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Original material mushroom fossil?


prmoore

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I bought this at an estate sale. I assume the best I can do for showing it is video. Can someone please help me figure out if its real.

 

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Whoa that looks interesting. I'm assuming it's hard and solid? It looks like a carving but I could be way way off. I'm very interesting to see what some other members on here have to say about this specimen. Regardless of what this thing is, it's very beautiful. 

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12 minutes ago, prmoore said:

Can someone please help me figure out if its real.

 

7 minutes ago, El_Hueso said:

I'm very interesting to see what some other members on here have to say about this specimen. Regardless of what this thing is, it's very beautiful. 

Oh my, there's a fungus among us! 

I'm not sure what you mean by "real".  Are you asking if it is a cast, a carving or some other man-made representation of a fungus, or are you asking if it is contemporary or fossilized?  I think it would be hard to tell if it is a replica or real without examining it first-hand. 

As to whether or not it is fossilized, I'll pass that back to El Hueso who has done some searches on fossil fungi and may be able to supply you with some references on the topic.

Also, I fully agree with El Hueso - it is very beautiful.

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Some sort of lichen coated in resin maybe?

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Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties.

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I think fossil mushroom/fungi are becoming my favorite topics, lol. 

 

These topics are some good places to look just to get a general idea of the difficulty that comes with "fossilized mushrooms"

 

 

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I agree with this being carved. 

Close up pictures of the interior might show us more. 

Pretty neat carving. :) 

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15 minutes ago, caldigger said:

To me it looks like a carved burl.

Beat me to it--just came in from outside. This is a beautifully carved wood burl. Not fossil--not mushroom--but a beautiful peace. Find a nice place for this and display it proudly.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=carved+wood+burl&source=lnms&tbm=isch

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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It's wood and I believe the overall shape is natural - it's only lightly polished or oiled.  I have seen these before, my dad has one in his garage that he bought somewhere many decades ago.  There is a specific name for these things but I can't remember it for the life of me, and was not able to find it on a quick google search.  If I remember correctly it is indeed some sort of burl structure.

 

Steve

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Definitely a wood burl carving. There is a similar one for sale on a popular crafting site. It’s being used as a base for some carved wooden mushrooms. I found a few of these on a popular auction site as well. Very cool piece non the less! 

 

5F1EE670-CEDA-400C-83F0-848FFCA76594.jpeg.f20e6be1b5a543bc6cabfd58498ef313.jpeg

 

 

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

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GOPR4371.thumb.JPG.3af90d71557155bdff1d830a7ee8936b.JPGIt's me again, I have been to the local park rangers and they don't know what it is. I did however find what appears to be a mycelium fossil inside of one of the gill looking parts.

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Bring us up to speed here.

 

The above image shown through magnification is separate and distinct from the carved wood burl that started this topic. Was this piece found in a local park? Is that why park rangers have entered the conversation? This new object appears to be very small and unfortunately the magnification is not doing very much to make this comprehensible. From the photo this appears to be a small section of a broken branch with a smaller (cracked) twig protruding from one side. Are you inferring that the bottom edge of this piece resembles the texture of the inside of your wood burl? What makes you think you have fossilized mycelium? Do you suspect this piece of wood is petrified (heavy as rock) and that it is old enough to contain fossil traces?

 

Your new post poses many more questions that must be answered before you can get the answer that you seek. Please provide a lot more information on this new item so that we can make some sort of an assessment.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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OK so I finally remembered the last place I saw these.  According to the internet these are called "flor de soto".  It's a burl or growth that forms on the branches of one particular species of tree in Bolivia.  They are cut off and sold as decorative art pieces.

 

https://scroungersparadise.com/olivaris-treasures/

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It is indeed an old carved wood burl! I am very sorry for my confusion on the subject. Everything on it was just too perfect and did not seem normal. Someone obviously spent an extreme amount of time and skill making it. Thank you all so much for all of your info.

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It is a really nice piece combining a great start from nature that was completed by a craftsman. Display it prominently and show it proudly--it's a really beautiful piece.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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4 hours ago, prmoore said:

I am very sorry for my confusion on the subject.

Why are you sorry?! No need to be at all! This is a place of learning and knowledge sharing. The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked. ;) 

 

You have a very neat piece there, it isn’t a fossil, but is out of the ordinary even in the woodworking world. I’m glad you posted and shared it! And... I’m a little :envy: that I don’t have one!

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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Nothing to be sorry about there! It’s a cool looking piece and I’m glad I got to see it. I may have to try to find one for my shelf someday

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