to restore it some way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 1 hour ago, Bronzviking said: Welcome to the Forum from sunny Florida. Let's see the flip side, so we can see the serrations and condition. The root appears to be shiny, is it? If so a sealant or resin might have been used to restore it some way. I was thinking the same when I saw the shiny root. I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 4 hours ago, Bronzviking said: The root appears to be shiny, 3 hours ago, Darktooth said: I was thinking the same when I saw the shiny root. The observation of the "root shine" is certainly valid and needs consideration. I interpreted it as simply a poorly shot image, probably from a cell phone. The shine (to my eye) is a blown out value in the image created by a poorly applied flash. Note the heavy line of shadow beneath the right blade margin and the additional blown out highlights on the quarter. There are also dark vignetted corners on the image, probably a flash artifact. Having the piece in hand or a photo in natural light, I believe, would easily address this concern. If it were a $2k, 6 inch tooth I might be a little more circumspect. However, I don't see a tooth of this size*/condition as a particularly suspect object for monkey business. *I looked again, The tooth is larger than I initially perceived (about 4" I guessed). However a US quarter is almost an inch in size. So I guess this tooth is more like a 5"+ example. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDevil Posted November 12, 2018 Author Share Posted November 12, 2018 Oh wow! Thank you all kindly for the information! I really appreciate the explanation as well. However, the seller only has that one picture shown. Should I contact them for more info on the back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronzviking Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 6 hours ago, BluDevil said: Oh wow! Thank you all kindly for the information! I really appreciate the explanation as well. However, the seller only has that one picture shown. Should I contact them for more info on the back? Yes you can ask the seller to send you more photos. You want to see the serrations of the tooth and if anything looks restored. If the seller doesn't send them I would buy from someone else. I buy on-line often and I don't buy fossils or rocks that have one photograph. Hope this helps. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronzviking Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 Hi, @BluDevil I just came across a good link for the future. Megalodon Teeth Buyers’ Guide http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/megalodon_teeth.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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