Owning Joggins Cliffs Fossils?

[JUAN EMMANUEL]

Hi guys, I came across some rocks with plant fossils in Toronto that originated from Joggins Cliffs in Nova Scotia, Canada. From the state of the labels on them these were collected decades ago and were part of an old collection. What are the chances, if I were to buy them, that I can actually and legally own them as my own and not the province's? 

Edited August 23, 2024 by JUAN EMMANUEL

[Fossildude19]

Sounds like this is a question that should be asked of a lawyer in your province, rather than an internet Forum. 

[FossilDAWG]

Were the fossils collected before the law covering fossils was passed?  If you can document that, I doubt there would be a problem.  Laws don’t apply retroactively.  Just don’t lose those labels.  I’m very doubtful that Nova Scotia has the resources to go after everyone who has common plant fossils that were legally collected years ago.  Of course you can consult a lawyer, bearing in mind that would involve paying for that advice, likely many times what the fossils are worth.  If the fossils include vertebrate material, especially amphibian or reptile, they would be scientifically important and the responsible thing to do would be to check with a Nova Scotia museum to get those specimens returned to the province.  We have members who are Nova Scotia based paleontologists who could likely help with that.

 

Don