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How hard is it to acquire an opalised fossil?


Notidanodon

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I saw some beautiful opalised fossils in An Australian museum and I was just wondering if it is possible to acquire one (without huge funds:shrug:) even if that is not possible it would be nice if anyone has them if they could show them:popcorn:these at the ones I saw in the museum 

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They are on online on our favorite auction website.  Not so pretty ones aren't terribly expensive.  If you want one like those you posted, it probably will be pricey.

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Yep, takes moneys for the nice colorful stuff.   Ive got a few pieces that I bought about 20 years ago and it was exspensive then!

 

RB

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I did some graphics for an opal dealer a few years ago and got this Bivalve Steinkerns mould. Lightning Ridge is a small outback town in north-western New South Wales,

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The thing that makes them expensive is that not the fossil is sold, but the mineral (you pay for the opal)...

 

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Ah thanks everyone I don have a nice piece of unprepared opal straight from the ground if any one wants to trade but thanks for al the info

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It mostly depends on the kind of opal :) - if the fossil is replaced by common (or "potch") opal, the fossil would be worth much less than if it was replaced by precious opal (the opal with all the beautiful colours).  

-Christian

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Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy!

 

Q. Where do dinosaurs study?

A. At Khaan Academy!...

 

My ResearchGate profile

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2 hours ago, RJB said:

Yep, takes moneys for the nice colorful stuff.   Ive got a few pieces that I bought about 20 years ago and it was exspensive then!

 

RB

Funny... In my experience, 20 yrs ago I saw beautiful clams at the Denver show for about 20 bucks.  At that point in my life 20 bucks was a lot.  About ten years ago I bought a nice belemnite for about 20 bucks at the Denver show.  By then I could justify it.  It is still one of the few fossils I have purchased.  In my book, there is no rock as cool as opal.   

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Thanks

2 hours ago, The Amateur Paleontologist said:

It mostly depends on the kind of opal :) - if the fossil is replaced by common (or "potch") opal, the fossil would be worth much less than if it was replaced by precious opal (the opal with all the beautiful colours).  

-Christian

I agree :envy:that you have one:) can you show us?

 

2 hours ago, jpc said:

Funny... In my experience, 20 yrs ago I saw beautiful clams at the Denver show for about 20 bucks.  At that point in my life 20 bucks was a lot.  About ten years ago I bought a nice belemnite for about 20 bucks at the Denver show.  By then I could justify it.  It is still one of the few fossils I have purchased.  In my book, there is no rock as cool as opal.   

 

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If you are asking me for a photo... since I moved a year ago, I am not sure where it ended up, but I will try to find it.  

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19 hours ago, jpc said:

If you are asking me for a photo... since I moved a year ago, I am not sure where it ended up, but I will try to find it.  

thanks that would be great:D

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Some of the most beautiful opalized wood fossils come from Nevada. Truly breathtaking!

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Later this month, in Tucson, Arizona, there will be Australian dealers with opalized fossils.  It is my understanding that you won't get a better deal in Australia than at a show like that.  The most commonly sold ones are bivalves and belemnites - sometimes a piece of matrix with several shells in it.  I saw a dinosaur toe bone 20-30 years ago.  It didn't have any "fire" in it but it was very cool.

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  • 3 months later...

Here's a nice little piece of opalized wood from Nevada which I recieved on a trade with @ynot. It's preseved in liquid in a test tube. I'm sure he has some other samples he could show.

 

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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5 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

preseved in liquid in a test tube

Wow that’s stunning and makes a fantastic curiosity. Really fantastic. :wub:

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  • 1 month later...
On 4/24/2019 at 6:37 AM, Ludwigia said:

Here's a nice little piece of opalized wood from Nevada which I recieved on a trade with @ynot. It's preseved in liquid in a test tube. I'm sure he has some other samples he could show.

 

Pl_90.jpg.9cab9efa90de3e1ffd31785176baa24c.jpg

 

Anyone up for a game of marbles?

 

 

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