Tucson Fossil Show 2022 **PHOTOS**

[Troodon]

2 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

 

 

Post the details and photo here. Someone else or I can post it in the lost and stolen forum at Mindat. Let me know if you want me to repost it.

 

https://www.mindat.org/msgboard-56.html

 

Thanks, I passed the info on to the dealer and will let him decide what he wants to do

[DPS Ammonite]

On 1/28/2022 at 4:39 AM, Troodon said:

Sorry for the harsh images there is lots of lighting and the dealers do not want you around so have to move quickly

 

You mean that they don’t want lookie-loos, only serious buyers? Don’t want pictures taken?

[Troodon]

58 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

 

You mean that they don’t want lookie-loos, only serious buyers? Don’t want pictures taken?

Yes no photos and lots of them for various reasons and one asked me to hold on to posting on the forum until the show is over.  They have had a parade of people asking for items photographed on day 1 that are gone by the end of day 1,  well by noon

[FB003]

Might be a dumb question but I've never been.  Are they refilling shelves that fast? Curious how much inventory they bring.

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

2 minutes ago, FB003 said:

Might be a dumb question but I've never been.  Are they refilling shelves that fast? Curious how much inventory they bring.

 

Interesting question that I'd also be interested in the answer to. I believe that at Sainte Marie it depend on the type of stock and the venue the vendor is exhibiting at: the high-end stuff just gets gradually depleted, but low end fossils may be refilled if a seller's brought additional supplies. But I don't believe new shipments are brought in over the course of the show: supplies are all stored at the stand already, just taken out as the display depletes...

[Troodon]

I've seen lots of techniques to spruce up a Meg tooth but today tops the list as being the worst, IMO.  So they start with a poorly preserved Meg, fill any holes, apply paint and then lots of coats of lacquer.  A mermaid is added during one of these steps.   These are not cheap, and they sold a few.

 

 

 

[Wrangellian]

On 1/30/2022 at 5:01 AM, Troodon said:

 

I love this

[Troodon]

2 hours ago, FB003 said:

Might be a dumb question but I've never been.  Are they refilling shelves that fast? Curious how much inventory they bring.

 

Ha ha, typically everyone puts everything they have out so it can be sold, there is no inventory stock, material is too rare.   When its gone its gone.   The only exception are Dealers with lots of commercial grade Megalodon teeth and those are kept under the tables.    Some things I show are new because dealers were slow to get it out, their shipment finally arrived, or they purchased fossils at the show.  It's not uncommon that dealers buy from other dealers during the show.   One dealer friend of mine said he sold out of key items the first few days before the show officially opened and he began buying from other dealers at all the venues....  

[FB003]

39 minutes ago, Troodon said:

 

Ha ha, typically everyone puts everything they have out so it can be sold, there is no inventory stock, material is too rare.   When its gone its gone.   The only exception are Dealers with lots of commercial grade Megalodon teeth and those are kept under the tables.    Some things I show are new because dealers were slow to get it out, their shipment finally arrived, or they purchased fossils at the show.  It's not uncommon that dealers buy from other dealers during the show.   One dealer friend of mine said he sold out of key items the first few days before the show officially opened and he began buying from other dealers at all the venues....  

Thanks.  Makes sense.  Sounds like key is to get there before the show even starts.

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

4 minutes ago, FB003 said:

Thanks.  Makes sense.  Sounds like key is to get there before the show even starts.

 

Yup, it is. That's when the best stuff gets sold

[Dracarys]

6 hours ago, Troodon said:

ALERT

One of these large Spinosaurus claws was stolen from the Dealers room.   Took only seconds from someone with remove it.   It carries a 5 digit price tag so if anyone see its or gets contacted about it please let me know.   I've asked the dealer to let me know which one and contact info.   Seems to happen at every show. 

 The police were contacted.   It was good I took a photo of it, it's the only one that shows what the claw looks like.

 

 

Oh no! This is terrible. The dealer is such an humble and genuine guy. I hope they find the person.

[Troodon]

10 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

I love this

One of my favorites also, remarkable specimens

[Troodon]

8 hours ago, FB003 said:

Thanks.  Makes sense.  Sounds like key is to get there before the show even starts.

 

If you want a chance at the best material, you need to be there when the dealers arrive, sets up or when they first opens their doors.  Only possible at venues that have individual rooms like the Days Inn. You have to be aggressive, have a strategy of what to hit and when.   I was in a Room on Tuesday buying dinosaur material while the dealer was unpacking boxes.  An online dealer got into a room on Monday and bought most of their dinosaur material, I was late.   Another example, a high-end Moroccan dealer at the Keno center typically also opens at 10am on Tuesday before the show opened officially later that week.  There is a line of dealers and a few crazy collectors like me waiting at the door to dive in at 10am sharp.  Its hectic the first couple of days trying to be everywhere at once but pays off big time.  

 

Edit: I'm fortunate since I live 25 minutes away from the show.   So getting there early is easy for me. 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

49 minutes ago, Troodon said:

If you want a chance at the best material, you need to be there when the dealers arrive, sets up or when they first opens their doors.  You have to be aggressive. Only possible at venues that have individual rooms like the Days Inn.   I was in a Room on Tuesday buying dinosaur material while the dealer was unpacking boxes.  An online dealer got into a room on Monday and bought most of their dinosaur material, I was late.   Another example, a high-end Moroccan dealer at the Keno center typically also opens at 10am on Tuesday before the show opens officially later that week.  There is a line of dealers and a few crazy collectors like me waiting at the door to dive in at 10am sharp.  Its hectic the first couple of days trying to be everywhere at once but pays off big time.  

 

Yeah, it's the same at Sainte Marie, and at any other of the major fairs/shows (including those on other subjects, such as ethnography or other collectables). Interestingly, last time the show was organised Sainte Marie seemed to have picked up on this because they were already offering advance tickets - i.e., entrance tickets for the day before the show actually opens to the general public - for extra high prices (and only for businesses, if I remember correctly). But, yeah, I always try to hit that fair the very first day and that's where I get my best quality fossils for the rest of the year But you definitely loose out even on this first day if you arrive late. I've bought pieces at auction that I've seen at Sainte Marie but was too late to get directly from the seller there...

[Troodon]

22 minutes ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

 

Yeah, it's the same at Sainte Marie, and at any other of the major fairs/shows (including those on other subjects, such as ethnography or other collectables). Interestingly, last time the show was organised Sainte Marie seemed to have picked up on this because they were already offering advance tickets - i.e., entrance tickets for the day before the show actually opens to the general public - for extra high prices (and only for businesses, if I remember correctly). But, yeah, I always try to hit that fair the very first day and that's where I get my best quality fossils for the rest of the year But you definitely loose out even on this first day if you arrive late. I've bought pieces at auction that I've seen at Sainte Marie but was too late to get directly from the seller there...

 

It just makes sense; you have limited material so the earlier you can get to it the better opportunity you have to acquire it.  

[paulgdls]

On 1/30/2022 at 8:48 AM, Alvaro said:

Hello everyone,
thank you Troodon for the magnificent photos. Many of us who are living in Europe would love to be there but for work reasons we cannot go to the USA.

 

In the jaw of this Edmontosaurus I know that the structures in the red circle are the teeth of the animal, but anyone of you know what are the line of dots under the red circle marked with a blue circle? Are this the nerves from each tooth passing through the jawbone?

 

Yes, they are the nutrient foramina for tooth generation. Quote from Norman on I. bernissartensis "These have been interpreted by Edmund (1957) as foramina for the entry of nutritive blood vessels and sensory nerves to the dental lamina. All the foramina are linked together by a groove which presumably marks the path taken by the main blood vessels and nerve trunk supplying these foramina..." Photo of same, in maxilla of I. bernissartensis from my collection:

 

 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

6 hours ago, Troodon said:

It just makes sense; you have limited material so the earlier you can get to it the better opportunity you have to acquire it.  

 

With Sainte Marie, though, the effect of opening up the day traditionally reserved for dealers to a broader public seems to be leading to a situation in which dealers just make the trades amongst themselves take place earlier - either by arriving earlier or trading out of boxes - while the "early bird"-tickets just turn into expensive tickets to the shows first day, a day that no longer matches the dealer day in concept, but is less beneficial to public attendance for timing (no longer just weekend days) and price. It just falls somewhere in between - something I don't really see a need for, as you'll pay more to enter, but will still not really have the benefit of buying at the same time as the dealers themselves (though you will, of course, beat the crowds) 

[fossilsonwheels]

Great report and photos Frank. Loved the Lebanese fish. Saw a few sharks and rays. Those Turquoise Megs are awful lol 

[Troodon]

1 hour ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

 

With Sainte Marie, though, the effect of opening up the day traditionally reserved for dealers to a broader public seems to be leading to a situation in which dealers just make the trades amongst themselves take place earlier - either by arriving earlier or trading out of boxes - while the "early bird"-tickets just turn into expensive tickets to the shows first day, a day that no longer matches the dealer day in concept, but is less beneficial to public attendance for timing (no longer just weekend days) and price. It just falls somewhere in between - something I don't really see a need for, as you'll pay more to enter, but will still not really have the benefit of buying at the same time as the dealers themselves (though you will, of course, beat the crowds) 

 

Appears to be a bit more organized.

One other thing that you also see here and at the Denver show is that diggers occasionally come to the show and discreetly sell from the back of their vehicle.   More often you see collectors trying to get some cash and sell parts of their collection

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

2 hours ago, Troodon said:

One other thing that you also see here and at the Denver show is that diggers occasionally come to the show and discreetly sell from the back of their vehicle.   More often you see collectors trying to get some cash and sell parts of their collection

 

That I haven't seen at Sainte Marie yet... But interesting to know in case I ever get a chance to visit the Tucson show! I can imagine quite a couple of nice things are sold as well this easy 

[-Andy-]

Thanks for all these jaw-dropping pictures Frank. They mean a lot to folks like me who can't make it to the show

[Haravex]

On 1/30/2022 at 1:01 PM, Troodon said:

Polishing Meg teeth is pretty common especially those that have excessive enamel peel.  Here is a new take on it by adding turquoise.  

More Edmontosaurus bones

 

replica skull

 

 

 

Them Edmontosaurus jaws are amazing, also its been common for Indonesian sellers to add turquoise or even opal for some time now. 

[Sjfriend]

32 minutes ago, Haravex said:

Indonesian sellers to add turquoise or even opal for some time now

I should get one, go out into Arizona desert and pretend to dig it up  and post it on YouTube

[siteseer]

On 2/1/2022 at 3:44 AM, Troodon said:

 

If you want a chance at the best material, you need to be there when the dealers arrive, sets up or when they first opens their doors.  Only possible at venues that have individual rooms like the Days Inn. You have to be aggressive, have a strategy of what to hit and when.   I was in a Room on Tuesday buying dinosaur material while the dealer was unpacking boxes.  An online dealer got into a room on Monday and bought most of their dinosaur material, I was late.   Another example, a high-end Moroccan dealer at the Keno center typically also opens at 10am on Tuesday before the show opened officially later that week.  There is a line of dealers and a few crazy collectors like me waiting at the door to dive in at 10am sharp.  Its hectic the first couple of days trying to be everywhere at once but pays off big time.  

 

Edit: I'm fortunate since I live 25 minutes away from the show.   So getting there early is easy for me. 

 

Yeah, several years ago, I saw you and Isurus90064 and another dealer/collector friend in line outside a room at the Tucson City Center.  I wondered if the moment the door cracked if anyone dove in but then I figured you guys were too gentlemanly for that but maybe you were thinking about it.  I guess some guys just have to get first crack at the best lungfish tooth.

 

I also remember hearing a mineral dealer friend talk about a time he thought he was getting first shot at the room of a dealer still unpacking.  There was another guy already in there but his eyesight wasn't great and he was really just there to look at a certain couple of specimens in one box out of dozens.  My friend was free to have first shot at every other box but that still didn't keep my friend from lamenting, "The room has been picked!"

 

 

[lcordova]

Like always thanks for letting see the show from our couch.....next year with covid more under control and with inflation at lower levels, hopefully will be there.