Frty12345 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 http://www.amazon.com/Fossilized-Carcharocles-Megalodon-Shark-Tooth/dp/B0018CLUAI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_misc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BS98TNQY28DRFK3RWKX So this company is selling megs for a cheap price. Are they real? If you can't tell, is it worth the risk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I will quote a wise man: "To my mind the value of a fossil is the value of the imagination you invest in it." mikecable "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokiehunter Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) Very good chance they are real. Not many people "faking" 1.5" to 2" megs. The price would be good if the teeth are in good to "pristine" condition but it's not any kind of super deal. If they are just "average" the price is about right imo. At most a 1.5" to 2" tooth is worth $40-50 maybe a bit more if the position is rarer or has some sort of pathology (double tip). I'd say go for it if you are interested. The comments from others that have purchased indicate the real deal too. Edited July 10, 2014 by hokiehunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 That's a really small meg. I could see that easily being profitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 A wise man indeed... Hokiehunter and THobern beat me to the punch by mere moments (I type too much). The seller seems to have quite a hoard of megs--some on good condition and others more in the fraglodon category. Meg teeth in the 1.5-2" category are not monster megs by any means and would be more common than the larger ones. Probably a reasonable asking price for someone who has a large inventory of teeth to unload on eBay. I know there are places you can go diving offshore (like 50 miles) from North Carolina to hunt in what was an ancient riverbed/delta when the ocean level was much lower. It's technical diving with special equipment and Nitrox at between 90-130 feet--not for the faint of heart. If you google "meg tooth diving nc" you will see information about diving this ledge (and about fatalities resulting from this). To the risk takers go the spoils--sometimes obscene amounts of spoils. I would suspect that large quantities of meg teeth hitting the market would tend to bring prices down on eBay by satisfying a lot of the demand. I have no idea where the teeth originate from in the eBay link you posted but the seller does seem to have quite the assortment and a number of satisfied buyers. Saw one complaint from a buyer of one of the larger teeth complaining that it wasn't up to the size specified. Megs are usually measured from the tip to one (or both) corners of the root (a diagonal measurement like TV screen sizes). If the buyer stood the tooth up on the root and measured the distance from across the base to the tip it would measure less and likely result in feeling cheated. The seller should really show the ruler along the axis of measurement to cut down on negative feedback. Like the others who have responded these teeth all seem legit and only you can decide if the price is right for you. I followed a couple of other links from that seller and saw some images of much larger teeth, suspiciously uniformly black, for bargain basement prices. Checking the description of those they were plainly being sold as replicas (an honest seller--of epoxy resin). I read this topic because I love to see the audacity of fakes being passed off as real but these appear to be the real deal. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) 1 5 inch Bone Valley Megalodon Tooth Fossil | eBay for price comparison. You can see what this finally sells for in a broad "market." Edited July 10, 2014 by snolly50 Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Great pointy Snolly, for items that verge on being commodities with many being sold, eBay is a great way of learning an appropriate market value for something. The best way I've found is not to look at live auctions but login to eBay and in the advanced search you can look for only completed auctions/sales. This will give you an idea of what someone actually paid for an item (not just what someone asked for it). Care must be paid to make sure you are comparing the same quality as that can affect the value substantially. Since this forum shies clear from trying to put values to fossils, eBay or other sites where fossils are bought/sold can determine a fair market value. Of course, in the end it's still what you're willing to pay for a piece that decides its true value (to you anyway). Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frty12345 Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 Thanks everyone I bought one from them and if all goes well I might buy a bigger one from them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Sounds good. Post some pictures of your prizes when you get them and let us know if you are happy with them. Might be informative for others seeking to acquire some teeth from this "king of all sharks" online in the future. When you are in contact with the seller you might (out of curiosity) as where they come from. I'd be interested in knowing anyway. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frty12345 Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Ken, they said from Venice beach I'll try to send you a picture once I get it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Interesting, someone is able to dive the bone beds off Venice enough to have spare teeth to peddle on eBay. Years ago I was shore diving Venice (at the Alhambra location) and I met a guy who went out in a sea kayak with dive gear and two small tanks. He'd paddle out to his location about a mile out or so using no GPS only line-ups on shore. He'd do a dive then switch tanks, have lunch, and go back down again for a second (long) dive. I found one really nice 2" meg among the other teeth and fossils from shore where he brought back a mesh bag of over a dozen nice teeth in the 3-4.5" range. He said he lived nearby in Sanabel Island and during the high season helped out at his wife's antique and curio shop in town. During the summer when the tourists slow down his wife let him kayak dive his honey holes several times a week. He sold his extra teeth from her shop so that probably helped in convincing her to let him work on "acquisitions" throughout the summer. I showed him my little tooth only to be shamed by the spoils of his day's effort. He was actually surprised that there were still whole megs of any size to be found shore diving as that site gets a lot of collecting pressure during the season (maybe he was just trying to make me feel better). I can imagine that if each day he can bring in over a dozen whole megs (he doesn't even bother with frags) that over time it would be possible to accumulate enough stock to fuel an eBay business. Looking forward to seeing your meg when it arrives. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frty12345 Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Digit, I should be getting the Meg by Monday, so I'll post a picture of it then and send you pm if I can . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mammothhunter Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Seems also that the photo might just be representative and the real teeth you get, not nearly as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frty12345 Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 Mammothhunter, I hope not but we'll see. Also, I posted a topic on the Id section of the form about my "Mammoth" shard. Care to take a look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts