Green River Fishes for Trade

[Peat Burns]

Hello,

I have a number of Green River fishes from Fossil Lake for trade. With the exception of the plates with more than three Knightia (which are mass morts from the "mini-fish" strata of the lower gastropod unit of the "Split Fish Layer", these are not high quality display pieces. They were all collected by me as part of a research project which involved quantifying the fossils per unit area and also growth rate investigations. All of the specimens that have "SF" marked on them are from the "split fish layer" (most of the specimens). Most of the ones not marked with an "sf" are from the "18-inch layer". I intentionally chose the softer rock for the study based on the objectives of the research, so some of the specimens may need consolidation with butvar or vinac. A few of the specimens have a light coating of white glue to protect them for packing and transport from the field. This is removed easily with warm water and a paint brush during any prep that one might do. Also, because of the nature of the project, the fish were removed in thin layers, so in some cases, I found dense shale from the quarry and glued (white glue) the fish slab to a thicker, more stable piece of shale to reinforce / stabilize the specimen for transport and handling (see the one photo below). The large mass mortality plates have no glue, no consolidants, no prep, and no slate reinforcement and are the nicest, most desirable of the bunch. The mass mort plates with what looks like missing fossil are in most cases bits of rock that can be removed to expose more of the fossil underneath.

The rest of the specimens might be of interest simply because they are cool, "cheap (compared to rock shops, etc.)" or because someone wants to practice prepping, or both. I have found that the best method of prepping these is under a dissecting scope or other magnification using a hypodermic needle. If you wet an area with a paint brush, the matrix softens and can be removed easily. I keep a consolidant or adhesive handy during the process in case bone is loosened while removing matrix (the fragment can be quickly put back in place). Pneumatic media blaster with relatively soft media works well on vertebrae and the skull, but I don't recommend it for any other parts of the fish.

What I am interested in receiving for trade is:

* Fossils collected by the person who is offering them up for trade (rather than purchased specimens) with location and geologic context from a TFF member that has at least some demonstrable activity on the forum.

* I'm not looking for high-dollar stuff. I am only interested in North American fossils. I am especially in need of representative assemblages of marine fossils (brachiopods, corals, gastropods, bivalves, echinoderms, stromatoporoids, sponges, identified bryozoans, palaeozoic shark teeth, fish armor, etc., etc.) from the Silurian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, and Mesozoic. I do not have any need for Cenozoic shark teeth unless it is a more unusual species that I don't already have. I don't need much of anything from the Cincinnatian with the exception of non-crinoid echinoderms and Connularia. I also don't need most of the common stuff from the Middle-Devonian (Silica Fm, Penn Dixie, etc.).

If you live in the US or Canada and are interested in trading some of the common stuff from your back-yard / local area, for some of these fish, let me know! Thanks for looking!

[DessaRose]

I'd be happy to trade. I have lots of Baculite chunks from Central Colorado/Pierre Shale Formation, if you are interested. A few in matrix, most of them not in matrix. Most have the smooth shell or eroded shell, others you can see the sutures.

[jpc]

fair to assume that the scale cat is not for trade...?

[GordonC]

Interested (Q1H), offering http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/58485-port-jervis-ny-area-lower-devonian-reef-specimen/

Stromatopores in the upper Thatcher Limestone " have been referred in the past to Syringostroma baretti Girty " , Rickard (1962)

[silverphoenix]

Pm sent

[Peat Burns]

Thank you everyone who has posted and/or sent me a PM. Please bear with me, as this is my first time trading. I received a lot of inquiries about trades, which is a little overwhelming because now I have decisions to make! I do not buy or sell fossils as a general rule, so I have no idea how to value them. I want to make sure that whoever I trade with is happy with the trade. I am building a college museum, so I also want to make sure I fulfill some priorities for our needs (i.e. time periods and taxa that we don't have or are under-represented). I am building both a collection for public display as well as a research collection, but right now my focus is on the display specimens (display specimens make visitors happy which makes admin happy which means museum is supported ). I will update this thread with what has been traded and what is still available once I receive feedback and complete trades. I forgot to mention in my original post that I would prefer to trade only within US and Canada due to shipping costs / headaches, etc., associated with overseas.

With kind regards,

"Peat Burns"

[DessaRose]

fair to assume that the scale cat is not for trade...?

LOL, thanks jpc, I needed a laugh today! And I suppose it depends on the day... and what he has gotten into.... and how good the trade is... (he's only 8 months old so I suppose "scale kitty" is going to get bigger, this making the fossils look smaller)

[Raggedy Man]

PM sent