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One joke and one serious question


Cicija

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Two fossil collectors are talking. 
- My wife told me that either the fossils leave the house or she.
- And what did you decide?
- Now I have more room for fossils.


And now a serious question. How did you solve the issue of exhibiting and storing fossils?

 

I'm not the lucky one who has a special room for fossils. The intended place in the display case in the study was quickly filled and now I keep the newly arrived fossils in plastic food boxes, which I keep in a larger chest.


I would like you to share your experiences here.
 

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I'm hardly an example to follow as fossils seem to occupy most surfaces in my home. Although I have dedicated display cases, they spill over onto the coffee table, bookshelves, the dining room hutch, and occasionally the dining room table. In my basement are flats of fossils all labeled by age and location that are stored for science reasons yet not all that displayable (faunal examples from various formations, etc.).

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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I used to like to display as many fossils as I could but over time that became impractical as the collection grew. These days I use stackable interlocking jewelry display trays to partition and store the majority of my fossils. These trays can then be put on shelves, in flat files, etc. Larger fossils still get put as is on shelves and the likes but the jewelry trays are quite efficient at maximizing space used without sacrificing organization. I label them with site accession numbers from the outside so I can easily find trays as necessary when they are all stacked on top of each-other.

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One simply needs to have the appropriate space for a good number of display cabinets in the house, or apartment or whatever you live in and also a storage room for the overflow. Otherwise you'll just have to store most of the things in a large chest of drawers or two. Sorry, but I don't see any other solution.

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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I had a room dedicated to fossils before. But when I moved to Geneva, obviously there was no storage room for fossils in the apartment. So they are now stored in boxes that are kept in drawers. When a new drawer appears, I immediately fill it with fossils or equipment (yes, local fossils need to be prepared so I keep a whole lab of dental tools etc.). I try to get all the boxes and zipbags from others to put fossils in them as there is never enough practical containers. But I always store my stuff in my area, because outside it it is endangered as some family members are known to drive nails using microscopes. I often reorganize my storage system to make it more convenient and get some unseen additional space.

 

I gave up the idea of a permanent exhibition, because there is really no need and it is safer to store the fossils in boxes with their own labels (they are not all numbered yet). I organize temporary exhibitions when I also make presentations about paleontology (see https://lsglab.org/en/posts/exposition/ and https://gallery.lsglab.org/index.php?/category/6) . That`s the only time they are on display.

Edited by LSG Lab
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I used to display and store fossils in boxes all over my house. Recently, I decided to bring them all together in my workspace, setting up a display of my best pieces for my personal enjoyment and a storage box in the closet for the rest. I sometimes rotate the display and limit my collection, keeping only the best pieces and throwing away the ones that look the same. Haven't thrown anything away yet, though! :P

The Growing Ordovician Collection - Member Collections - The Fossil Forum.url

 

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One fossil a day will keep you happy all day:rolleyes:

Welcome to the FOSSIL ART

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I've always said the best thing, for economy of space and ease of access, is chests of drawers, if you can get them. Most of the ones I have were home-built by me, my dad and a friend, or refurbished old ones. Most of the overflow is in beer flats stacked on the floor or on Adwood shelves. I've recently (belatedly maybe) started saving pizza boxes from the grocery store with the plastic window on top, for flat fossils such as Eocene leaves/insects. They stack better than flats.

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Haha,  I most be one of the lucky ones as MrsR tolerates my fossil collection up to now at least.

I have a small old house with not much room.  I don't have any display cases, I don't have the space . I have my shelf in the living room, 3 small chests of drawers and stuff in boxes. As @Wrangellian said about chests, if  you not got the room or large collection this is a great was to store fossil . It can also be really a interesting way to display small fossil if you design the layout of the drawers itself. 

20241026_101727.jpg

 

20241026_103316.jpg

Edited by Bobby Rico
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2 hours ago, Bobby Rico said:

Haha,  I most be one of the lucky ones as MrsR tolerates my fossil collection up to now at least.I

You are a really lucky man. The rest of us must be ready to compromise.

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1 hour ago, Cicija said:

You are a really lucky man. The rest of us must be ready to compromise.

That is true,  but there is always a compromise, some where down the line. 

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I

18 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

One simply needs to have the appropriate space for a good number of display cabinets in the house, or apartment or whatever you live in and also a storage room for the overflow. Otherwise you'll just have to store most of the things in a large chest of drawers or two. Sorry, but I don't see any other solution.

Chests of drawers just don’t work with over 1,500 fossils—they break and get lost, trust me, I’ve tried! Now, I keep them numbered in Ziploc bags, wrapped in polyethylene foam, and stored in transparent containers. Everything’s listed on my computer with photos, sizes, descriptions, and labels. All I need is the fossil’s number to find it quickly. For Smaller fossiles i use mini plastic containers.

 

DSC03678b.thumb.JPG.cc08106cd3119bc7c3f121c0c5c93962.JPGDSC03687b.thumb.JPG.a82770f42747d3b4ebdda1bd68723e27.JPGDSC03698b.thumb.JPG.bfb4456de65cc8b23d38fe243fce1d97.JPG

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One fossil a day will keep you happy all day:rolleyes:

Welcome to the FOSSIL ART

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Most of my collection is in storage containers in the garage.

A few out on display, but not many. 
My mrs isn’t  that keen on them being out :shakehead:

To be fair though, most of the free space in the house is taken up by my extensive nature book collection 

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MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png MotM August 2023 - Eclectic Collector

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1 hour ago, Denis Arcand said:

Chests of drawers just don’t work with over 1,500 fossils—they break and get lost

 

Not if they're sturdy enough. The ones in these two photos made from oakwood were good for 10 years and would certainly have lasted at least another 10 if it wasn't for my having to move house.

 

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4.1.jpg.953dbc4436ea561d0c1c603b453532dd.jpg

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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4 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

 

Not if they're sturdy enough. The ones in these two photos were good for 10 years and would certainly have lasted at least another 10 if it wasn't for my having to move house.

 

3.1.thumb.jpg.e2c26412397170fbcc819d9deb505dfe.jpg

 

4.1.jpg.953dbc4436ea561d0c1c603b453532dd.jpg

What a fantastic collection. I assume you are a paleontologist by profession?

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2 minutes ago, Cicija said:

What a fantastic collection. I assume you are a paleontologist by profession?

 Thanks for the compliment. Here's how it's looking nowadays. No, I'm not a professional, although I've been quite a serious collector and have penned a number of articles over many years.

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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On 10/26/2024 at 7:25 AM, Denis Arcand said:

Chests of drawers just don’t work with over 1,500 fossils—they break and get lost, trust me, I’ve tried! Now, I keep them numbered in Ziploc bags, wrapped in polyethylene foam, and stored in transparent containers. Everything’s listed on my computer with photos, sizes, descriptions, and labels. All I need is the fossil’s number to find it quickly. For Smaller fossiles i use mini plastic containers.

I don't understand... The fossils get lost/broken in drawers? How? What kind of drawer unit did you try?

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5 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

I don't understand... The fossils get lost/broken in drawers? How? What kind of drawer unit did you try?

 

Thanks for asking, I should have explained better, the goal is to reduce the amount of storage space and get them out of wifey sight. Using regular drawers for my fossil collection is impractical because the fossils are mostly flat slabs that break easily if stacked. The drawers cause them to shift, making retrieval of a specific fossil difficult, and their weight can cause the bottoms of the drawers to cave in. Narrow display drawers look nice but are expensive and don't optimize space. Clear plastic containers are a cheap way to maximize storage, protect each fossil, and allow quick access, perfect for managing many small, fragile slabs and hide them from wifey. :P

 

@Ludwigia collection is superbly organize, an I think it work perfectly for theses magnificent larger fossils, well done.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Denis Arcand
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One fossil a day will keep you happy all day:rolleyes:

Welcome to the FOSSIL ART

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12 hours ago, Denis Arcand said:

Thanks for asking, I should have explained better, the goal is to reduce the amount of storage space and get them out of wifey sight. Using regular drawers for my fossil collection is impractical because the fossils are mostly flat slabs that break easily if stacked. The drawers cause them to shift, making retrieval of a specific fossil difficult, and their weight can cause the bottoms of the drawers to cave in. Narrow display drawers look nice but are expensive and don't optimize space. Clear plastic containers are a cheap way to maximize storage, protect each fossil, and allow quick access, perfect for managing many small, fragile slabs and hide them from wifey. :P

 

@Ludwigia collection is superbly organize, an I think it work perfectly for theses magnificent larger fossils, well done.

I'm not arguing with you, you do what works for you, but I've got 1000s of fossils, many delicate (flat or otherwise) that would not stand up well to being wrapped in plastic (or anything) and crammed into boxes. I don't use regular deep drawers like a dresser, only shallow drawers lined with cloth to keep the fossils from shifting, and I generally don't stack fossils on top of each other. The whole point of shallow drawers is so you don't have to do this. For me they are the best compromise between storage and display, between ease of access and keeping dust off - I do also have boxes full of fossils wrapped in tissue, and it's a pain to unpack and repack these every time I want to look at them. The only drawback I see with shallow drawer units is, as you say, they are expensive and hard to find/make. The bottoms are not so flimsy that they will bend under the weight of the fossils. 'Map cabinets/chests' are bad for this. Being only made for paper, they aren't strong enough to hold rock - not the ones I have tried, anyway. The sides of my cabinets might bow outward but I put a rod through from one side to the other, between two of the middle drawers, to strengthen this. The big double unit we acquired (pic 2) came with one already installed.

 

 

Drawers1.jpg

NewCabinet.jpg

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20 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

I'm not arguing with you, you do what works for you, but I've got 1000s of fossils, many delicate (flat or otherwise) that would not stand up well to being wrapped in plastic (or anything) and crammed into boxes. I don't use regular deep drawers like a dresser, only shallow drawers lined with cloth to keep the fossils from shifting, and I generally don't stack fossils on top of each other. The whole point of shallow drawers is so you don't have to do this. For me they are the best compromise between storage and display, between ease of access and keeping dust off - I do also have boxes full of fossils wrapped in tissue, and it's a pain to unpack and repack these every time I want to look at them. The only drawback I see with shallow drawer units is, as you say, they are expensive and hard to find/make. The bottoms are not so flimsy that they will bend under the weight of the fossils. 'Map cabinets/chests' are bad for this. Being only made for paper, they aren't strong enough to hold rock - not the ones I have tried, anyway. The sides of my cabinets might bow outward but I put a rod through from one side to the other, between two of the middle drawers, to strengthen this. The big double unit we acquired (pic 2) came with one already installed.

 

 

Drawers1.jpg

NewCabinet.jpg

Thanks for the details! Your shallow drawer setup seems ideal for balancing display, accessibility, and protection of delicate fossils. I have my key pieces on display, with the rest stored in plastic containers to maximize space, but after seeing you setup, I’m tempted to build a shallow drawer chest or two to try this approach for other key pieces. Great tip for reinforcing with a rod. Thanks for the inspiration!

One fossil a day will keep you happy all day:rolleyes:

Welcome to the FOSSIL ART

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2 hours ago, Denis Arcand said:

Thanks for the details! Your shallow drawer setup seems ideal for balancing display, accessibility, and protection of delicate fossils. I have my key pieces on display, with the rest stored in plastic containers to maximize space, but after seeing you setup, I’m tempted to build a shallow drawer chest or two to try this approach for other key pieces. Great tip for reinforcing with a rod. Thanks for the inspiration!

Glad to help. I think the accessibility aspect is not a trivial point. Less important but also a selling point for me is the attractive museum aesthetic (which is compromised by my surrounding clutter these days, I will admit). Being able to open drawers I think means I will look at the contents more often, and perhaps pick something out, show it off, try to find out more info about it, etc. I rarely look at the stuff I have in boxes and tend to forget what I've got (not so well organized as you are), which I suppose makes for a nice surprise later when I finally do dig into that box to see what's in there! Anyway I guess stackable boxes like yours are the most compact way to store fossils if your space is very limited, but a good sized shallow-drawer unit is a close second. Also, because drawer space is not unlimited, it might force me to whittle my collection down to the best stuff to go in the drawers and get rid of the rest, though this process has hardly begun, still. I'll probably keep putting it off until I'm forced to move, and then it will be a mad rush!

These ones were built by a friend and finished by me.. About 1.03m/40.5" tall not including the feet. The latest one has casters instead of wooden block feet, and we now have a tile floor instead of that carpet. I have 3 of these, plus a few other similar ones that my father and I built.

You can see where the rod is installed there on the side. It's just a long threaded rod with a nut and washer at each end. The drawer below it had to be shaved down a little lower to accommodate it, but it's OK as I have lots of small fossils that fit under it with room to spare.

 

HomemadeCabinet.jpg

Edited by Wrangellian
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There's a place near us that has "printer trays" by the hundreds. I've been meaning to go grab a couple dozen and have a carpenter build cabinets around them.

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