JohnJ Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Lance, Is Shawn Hamm someone at SMU? Also, he makes reference to "upper and lower dentitions" which puzzles me because the teeth face outward on both sides. Did he offer you any explanation for that? The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 (edited) Shawn didn't explain how both sides are preserved teeth crowns out just that he believed it legit. Yes he works at SMU. He wrote "Systematic, stratigraphic, geographic and paleoecological distribution of the late Cretaceous shark genus Ptychodus within the Western Interior Seaway" Edited January 4, 2010 by LanceHall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Thanks, Lance. I wasn't familiar with who he is. Back when you first showed us the pics, I couldn't see anything that really indicated it was fake. Glad to hear someone with hands on know-how thought it was authentic. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I am surprised that this was found to be an authentic plate. The comparison pictures between the one in the museum and yours shows clearly that the teeth should be touching each other. But at least we now know the answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoPutz Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Thanks for the update. It is really interesting how this has unfolded so far. I hope whoever found it can pinpoint where it was found... I am not so got at documentation sometimes, but I haven't found much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 That is really awesome that it will really show some insight into the species. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Eaton Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 (edited) Thanks for follow up post Lance. P. martini will be a Texas species now Sounds like you played a big part of getting the teeth to the right place, good deal. Is the articile you cite from Shawn in the recent DPS publication? Edited January 5, 2010 by Tony Eaton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 Thanks for follow up post Lance. P. martini will be a Texas species now Sounds like you played a big part of getting the teeth to the right place, good deal. Is the articile you cite from Shawn in the recent DPS publication? No, it's a 200 page hard cover book. The first run of 100? ($60 each) is evidently sold out already but he's looking into another printing (would be $100 each maybe). I think eventually he'll have a PDF version available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Eaton Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Thanks Lance for information regarding that publication from Shawn. I'll be on the look out for this books availability... I am wearing my Welton and Farish book pages thin on Ptychodus pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Shawn didn't explain how both sides are preserved teeth crowns out just that he believed it legit. Yes he works at SMU. He wrote "Systematic, stratigraphic, geographic and paleoecological distribution of the late Cretaceous shark genus Ptychodus within the Western Interior Seaway" I look forward to reading his explanation of that as well as his comparisons to other published dentitions. A friend recently told me about Ptychodus specimens at this site: chalk.discoveringfossils.co.uk (nice photos). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 my name is stuart and i found this plate or whatever you want to call it. it is not fake unless someone put it in the middle of nowhere for me to find which i find highly unlikely. i am going to sell this thing so if you are interested let me know. take care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Well it's an excellent find! Ptychodus is on the top two of my favorite teeth. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 (edited) Well maybe an institution or someone connected with one will buy it but I don't know what their limits or rules are though. I do certainly understand the economy is bad and people are hurting. I just hope it doesn't end in some collection as only a curio, and not seen for it's real value. Surely an answer can be found that makes everyone happy. Keep in mind I only posted the pics because a two-sided plate like that just isn't seen. The rarity automatically assumes it to be questionable unless otherwise proven in this case. If it was one side only then fine, there's lots of those in fact... but two sides with teeth crowns sticking out is a whole different ballgame. That's why I wanted to get opinions from people who are far more knowledgable so please don't take offense. Edited January 8, 2010 by LanceHall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 sorry if i sounded angry but after reading these posts and all these people saying that it is fake really riled me up. i never knew what this thing was when i found it. i have had it for years. i now know what it is. i collect arrowheads and i know that there are dishonest people in that business as well so i can see people being somewhat jaded. i took it as a personal attack on my character. these people do not know me so i can see where they were coming from. sorry again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfwphotoguy Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 sorry if i sounded angry but after reading these posts and all these people saying that it is fake really riled me up. i never knew what this thing was when i found it. i have had it for years. i now know what it is. i collect arrowheads and i know that there are dishonest people in that business as well so i can see people being somewhat jaded. i took it as a personal attack on my character. these people do not know me so i can see where they were coming from. sorry again. I hear you on that Stuart. Nothing is worse than something that you found being called into question and I think we all can understand where you are coming from there. Interesting that you hunt points. My fiance and I are trying to...it just seems that we never know good areas to start! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 (edited) Looks almost too straight. Im not sure why the teeth would be on both sides, unless when it was fossilized, half the jaw folded over? Nice teeth. I bet I know round about what creek they found it in. I have heard rumors of that place. Very nice teeth plate but... too stright, too perfect, too regular. The teeth seem to be real and likely they seem to belong to the same shark (at least the side of the first picture) Edited January 8, 2010 by Fossili Veraci Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 i see that you are a photographer? i used to photograph heavy metal/hard rock bands. i did it most of my life. i have my stuff published all over the world. i have an agent that sells them for me now. i have pictures and the poster in the new revolver mag (usa) along with pictures in guitar mag (germany) and i have the cover shot on metal hammer (italy) this month. it has been 5 years since my friend darrell abbott from pantera was killed so magazines all over are running my pictures. the thing about arrowheads is that there are unscrupulous people out there that will go to your sites once you tell them where they are. it is hard to find honest people anymore. i go all over texas finding them. i have worked with archaeologists and have had my things published and documented with the state of texas. if i had more time i could show you a few places that i do not have the time to hunt anymore. i just stay too busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Eaton Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 (edited) Stuart that is an awesome find, and a cool story as you had it a few years, sort of a hidden treasure. I read people on this forum letting a museum take a cast and then they keep the original. That way a copy of the fossil is preserved for scientific study along with the name of the finder. Edited January 9, 2010 by Tony Eaton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 i was told that if they write a story about it or whatever that they have to keep it. i am not keen on that idea. i saw lewis smith at the arrowhead show and he has seen the pictures of the thing. he said it is important scientifically not so much dough wise. i do think that it is a cool that i have had it for years and never really bothered finding out what it is. i am not really in to fossils but i will pick strange things up in the woods and keep them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 i was told that if they write a story about it or whatever that they have to keep it. i am not keen on that idea. i saw lewis smith at the arrowhead show and he has seen the pictures of the thing. he said it is important scientifically not so much dough wise. i do think that it is a cool that i have had it for years and never really bothered finding out what it is. i am not really in to fossils but i will pick strange things up in the woods and keep them. Stuart - if there is to be a paper published on the find, they do indeed need to have it in a public repository. We have found and donated rare fossils and have had a cast made for our collection. The original is available for research, and we have a nice trophy for our collection. I bet you can do the same. (You can also deduct the value of the find as well as any costs associated with finding it on your taxes. Probably do better financially this way than if you tried to sell it on the market.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 i guess that is something to think about. i would really rather have some cash for the thing. i guess if no one wants to buy the fossil i might reconsider what i will do with it. how come when i document arroheads with the state i get them back? i would rather donate my thing to the smithsonian or somewhere where people would see the thing than have it buried underneath some college in dallas. i guess i will figure it out over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Stuart - if there is to be a paper published on the find, they do indeed need to have it in a public repository. We have found and donated rare fossils and have had a cast made for our collection. The original is available for research, and we have a nice trophy for our collection. I bet you can do the same. (You can also deduct the value of the find as well as any costs associated with finding it on your taxes. Probably do better financially this way than if you tried to sell it on the market.) That sounds like a good idea. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 The only thing of real value I have found I donated to SMU. They have an amazing paleo lab and specimen collection. Mr. Polcyn gave me, Jax, and CreekCrawler the royal tour recently. What I donated was the lower jaw of what will be a new species (great) AND new genus (even better) of pterosaur that will bear my last name. I am happy to know that now it will be preserved forever at SMU and will always be available to researchers. I don't have to worry about it getting lost, damaged or thrown away after I'm gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 It is apt to be seen by more people at SMU than at the Smithsonian (where it would likely not go on display). Big museums store 99% of their stuff in drawers in the "basement" (they have to). "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...
Roz Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 It is apt to be seen by more people at SMU than at the Smithsonian (where it would likely not go on display). Big museums store 99% of their stuff in drawers in the "basement" (they have to). Also if donated for research I don't believe anyone sees it either. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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