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As I am tooooooooooooooooooo far away to visit myself this year, but love to see how it is going, is someone doing some pics from the show? The last years Troodon did, this year someone else has to fit the gap thanks

Looking for your top recommendations on locations to check out for fossils in Tucson. I have only 1 and a half days to explore and would like to focus on fossils. Some minerals are fine of course, but heavily fossil oriented is preferred. I know a day and a half isn't enough, but it's all the time I could get this year. I collect a variety of fossils so nothing specific, I tend to look for fossils that are usually not from the USA as I would rather collect my own, but do make exceptions from time to time.

I am planning to go to Tucson this year for the Gem and Fossil Convention but some sites say it starts on the 19th but it seems like most fossil vendors are coming on the 26th. What's your guys recommendation for which weekend to go?

My annual information topic on the Tucson Fossil Show. Right now it looks like 43 different shows if you are including Gems, Minerals and Fossils. The latter being the smallest segment of the Show but the coolest . For those of you who went to this years show I don't expect much of a change but we still have a bit of time to go. Unfortunately the show has evolved from from a couple of close venues to now being all over the place. Just take more time and patience with parking. When to arrive: My suggestion is when the dealers open . This will give you the best opportunity to pick up specimens before the online dealers rush in and buy everything especially with Dinosaur material. Not easy since some venues have a hard opening time that coincide with other ones. This is best overall link to obtain information on all the venues https://xpopress.com/showcase/profile/1/tucson-gem-mineral-fossil-showcase Here are the key Fossil Venues that get my attention but you should find Fossils at most venues. Fossil and Mineral Alley at the Days Inn Tucson City Center Official Dates: Jan 27 to Feb 12 however dealers start arriving early in the week and will open when they are ready Vendor Listing: 72 (Up from last year) https://xpopress.com/show/vendors/25/fossil-mineral-alley Highlights: Best venue for Fossils both Shark and Dinosaur. Lots of European dealer with Invertebrates 22nd Street Mineral, Fossil, Gem Show (huge tents) Opening Date: Jan 26 Closes: Feb 12 no early entrance Opens at 10am sharp. Parking $$$ is a rip off... Vendor Listing: 306 ( up from last year) https://xpopress.com/show/vendors/17/22nd-street-mineral-fossil-gem-jewelry-show Highlights: Mostly Trinkets and Gems, fair amount of minerals and some good fossils dealers. Triebold Paleontology typically has great displays. Wear good shoes, lots of walking. Mobs of people especially on weekends. I go but not my favorite place. . Mineral & Fossil Marketplace Dates: January 28 to Feb 11 Main building typically opens on the 28th while the outside tent and container areas can open earlier Vendor Listing: 30 https://xpopress.com/show/vendors/23/mineral-fossil-marketplace Highlights: Very small venue but includes the AAPS, Black Hills Institute and some great fossil dealers (shark/dino/invertebrates) and fossil prep products RMGM Mineral & Fossil Show Dates: Jan 27 to Feb 11 No early entrance 10 to 6 pm daily Vendors Listing: 60 (up from last year) https://xpopress.com/show/vendors/1307/rmgm-mineral-fossil-show-oracle-road Highlights: Relatively new show but with a good mix of fossil vendors and prep products Just further north on Oracle Rd Mineral Fossil Co-op Vendors Listings: 13 https://xpopress.com/show/vendors/44/mineral-fossil-co-op Dates : TBD Parts are open year around but a number of dealers set up for the show. Highlights: Some great dinosaur and mammal displays. Small but nice mix of dealers. A must visit when fully open Kino Gem and Mineral Show Dates: Jan 26 to Feb 11 no early entrance, 10 to 6 daily Vendor Listing: https://xpopress.com/show/vendors/41/kino-gem-mineral-show Highlights: Huge area with BIG tents and lots of them. Has a few great fossil vendors but its a place to find anything you can think of from trinkets to expensive jewelry. A bit south on Interstate 10 at Kino Sports Complex Other places that I always check out Pueblo Gem and Mineral Show Moroccan Tent City (this year they were a no show) No idea for 2023 Lots of venues yo visit and xpopress link above can help. Some Gem locations are for Wholesalers Dealers only so check it out before you go. @historianmichaelsince you asked about the show

Hello all! I’ve just gotten home from Tucson, it was a great show. Having taken a 5+ year hiatus on fossil collecting, this was a wonderful return to the community, and getting to talk to some of the kindest and most knowledgeable people in the world. While there was much less as far as fossils go compared to the last time I went, I found some really good things to add to my ever growing collection. Prognathodon Currii Tooth Morocco 2 1/2 in or 6 1/2 cm Dromaeosaurid Tooth (Unknown Species) Tegana Formation, Tafallit Morocco 2 1/2 in or 6 1/2 cm Nanotyrannus Tooth Lance Formation, Weston County Wyoming 0.9 in or 2.3 cm Osteitchthyes Vertebrae Upper Aguja Formation, Texas Carcharadon Hastalis Bakersfield, California 1 5/8 in or 4.3 cm Isurus Planus Bakersfield, California 3/4 in or 1.9 cm Various Pathological Shark Teeth Morocco Titanothere Jaw South Dakota Titanothere Vertebra South Dakota Unknown Vert (found in box marked South American Gar, definitely not that ) Tylosaur Vertebra Upper Cretaceous Tallahatta SE Alabama Massive Phytosaur Vertebra Quay County New Mexico Unknown Mosasaur Premax Tegana Formation, Morocco Partial Unknown (Platecarpus relative?) Mosasaur Skull in Plaster Most of the upper section of the skull, eye socket is partially visible. Very very strange teeth. The guy had thought it was Platecarpus, but he said the teeth were likely too short. Chunk-O-saurs Hell Creek South Dakota Ammonites As always, I’d love identifications on anything I don’t have IDs on. Hope you all have a great rest of your weekend, stay safe!

I made a whirlwind trip up to Tucson to deliver some prepped fossils and pick up another load of pieces to work on. I spent a day at the show, talking with dealers and drooling over the great fossils. The cherry on top was picking up my new, German engineered, HW-70 airscribe. This thing is amazing. It will blast away matrix at 30 psi and can operate on pressures as low as 3 psi. I made some great contacts while I was there and I’m going to have some cool stuff coming out of the Global Paleo Services lab in the future. More to come; now I gotta get prepping!

Morning folks. I have another item from my unidentified drawer and I'm hoping someone can help identify it. This was part of a lot sale from the 2002 Tucson show with no descriptions, it was from estate sale being sold by a friend. All I know is he collected many west coast items. The actual "honey bee" is 21mm long and 20mm wide. Any help is appreciated.

Some nice pyritized specimens acquired in Tucson. Caryosyntrips like frontal appendage. (2cm) Another raptor claw from unknown arthropod (1cm) Classic Beecher's Trilobite Bed mortality plate

Good evening folks. I have an unidentified ammonite from the Tucson Mineral Show, that's all the information I have. Does anyone know what the larger species is? I believe the small, white item was glued on.

So I got back from Tucson a few days ago and thought I'd post some pictures for all to see! Pictures got downloaded out of order when I had to shrink the size to make them compatible for the forum. Sorry I can't ID everything for you guys like @Troodon did last year. Enjoy! Let's start with my favorite topic... eggs! French Eggs: A perfect and complete raptor nest from China: A very rare and complete elephant bird egg from Madagascar: Duck Egg:

Hi, just wondering if anyone is going to the show. -JQ

Good afternoon everyone, Visiting Tucson, AZ for a week and on the old Fossil Index it list Snyder Hill with 'abundant fossils', I believe the BLM campsite is centered on Snyder Hill , but having scoured the hill pretty well I am busted on any fossils. Am i missing something ? Is there a certain area of the hill that is better than the others? Is it a different Snyder Hill? Thanks, Cc

I’m looking for info on all the best fossil shows to visit for Tucson this year. Last year I made the mistake of going for the final weekend of the show and I missed most of the fossil shows. My job has moved me and I now visit the Tucson area almost weekly so I’m hoping to see as much as possible. Thanks in advance!

I am planning a trip to Tucson 2020. The Tucson website says the event goes from 1-16 Feb. I have no experience going there so I would have to ask you experts some questions: 1) How many days should I spend if I am only interested in fossils? 2) When should I arrive at Tucson? A few days before? On the opening day of 1 Feb? Or should I go nearer to the end to get better deals? 3) Where's the closest place to Tucson where I can legally dig for fossils? I was considering Texas. 4) Any other general tip or advice?

I am thinking of attending a Tucson fossil show this year. Could someone please share recommendations as to which days/which shows would be the best to attend? (I can be there for 2 days max) My primary interests are reptiles, dinosaurs and sharks.

Here is The Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences online guide for fossil dealers and other paleo related info for the 2019 Tucson (Arizona) fossil, gem and mineral shows. The guide lists dealers by speciality and venue. The guide has some blank pages (advertisements missing?). https://aaps.net/pdf/2019-AAPS-Guide-final-lo-res.pdf

Hello all. New to the forum, but have been reading a lot here(and everywhere). In the process of building a house and have a long tall fireplace wall to fill. We had looked at everything from wood to stone to art, and then I shot down the slippery slope of fossil collecting! I have a couple questions. The space we need to fill is the upper part of a 17' fireplace, so we have more than 10' open, but of course don't have to fill that space. I have seen some really amazing palm fronds and flowers, crinoids or groups of fish that would work(but would cost a fortune). Do you have any other suggestions for something that might fill that space? My wife is more keen on plants than fish. I'd love to investigate other options. Second question--we have friends in Tucson who invited us to come visit them this winter. Would I have good luck finding something at that show? When is the best time to go? I have read that there are shows before the "big show" that might be better for what I am after. I appreciate any and all suggestions. Thanks!

Hi all, I am going to be in the Tucson area for 10 days soon. Is there anything to collect in that area (say 120 mi radius). I have never been to AZ. If you have some collecting information to share please PM me. Thanks a lot. Herb

I'm starting to plan a trip to the Tucson Fossil Show in February. (This will be my first time there.) I've only got a couple of days and I know there are dozens of separate shows, so I want to plan my time to visit the best of them. It seems like the 22nd Street Show should be a good one to attend, what other ones should I think about attending? What Fossil Forum members will be exhibiting there? I'd like to try to at least stop by and say hello, maybe buy something, too.

Early news for the 2017 show. All those attending the show, at the Tuscon Inns Suite City Center, will face a nightmare parking close to the Hotel. The large parking area that everyone uses at this venue has been sold and construction is scheduled to start early February. Marty Zinn the promoter is telling dealers that he is setting up a remote parking area and will bus visitors to Hotel. I also hear that he is trying to delay construction until after the show but cannot substantiate that piece of information. The immediate impact, that I'm aware of, is that a number of dealers are pulling the plug with Marty and moving to the "22nd Show" venue or to other shows around Tucson. Not good for a long term health of this venue. The Inns Suite is one the larger fossil venues at the Tucson show. The parking lot in question has had a for sale sign on it for years but no one thought it would be sold. I believe it is not owned by the hotel but used for parking during the show. Remote parking will be a nightmare for those wanting to hop around to different venues.

I am VERY excited to be going to Tucson for the first time in a little over a week (Feb 2-5). The idea of this show seems a bit overwhelming; thousands of dealers in different venues spread over the city and some as others have pointed out already selling mislabeled and ingenuine pieces. What is the best strategy in conquering the city for the best fossils? I'm interested mainly in eggs (which seems like they may be hard to find, even at Tucson now) but excited to begin to explore other facets of fossil collecting. Any advice from those who have been there will be appreciated!

Hi Folks, I am staying in Tucson for a few weeks and am looking for places to find some fossils. I like to stay fairly close to a road as my partner has some physical limitations. Ant suggestions beyond what is in T Rat's Fossils of Arizona post?

Howdy All! I am a new subcriber from Tucson, Arizona. I have only done a little fossil hunting but like to read about and see fossils in situ when ever I can. I have lived in Tucson all my life and have done a lot of hiking along local trails. I have a BA in Anthropology and have worked in the same community college self-paced Biology lab for over 20 years. I have enjoyed reading some of the posts anonymously and looking through the gallery so I figured I might as well join and here I am. I am rather new to forums in general but I think I will catch on quickly. Thanks for all the great pictures and posts.

Hey, I am looking to go to Tucson for a couple days tentatively february 3 thru 6. Looking for a partner or 2 to share the car rental and hotel expenses with. Thanks Mike