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The Cost Of Fossil Collecting


Uncle Siphuncle

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I just tallied and reviewed my expenses for 2007 - quite depressing actually. I spent about $3K on diesel just on fossil collecting trips. I also flew to FL and collected over one long weekend. Throw in all the other expenses such as DIY oil changes at $50 a pop, misc tools and expenses and I easily spent $4k on the hobby last year. Time to carpool, eat PB&J, and sell off a few fossils! I may also need to try to dragnet more sites close to home. My days of cavalier solo trips 300-400 miles each way may be over for a while.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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Auriculatus,

I guess its like anything else, your success is commensurate with your willingness to sacrifice.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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I think we all need someone to sponsor our hunts, like national geographic :lol:

Yeah, anything that involves travel etc. sure adds up. Maybe one of these days,

gasoline prices will come down. Sure not holding my breath, only hoping....

Welcome to the forum!

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Thats one of the reasons Cris and I don't get out much, we need to start selling fossils to be able to find more.

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It is getting cheaper to buy fossils for your collection these days but the need to get out and have hands on fun can not be bought!!! :shades:

It's my bone!!!

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Gotta agree there. I have a hunter's heart, the thrill of discovery....cannot top that

Welcome to the forum!

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  • 1 month later...
I just tallied and reviewed my expenses for 2007 - quite depressing actually. I spent about $3K on diesel just on fossil collecting trips. I also flew to FL and collected over one long weekend. Throw in all the other expenses such as DIY oil changes at $50 a pop, misc tools and expenses and I easily spent $4k on the hobby last year. Time to carpool, eat PB&J, and sell off a few fossils! I may also need to try to dragnet more sites close to home. My days of cavalier solo trips 300-400 miles each way may be over for a while.

I am not sure exactly how much I spent last year but it's gotta be in the same neighborhood of 3-4K and I may have to slow down also. Those trips are not cheap. Besides gas and food, I also spent a lot on motels since I usually went for 2 or 3 days. When it was warm enough I camped but in November, and December, April, and whenever I didnt have energy to put up a tent I did go to a motel..it adds up. At least you dont have to worry about those cold temperatures in Texas. I now have bought a self pitching tent, it pitches itself, so now i dont need to spend time and energy doing that, hopefully that will help me camp more and spend less money on motels.

By the way, Hi Dan, hope you remember me from the Utah trip with Brock.

So anyway, yes it's cheaper to buy some fossils than you find them, but when you find something yourself, thats much more valuable to you...

Mike

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My October trip was costly when I snapped a flexplate in Idaho; $1900 plus the cost of a rental for a week.

This year and next; trips will be closer to home. I really don't add up the costs as it is something that brings great joy; and you can't buy that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

YEAH, the cost of gas is out there so I am going to get one of these! But in a darker blue!!!

post-23-1204990065_thumb.jpg

It's my bone!!!

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I feel your pain! Looks a little more economical than my crew cab diesel F250.

I sunk $500 ($300 airfare, $200 for UPS to ship all the stuff home) into last weekend's trip but that was really a bargain for what we did and what we found. My buddy in DC insisted on paying for all the gas we burned in covering 1400 miles over 4 days. He's an older guy so the tradeoff was that I was his "fossil porter". That became a bit painful when he found a big Calamites stump. I carried it and my own pack full of ferns several hundred yards through the snow covered woods, over fallen trees, etc. (up hill, both ways, blah blah blah, you know the story). I thought the trip was a blast and a good value for ferns, shark teeth, whale material, Chesapecten, Devonian stuff, etc.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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