New Members gatorblade Posted May 11 New Members Share Posted May 11 My mother is on vacation in Morocco and she's at a souk (market) and took a picture of the fossils a guy was selling. I circled 4 fossils that I'm interested in, but I feel like the trilobite I circled in the top right isn't real. I know for a fact that the scorpion looking fossil in the middle and the one to its left aren't real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 I think your mother should try and find a dealer with better quality stuff. These things don't look very good at all in my opinion. 2 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members gatorblade Posted May 11 Author New Members Share Posted May 11 23 minutes ago, Ludwigia said: I think your mother should try and find a dealer with better quality stuff. These things don't look very good at all in my opinion. They were just dug up by the seller in a village a couple hours away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 46 minutes ago, gatorblade said: They were just dug up by the seller in a village a couple hours away That seems like something that ever fossil vendor in Morocco would say to make a sale. Most of these fossils look sketchy to some degree or not real at all. You already know the scorpion and trilobite sitting next to it are not real. The centers of the larger ammonites look to be carved, which is a common practice there. I’d want to see the larger trilobite up close, but like you, my gut tells me it’s not real. I have a feeling it is carved or a cast. The smaller trilobites you circled look more real to me, but by the looks of them, they are the common ones and usually not worth the hassle of faking. Although they can be Frankensteins with parts from multiple trilobites glued together. At least the small polished ammonites at the bottom of the table are ok if you like them polished. The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members gatorblade Posted May 11 Author New Members Share Posted May 11 2 minutes ago, FossilNerd said: That seems like something that ever fossil vendor in Morocco would say to make a sale. Most of these fossils look sketchy to some degree or not real at all. You already know the scorpion and trilobite sitting next to it are not real. The centers of the larger ammonites look to be carved, which is a common practice there. I’d want to see the larger trilobite up close, but like you, my gut tells me it’s not real. I have a feeling it is carved or a cast. The smaller trilobites you circled look more real to me, but by the looks of them, they are the common ones and usually not worth the hassle of faking. Although they can be Frankensteins with parts from multiple trilobites glued together. At least the small polished ammonites at the bottom of the table are ok if you like them polished. Thanks for the response haha and yeah, some of them are suspicious. I don't really mind the ammonite, but the trilobites are what concerned me the most. I have a higher quality pic of the one on the matrix in the middle, and when I zoomed in there does appear to be some air pockets/bubbles which is an indicator that they were resin casted. I'd like the opinion of someone much smarter than me though lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordWampa Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 (edited) This is my analysis, in green what I think is real, in red what is fake, and in blue what I would need to look closer. So to conclude I think all the ammonites are real but the carve out the center to make them more beautiful. All the "black" trilobites are fake except both blues, I think they are not entirely fake but the Crotalocephalus has the back part "restored" and the other marked in blue I think is composited from different trilobite parts. The "brown trilobites", the calymene trilobites, are real just check the quality and conservation. And as a final remark, I have been in Morocco plenty of times and in the Marrakech souk. There almost all the material except the calymenes is fake or of poor quality. To get better material and not "tourist price" you have to go south, for example for trilobites the best is to go near the Alnif area. Edited May 12 by LordWampa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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