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Showing results for tags 'fake'.
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I was browsing some of our favorite websites and I noticed a whole bunch of fossil fakes. Below are some fossil fabrications to be on the lookout for. While authentic looking, something bugged me when I saw this Carcharodontosaurid tooth. The overall shape near the tip is off. It is slightly too recurved and pointed. Upon closer examination, I noticed this tooth is a composite of multiple teeth. The glued section is the exact right color to match both the top and bottom tooth. It is scary how good some of the fakes are. Here is another Carcharodontosaurid tooth. This one has a really long fake root. A spino tooth with a similarly fabricated root.
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Spino tooth natural or restored/ repaired
carch_23 posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hi TFF, Would like for your advice on this spino tooth I saw online. Ive been looking at some of your old threads on how spino teeth have famously been repaired or restored. Ive been, in a way, sort of been able to detect whether they have been fixed up. this one however is labelled 100% natural and messaged the seller, he also confirmed nothing has been done on the tooth and its condition is how it was found straight from the ground. Size is 4 inches so quite nice and wanted to double check as most of his listings of this size have been also labelled repaired or restored. price imo was also pretty good for its size and condition, though seller does seem reputable and many positive reviews, zero negatives. But I guess it doesnt hurt to ask for more opinions from you guys. Thanks in advance!
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I have just become aware of this barbaric practice! These beautiful creatures are being forced to "race" for the amusement of the onlookers! I would not be surprised, if illicit wagering were part of this opprobrious "entertainment." Contact you congressman now! This shameful, cruel practice must be stopped! Look at the poor condition of the exploited animals at the end of the video. Some of the lovely creatures appear to have broken their necks in their effort to please heartless humans! This senseless depravity must stop!
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A new "T-Rex" tooth just showed up on our favorite site. It is not a Tyrannosaurus rex tooth however but a more common and far cheaper Carch tooth. We know this because of its more blade-like morphology, its slender profile, its shape, its smaller denticles and the sand on the base I already notice multiple bids on it and I have no doubt the price would escalate as many hopeful collectors would try their hands on getting a cheap T-Rex tooth for themselves. For anyone looking to buy a true T. rex tooth, there are several factors to take note of: 1) Thickness - T. rex had crushing teeth, hence the teeth are thick. They are meant to crunch through bone 2) Locality - T. rex teeth in the market commonly comes from the Hell Creek Formation and Lance Formation. These two formations are found in Montana, Dakota and Wyoming. If a tooth originates from Africa or Morocco, it cannot be a T. rex tooth 3) Price - T. rex teeth command a premium price. Even a small tooth an inch long may cost 500 USD or more. A 2.5 inch tooth would easily be 2k USD. While exceptions do occur, if a deal seems too good to be true, then you should be extremely wary 4) Source - Make sure you get your T. rex tooth from a reputable source. By that, I don't mean a seller with a high feedback score or someone who prints you a "cert of authenticity". I mean a seller who has a history of collecting or selling Hell Creek/Lance Formation material. Better yet, get it from someone who digs there 5) Morphology - Educate yourself on the differences between T. rex, Carch, Spino, Daspletosaurus and other large theropod teeth. That way, you can immediately spot inconsistencies such as serrations or colors that does not match a T. rex tooth 6) Cross section - If all else fails, look at the cross section. If the tooth has red sandy matrix or sand, it is most likely not T. rex but is more likely from Morocco Here, I will show an example of a red T. rex tooth that superficially resembles the Carch tooth above. Take a look at the thickness and cross section though and you would quickly realize both teeth have very different morphologies Getting an authentic T. rex tooth isn't cheap, nor will it be easy. But it will be worth it in the end when you finally obtain one. Good luck in your hunt and always feel free to ask TFF if you are unsure of an upcoming purchase
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Hey hey, all fossil enthusiasts! I found these pictures of a fossil, and got curious about what kind of mammal it is. Have read about ancient camels recently and maybe thought that it is maybe a Poebrotherium skull? I don't have to much knowledge about these kinds of fossils. But would like to get some tips about how to identify these kinds of camel fossils. And maybe also how to tell the fake ones from the real ones. Since I like that kind of "investigation". //Kutembea
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Spinosaurus tooth: real or fake?
Dankenki posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hello to everyone, I bought this small spinosaurus tooth some days ago and I'm now wondering if it's real or not. The seller told me that it's non reconstructed but after seeing some stuff on this forum I'm not too sure to trust him. It comes from Kem Kem. Thanks to everyone!
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Spinosaurus Tooth Real, Matrix or Glue
Mister Forelle posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
I just got a spinosaurus tooth by my girlfriends dad for christmas and i have a few Questions: 1. Is it real or how much of it is fixed up with some kind of matrix? 2. What is that bright white part glimpsing between the sand? 3. Should i try to free the tooth from the dark/sandy part, to reveal his real beauty? 4. If yes, how? Thank you for your time! -
Hi all, This is listed as an allosaurus tooth but it can't possibly be? It looks very off, but i figured I'd ask here to see if I'm wrong. I'd say its crocodilian if anything
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This is how realistic a fake/replica Oviraptor egg looks
-Andy- posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
First up, the seller of this egg stated upfront this is a replica, so this isn't a scam warning. Here, we have an oviraptor egg that could fool even experienced collectors. It looks realistic because it's made out of real oviraptor eggshells. It's even covered with a coating of matrix. This is common practice; I've seen hadrosaur eggs are faked this way, with plaster mixed in to make the egg seem round and heavy. For reference, here's a real Oviraptor (Elongatoolithus sp.) that's been professionally prepped. Oviraptor eggs are commonly faked, so four ways to get a real one is: 1) Get a prepped one, preferably with matrix removed. The eggshell should be black 2) Avoid eggs that are perfect. Real eggs have cracks, and sometimes missing entire chunks of shells. 3) Get one without a matrix base. This isn't a sure-fire method, but I've noticed many fake oviraptor eggs have matrix bases, whereas I can't say the same of those free of matrix. Perhaps the fake eggs require a matrix base for support during their construction process. 4) Price. Again, this is arguable, but the real Oviraptor eggs I've seen often comes with price tag several times that of dubious ones. Having sent some eggs for prepping in the past, this is justified because the cost and time of prepping may cost more than the actual egg. Some scammers like to lure people in with bargain prices. Chinese eggs flood the market, and for many collectors, a dinosaur egg is a must-have. There are more fakes than there are real ones, so take extra care if you seek to buy one. As always, if you're unsure, post pictures here and we will try to help..thumb.jpg.385ef20740a2299543c9b279d3e438b9.jpg)
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Hi! was wondering if someone could take a look at this tooth a friend sent me. She said she got it as a kid about 20 years ago from a science/geology store in our local mall. She would like to know if it is real, and if so what kid of tooth is it. Thanks for your help! You guys are the best
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Is It Real? Fossil Crabs and Lobsters
Praefectus posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hello. Does anyone know about the authenticity of the fossil crabs and lobsters below? I've seen them pop up on a few different sites and I'm suspicious because they all look nearly identical. Unfortunately, I don't have any information about age, location, etc. Thanks for your help.
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Another hadrosaur egg thread - fake?
Bethshine83 posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hi My son has recently been given this ‘fossil’ by a relative. They bought it about 20 years or so ago from an antique shop in Hong Kong. They were sold it as a hadrosaur egg but we have no idea really if it is or not. I’m inclined to think not simply because I’m always suspicious
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This root seems super restored to me. Like a kid used a sharply to make the vertical lines. Am I right? thanks!!
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Can you see anything wrong with it?
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Hi I bought this a few years ago when i was much less experienced. I always knew that this was most likely fake, but I just wanted to make sure. Thanks!
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Fun with Fakes- Moroccan Mosasaur
LabRatKing posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
So after the oreodont fun, I’ve be checking my entire collection and the university collection. This is a known Mosasaur fake I got for 10$ and often use as a doorstop in my office. looks like I have some Chiplodocus and Chunkasaurus reckt instead of the usual camel and goat. Note the blue green fluorescence is dust from the synthetic carpet.
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Are these real mosasaur teeth?
Getthesalt posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hi everyone! I saw these few mosasaur teeth online for pretty cheap and I'm wondering if they are real?
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I have been traveling to Mexico City for decades and have brought back some pretty incredible stuff. I met a kid who sold me some fossils over the last year or two. There was a stingray, a seahorse, and some other interesting stuff. Then a couple of weeks ago he sold me this. I attached the picture of my friend holding it for scale. He told me it was a juvenile Trex. I was skeptical. "How do I know it is real?" I asked. He replied "Because you can't light it on fire. It isn't paste". Not only do I doubt this is real but I now question all the others I have bought in the past. Can anyone tell me how I can be certain this is a fake? I appreciate everyone's time. And thanks for putting up with a newby. Rick
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Hello! This is an apparent “fossil” brittle star, looking much like those that come from the Ordovician of Morocco. However, these particular fossils are very often faked, and I have a strong gut feeling that this particular one has been carved into the matrix. What does everyone else think? For whatever reason that I can’t quantify this piece *looks* like a fake to me, especially due to the fact that it has a very distinctive obvious outline from an air tool, which often is a sign of carving, though that I’ve also often seen that done with genuine Knightia and such. There are a few things that may help indicate that it’s genuine, however, notably that fine details that would be difficult/too labor intensive to carve like “ribbing” on the arms and a “star” (like that on a sand dollar) in the middle of the body are visible. I’ve also already run a cotton swab with acetone over the body, which has not removed any color, so that may help rule out painting. But yes, my gut says it’s a carved forgery (or I guess to be nice you could say “replica”), interested in what everyone else thinks because I’m not 100% sure. Thanks!
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Hi. I'm looking to buy a Keichousaurus as a present for a collector. I've seen some other threads, but I'm no expert, and so I thought I'd ask here about the specimen I'm interested in. As a complete novice, this looks "too good to be true" to me, in particular for the price that it's offered. But other threads had similarly looking specimen that were considered genuine. Thanks for the help! A.
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Guide for identifying fakes?
Getthesalt posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hi all! I'm very new to fossil collecting, (I haven't even got my first fossil yet!) and I'm hoping to learn more about fakes so I can make an informed decision by myself. What are some good rules of thumb you experts go by? Thanks! -
Keichousaurus identification!
Getthesalt posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hi I've found a keichousaurus specimen that looks pretty good, just wanna check here if it's actually authentic!
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Cornuproetus cornutus trilobite fossil
tscott06 posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hi I'll pre-face this by saying that I collect fairly cheap fossils as a little hobby and am very far from an expert! So I bought a fairly inexpensive moroccan cornuproetus cornutus trilobite fossil which has just arrived today. I opened it and immediately was was taken aback by how clean the fossil looks compared with any other trilobite fossils I own (although most of these I have picked up from market stalls for cheap or found myself). I'd expect to see little dints, fade, discolourations etc. but the whole thing just looks a little too good to be true to my admittingly untrained eye. Pics here; When looking closely as edges, it kinda looks like it's been painted at points. Almost jade black colour. Underside Description on the site was Cornuproetus cornutus Mid Devonian, Eifelian Jbel Issoumour, Near Alnif, Morocco So is it real? Has it been painted? Or is this just a very nicely detailed model?! Thoughts much appreciated Thanks Thomas
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Bought this awhile ago can someone tell me if it’s real or not and what possible shark it came from?
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Hey everyone, At first: my apologies that this is the only picture I have. I am looking into buying this lot of minerals and fossils which include the fossils on the attached picture. The scorpions and the centipede however do look very fake to me. Can anyone confirm these to be fake? And what about the trilobites? Thank you all for your time and help.
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