Keichousaurus Authenticity Check

[vazs]

I've become very interested in purchasing a Keichousaurus fossil. As an avid collector of ancient coins, I know how easily such things can be fabricated and altered, so I wanted to get the opinions of some enthusiasts. I just wanted to know based on the photos if you all think the fossil is genuine or not. Thank you all in advanced!

 

 

[Crazyhen]

This one is a typically poorly prepped Keichosaurus by acid and mechanical means.  A lot of the bones were worn off.  It's genuine but not of a good quality.  You can compare to the unprepped "natural" forms of Keichosaurus below to tell the difference.

[vazs]

1 hour ago, Crazyhen said:

This one is a typically poorly prepped Keichosaurus by acid and mechanical means.  A lot of the bones were worn off.  It's genuine but not of a good quality.  You can compare to the unprepped "natural" forms of Keichosaurus below to tell the difference.

I really appreciate the insight! Is there anywhere you recommend looking for such specimens that are "unprepped"?

[Crazyhen]

Unprepped "natural forms" are relatively uncommon (only occurs when the specimen is embedded on a hard matrix and "covered" by a soft matrix).  Most of the Keichosaurus found are embedded in hard matrix that manual prepping is difficult, and thus locals use acid and mechanical prepping to remove the hard matrix.   It really depends on the chance of encountering a natural form in the online sale platform.