Beau'n Collector Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Hi everyone! New member here. I am very excited to make my first post. So I came across a vendor today with some cool stuff, but I wanted to run some photos by the forum members first to see: 1) if you think they are real or fake. 2) how much would you expect to pay for a piece like that. Thanks for the help! Item #1 - Mosasaur Jaw To my eyes, this item looks legit as the teeth don't seem to be floating above the jaw with composite all around it, or teeth pointed in different directions. BUT...I know fakes are good and I am relatively new to educating myself to fakes vs real. Item #2 - Another Mosasaur Jaw (top and bottom) Also looks pretty legit to my newb eyes. But I am worried both top and bottom jaws in that position are too good to be true. Item #3 - Croc Skull? My gut reaction is fake...mostly due to the matrix looking like it was smeared on like cream cheese. Item #4 - Plesiosaur Skull and Neck It's apparently from goulmima southern morocco. Sadly I don't have more pics, as I didn't want to handle it and move it around. But I was able to get down low and see that it does have it's teeth. I just couldn't a good picture of it. :-\ The closest comparison I could find was this plesiosaur head/neck from an archived auction house website image. But the matrix around it seems the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 The mosasaur jaws both look good IMO. The second one might have some teeth inserted and covered in matrix (i.e. the ones where you can't see roots), but it's hard to tell. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau'n Collector Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, connorp said: The mosasaur jaws both look good IMO. The second one might have some teeth inserted and covered in matrix (i.e. the ones where you can't see roots), but it's hard to tell. Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it. So basically the teeth on the first jaw look pretty good, since more roots are showing, but the 2nd one may potentially have half or more inserted. If you don't mind, I have a few questions for you. 1) Which of those two jaws would you consider superior? 2) One the first jaw, should I be concerned about the fact it's in two major pieces that may not line up perfectly? 3) does inserted teeth significantly lesson the value/appeal of a piece? Thanks again for your time and information. Edited February 14, 2019 by Beau'n Collector Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Please keep in mind that valuations are not allowed on TFF. Thanks for your assistance. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau'n Collector Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 8 minutes ago, JohnJ said: Please keep in mind that valuations are not allowed on TFF. Thanks for your assistance. Oops! My mistake. I will remove that. Thanks for letting me know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigantoraptor Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 2 hours ago, Beau'n Collector said: This is Tethysaurus nopscai. It's a Mosasauroid and not a Plesiosaur. We would need to see more pictures to determine if it was restored. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau'n Collector Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 6 minutes ago, gigantoraptor said: This is Tethysaurus nopscai. It's a Mosasauroid and not a Plesiosaur. We would need to see more pictures to determine if it was restored. Fascinating! What is the give away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Mosasaur #1 looks pretty good. I don't see any red flags here. Mosasaur #2 The bone part looks good for the most part. But many of the teeth look suspicious. I would avoid this piece. Mainly because that first jaw piece is just much better. Item #3 croc skull. Looks good for the most part. The smearing on the snout looks like a hasty repair rather than compositing, but you never know. The matrix has definitely been altered. Likely mostly some beautification. Other than that it looks pretty fine. 2 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigantoraptor Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 9 hours ago, Beau'n Collector said: Fascinating! What is the give away? Overal skull morphology fits Tethysaurus nopscai beter than plesiosaurs from the same area. More pictures (especially close-ups from the skull) would help to determine how much is real and what parts are restored. They are often found in this condition (no limbs). Tethysaurus nopscai Thililua longicollis, a plesiosaur from the same area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau'n Collector Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 8 hours ago, LordTrilobite said: Mosasaur #1 looks pretty good. I don't see any red flags here. Mosasaur #2 The bone part looks good for the most part. But many of the teeth look suspicious. I would avoid this piece. Mainly because that first jaw piece is just much better. Item #3 croc skull. Looks good for the most part. The smearing on the snout looks like a hasty repair rather than compositing, but you never know. The matrix has definitely been altered. Likely mostly some beautification. Other than that it looks pretty fine. Thank you LordTrilobite! Your time and insight is greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau'n Collector Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 15 minutes ago, gigantoraptor said: Overal skull morphology fits Tethysaurus nopscai beter than plesiosaurs from the same area. More pictures (especially close-ups from the skull) would help to determine how much is real and what parts are restored. They are often found in this condition (no limbs). Tethysaurus nopscai Thililua longicollis, a plesiosaur from the same area. Thanks for the intel! Now that you've enlightened me on that, I am going to dig deeper into google and look at more Tethysaurus nopscai info. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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