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A visit with Leon Theison. Trilobites!


Al Tahan

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You have really been getting around Al! Great report and finds! Looking forward to seeing those trilos prepped!

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Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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What a great trip report with super pics!  Thanks so much for taking us all with you (in the comfort of our laz-y-boys).

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Thanks for the ID @Kane there was no way I was going to remember those ones lol. 

 

@Tidgy's Dad oh yea gotta love the brachs! I hear you are quite the fan. 

 

@FossilsAnonymous he’s such a cool dude. I can’t imagine someone not getting along and having a fun time with him. 

 

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Great report, Al. 
Congratulations on your finds.  :) 

 

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    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM APRIL - 2015  

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
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Great report and finds!!  @Al Tahan

 

Here's what blows my mind:

4 hours ago, Al Tahan said:

sold the first one it went for $30,000

Just incredible what people will pay for these. I guess it's no wonder fossil places are getting crowded after people read about what they sell for. :wacko:

 

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"Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs

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@Fossildude19 thanks!! It was a great time. 

 

@Innocentx it’s crazy. Now cause they are more common they only fetch a few thousand in near perfect condition. Should one of those massive undescribed species show up at some point it would be crazy!

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Thanks for the report. Never heard of this guy and his quarry before, but he sounds quite alright. I guess he just lets people in by word-of-mouth? I just hope that this topic doesn't cause a stampede in his direction, although I suppose you got his permission to post it, right?

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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Is this not a fairly well-known quarry? I don't know if I would have recognized the owner's name in any other setting but I understood that it was a private quarry and you couldn't just drive into it yourself. Of course I didn't recognize the name "Lang quarry" last time I saw it... :blush:

 

Anyway, looks like you made the right choice and that it was worth it. As a generalist I like all the other goodies as well as the bugs. I know the bugs are the big draw but it's nice to have a representative cross-section of the fauna of any site. If I went there I'd be hoping to find a machaeridian worm tube also, but I suppose those don't turn up on every visit.

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Wow - another great field trip report from you, Al!  Congratulations on the wonderful finds - I'm looking forward to seeing everything prepped... :popcorn:

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@Ludwigia @Wrangellian Leon actually found a small portion of one of those worm tubes. Funny story about them. Name was changed 3 times lol. 

 

There have been a handful of trip reports on the forum to this place called “theisons quarry”. I learned about Leon from the forum. Leon actually knows about the forum and he thinks it’s awesome. He said it was better advertising than he could ever do lol. He told me I could post whatever. There is actually a basic website about his place.

 

http://www.oklahomatrilobites.com/

 

 

I doubt people will come flocking because it is tucked far away in cow pastures in “nowheresville” Oklahoma lol. He said some people do travel to come see him. He probably has visitors couple times a month. He does like to chat on the phone and kinda see what you are about before he lets people in. 

 

I will also say Leon has never confiscated a fossil. If someone found something amazing like a super rare trilobite Leon will try to trade for it and make it worth your while. Perhaps a free day of collecting and then some. He is very generous and very fair. 

 

Hope this information helped. 

 

 

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Thanks @Monica and @Nimravis! Hopefully I can gain access to some prep equipment this spring or summer to clean these up. 

 

Up next is a roadcut near Austin I’m dying to check out lol. Erich just did a trip report there. My ride situation sucks but I’ll Uber there if I have to idc lol

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Congratulations Al. That must have been some drive, but the effort was well worth it. Leon is a wonderful collecting companion and tries extra hard to ensure that you have a rewarding experience. He definitely wants more visitors. Seeing your photos and finds brought back positive memories of my recent trip there in September. I didn't see a rattler when I was there even though we went looking for one. Looks like you scored an excellent nautiloid along with the other fossils. By the way, you may notice that some of the brachiopod species there are the same as ones found in the Kalkberg Formation in Schoharie County. The ages are similar.

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@Jeffrey P I’m glad you saw Leon too!! He’s the coolest dude ever haha. I’m really interested in checking out the Rickard hill road cut with the Kalkberg at some point....I may go for it next time I’m near Albany. Thanks for the info! 

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This is definitely on my bucket list! Thanks for sharing. :envy:

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"Don't force it, just use a bigger hammer"

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That's a bucket list site for sure (I'll never make it), and Leon sounds like the right guy to be in charge of the place.

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  • 2 months later...
On 1/10/2019 at 4:42 PM, Al Tahan said:

Leon found the first ever complete of this trilobite...this one has horns that curl around. I forgot the name of this one. I have only a partial cephalon. When Leon sold the first one it went for $30,000. Crazy stuff!

 

FB3079F2-2677-4500-8150-AC332B794E00.thumb.jpeg.bd1c0747ce7f3edc91e53be07a2cc21e.jpeg

That would be Dicranurus. It's one of the most coveted of the trilobites. These can also be found in Morocco but the Morocco Dicranurus doesn't look as nice as these as the matrix on these are tan and smoother.

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Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda

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