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What fossils should be in every collector’s collection?


DeepTimeIsotopes

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I recently posted my piece of amber with a small gnat relative encased inside in the recognizing fake fossils subforum. In that thread @caldigger and I were talking about how an insect in amber is a staple for any fossil collection. That got me thinking about what other fossils would be good inexpensive (or expensive, I don’t judge) fossils that are also must-haves of collectors. Of course, being from the West, I thought about Knightia eocaena and Elrathia kingii.  What do you guys consider to be the collector’s classics?

Each dot is 50,000,000 years:

Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic...........

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Doesn't time just fly by?

 

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The ones that you collect yourself, in my opinion

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"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen

No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go.

" I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes

"can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks

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10 minutes ago, UtahFossilHunter said:

Knightia eocaena and Elrathia kingii

I don't have either :blink:

 

Also shark teeth. You're not a fossil hoarder without shark teeth, otherwise you're just a guy who has fossils. :P

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If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM!

 

 

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I think any species of ammonite would be considered a "collector's  classic."

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It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt

 

-Mark Twain

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15 minutes ago, Herb said:

The ones that you collect yourself, in my opinion

I agree with this.

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Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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The first fossil that you found.

 

I no longer have mine but I remember it: an exterior mold of a crinoid disk in Mississippian? chert found in pebbles quarried from the Salt River. My parents assured me that I could not find fossils in the alley.

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My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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1 hour ago, Herb said:

The ones that you collect yourself, in my opinion

I like this answer. There’s something about being the first to see a fossilized organism since the day it was buried that is quite special.

1 hour ago, Macrophyseter said:

I don't have either :blink:

 

Also shark teeth. You're not a fossil hoarder without shark teeth, otherwise you're just a guy who has fossils. :P

I do have some shark teeth and both of the others as well. Am I a collector yet?:ighappy:

1 hour ago, Thecosmilia Trichitoma said:

I think any species of ammonite would be considered a "collector's  classic."

Bonus points if it’s from where Mary Anning collected hers.

1 hour ago, Darktooth said:

I believe a trilobite is a must have.

I agree. Whether enrolled or prone is up to personal preference though.:trilosurprise:

44 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

The first fossil that you found.

 

I no longer have mine but I remember it: an exterior mold of a crinoid disk in Mississippian? chert found in pebbles quarried from the Salt River. My parents assured me that I could not find fossils in the alley.

Thankfully, I’ve still got mine. It is an Itagnostus interstrictus that I found at my campsite the night before I went to U-Dig fossils for the first time.

39 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

A rhynchonellid brachiopod. :)

That sounds like something a brachiopod lover would say.:headscratch:;)

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Each dot is 50,000,000 years:

Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic...........

                                                                                                                    Paleo......Meso....Ceno..

                                                                                                           Ꞓ.OSD.C.P.Tr.J.K..Pg.NgQ< You are here

Doesn't time just fly by?

 

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Well, I have all of the above ( minus the first found, gone with the wind years ago). Since I have many of the classics, does that make me a "classy guy"? :rofl:

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Macrophyseter said:

Also shark teeth. You're not a fossil hoarder without shark teeth, otherwise you're just a guy who has fossils. :P

Couldn't agree more, but what are you if you're a shark tooth hoarder? :)

 

 

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29 minutes ago, UtahFossilHunter said:

That sounds like something a brachiopod lover would say.:headscratch:;)

Would you expect anything less from

Adam-The Baron of Brachs?

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11 minutes ago, caldigger said:

Couldn't agree more, but what are you if you're a shark tooth hoarder? :)

That’d make you a connoisseur of chodrichthyes carnivores.:ighappy:

Each dot is 50,000,000 years:

Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic...........

                                                                                                                    Paleo......Meso....Ceno..

                                                                                                           Ꞓ.OSD.C.P.Tr.J.K..Pg.NgQ< You are here

Doesn't time just fly by?

 

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In my opinion, my ideal collection would include a mammoth tooth, T-Rex tooth, ammonite, trilobite, Meg tooth, as main attractions. Of course the icing on the cake would be if they were all self found.

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Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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1 hour ago, Herb said:

The ones that you collect yourself, in my opinion

This would be my approach too.  I don't buy fossils and I'm don't travel much, so what I have is mainly what's available locally.  Having said that, I would admit that a complete trilobite, a nice little fish in shale, and a nice ammonite are all things I hope to collect some day.

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9 minutes ago, 5 Humper said:

Well, I guess I gotta say...a 5 Humper needs to be in one's collection for sure!

 

Love this post

Are we talking about a mastodon tooth or a very unusual camel?

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My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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2 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Are we talking about a mastodon tooth or a very unusual camel?

Bahaha!   Mastodon tooth.  However, if there were a 5 Humper camel in the fossil record, I'd darn sure want a piece of it!

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16 minutes ago, 5 Humper said:

Well, I guess I gotta say...a 5 Humper needs to be in one's collection for sure!

Bummer!  I only have a four humper, guess I'll just have to throw it out and set my sights for a 5.

 

 

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4 minutes ago, DanKurek said:

I reckon you should have many fossils from your local area. The most treasured fossils are the ones you collect.

Knowing what’s around you would certainly help you connect with other local collectors. I do value my self collected fossils higher than my bought ones mostly because I was the one to put in all the time researching, looking, and collecting rather than just whipping out my credit card but sometimes that’s the only way you’ll get those fossils from faraway lands, like my insect in amber for example. I won’t be traveling to Myanmar anytime soon, maybe not ever,but I did want to own a piece of history from there.

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Each dot is 50,000,000 years:

Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic...........

                                                                                                                    Paleo......Meso....Ceno..

                                                                                                           Ꞓ.OSD.C.P.Tr.J.K..Pg.NgQ< You are here

Doesn't time just fly by?

 

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I know it sounds funny, but I like the self collected fossils with the WOW factor.

That is when a non fossil collector type see Your piece and they go

Image result for eye pop wolf emojiWOW!!!

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Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

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15 minutes ago, ynot said:

I know it sounds funny, but I like the self collected fossils with the WOW factor.

That is when a non fossil collector type see Your piece and they go

Image result for eye pop wolf emojiWOW!!!

Its usually the other way around for me.

I will be all excited and giddy about something I found and the reaction I get from other non fossil collectors is a bored "that's cool" with a ho- hum chaser. :(

 

 

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I was a mineral collector, before I became a fossil collector. When I started out I tried to collect as many of my own specimens as possible. At the time I wanted atleast one specimen of every mineral known to man. I spend a lot of money on tools and trips. Eventually I realized that to reach my goal I would have to break down and purchase some. I never truly appreciated  the ones I bought. Eventually  I started getting involved in fossils. After awhile I found that fossils were more interesting and meaningful to me and I switched my focus. I still felt that I needed one of everything but I knew how I felt about purchased goods so for the most part, if I buy something it usually goes to my kids. Also even though I do a lot of Devonian hunts because that is what is in my area, my real focus and interest is in sharkteeth. So I go on Devonian hunts and find trilos, brachiopods, gastropods and bivalves. I usually will admire them for awhile and either give them away or put them up for auction. My sharktooth collection I keep rather small. I keep a few of the best teeth of all the different species that I have found. As I go on more hunts and find nicer specimens I weed out the lesser quality ones. My house was once a mini museum but i found that it overwhelms me. So now i try to keep a small collection of what i really like. I have done trades with forum members and received gifts. Those items which I feel are special I keep in their own place. Some items are given to my kids, which after all is where all my collection will go some day anyways. Basically my point is that my interests, focus, and desires have changed over time. And there is absolutely  nothing wrong with purchasing something that you don't have a realistic expectation  of finding yourself. But I have realized  that for me, a purchased fossil with never get my true love.

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Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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