Wonderful_Life Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 Hello, fellow fossil people! I am extremely new to the fossil scene and have almost no experience identifying authentic versus real fossils. I recently received a large trilobite fossil as a gift from my parents. The seller claimed that it was an authentic Moroccan trilobite, but I'm not so sure. Any information on the fossil's authenticity and/or identity would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 I'm sorry to have to tell you, but the eyes and parts of the rear cephalon, some of the thoracic axis and bits of the upper pleurae may be real, but the majority of this specimen seems to be carved and molded from clay. The clay has even got drying cracks on the cephalon. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderful_Life Posted June 1, 2019 Author Share Posted June 1, 2019 13 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said: I'm sorry to have to tell you, but the eyes and parts of the rear cephalon, some of the thoracic axis and bits of the upper pleurae may be real, but the majority of this specimen seems to be carved and molded from clay. The clay has even got drying cracks on the cephalon. When I first got the fossil, I rubbed my finger on it and noticed some brown residue that had rubbed off. This was what made me think it could have possibly been molded. Thank you so much for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 The circled parts in this photo are possibly real, but the rest is carved/added to the original material. 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderful_Life Posted June 1, 2019 Author Share Posted June 1, 2019 On 6/1/2019 at 11:39 AM, Fossildude19 said: The circled parts in this photo are possibly real, but the rest is carved/added to the original material. Now that the authentic parts are clearly defined, I can really see the difference between the plaster parts vs the real parts. I even rubbed those areas to see if the residue came off, and it didn't. Is this a common tactic for fossil sellers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 Sadly, fairly common for big Moroccan trilobites like this. There is a big demand for complete large specimens and not enough are found to meet this demand so partial trilobites are 'enhanced' to meet the grade. 2 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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