One joke and one serious question

[Cicija]

Two fossil collectors are talking. 
- My wife told me that either the fossils leave the house or she.
- And what did you decide?
- Now I have more room for fossils.

And now a serious question. How did you solve the issue of exhibiting and storing fossils?

 

I'm not the lucky one who has a special room for fossils. The intended place in the display case in the study was quickly filled and now I keep the newly arrived fossils in plastic food boxes, which I keep in a larger chest.

I would like you to share your experiences here.
 

[Kane]

I'm hardly an example to follow as fossils seem to occupy most surfaces in my home. Although I have dedicated display cases, they spill over onto the coffee table, bookshelves, the dining room hutch, and occasionally the dining room table. In my basement are flats of fossils all labeled by age and location that are stored for science reasons yet not all that displayable (faunal examples from various formations, etc.).

[Thomas.Dodson]

I used to like to display as many fossils as I could but over time that became impractical as the collection grew. These days I use stackable interlocking jewelry display trays to partition and store the majority of my fossils. These trays can then be put on shelves, in flat files, etc. Larger fossils still get put as is on shelves and the likes but the jewelry trays are quite efficient at maximizing space used without sacrificing organization. I label them with site accession numbers from the outside so I can easily find trays as necessary when they are all stacked on top of each-other.

[Ludwigia]

One simply needs to have the appropriate space for a good number of display cabinets in the house, or apartment or whatever you live in and also a storage room for the overflow. Otherwise you'll just have to store most of the things in a large chest of drawers or two. Sorry, but I don't see any other solution.

[LSG Lab]

I had a room dedicated to fossils before. But when I moved to Geneva, obviously there was no storage room for fossils in the apartment. So they are now stored in boxes that are kept in drawers. When a new drawer appears, I immediately fill it with fossils or equipment (yes, local fossils need to be prepared so I keep a whole lab of dental tools etc.). I try to get all the boxes and zipbags from others to put fossils in them as there is never enough practical containers. But I always store my stuff in my area, because outside it it is endangered as some family members are known to drive nails using microscopes. I often reorganize my storage system to make it more convenient and get some unseen additional space.

 

I gave up the idea of a permanent exhibition, because there is really no need and it is safer to store the fossils in boxes with their own labels (they are not all numbered yet). I organize temporary exhibitions when I also make presentations about paleontology (see https://lsglab.org/en/posts/exposition/ and https://gallery.lsglab.org/index.php?/category/6) . That`s the only time they are on display.

Edited 7 hours ago by LSG Lab

[Denis Arcand]

I used to display and store fossils in boxes all over my house. Recently, I decided to bring them all together in my workspace, setting up a display of my best pieces for my personal enjoyment and a storage box in the closet for the rest. I sometimes rotate the display and limit my collection, keeping only the best pieces and throwing away the ones that look the same. Haven't thrown anything away yet, though! 

The Growing Ordovician Collection - Member Collections - The Fossil Forum.url

 

[Wrangellian]

I've always said the best thing, for economy of space and ease of access, is chests of drawers, if you can get them. Most of the ones I have were home-built by me, my dad and a friend, or refurbished old ones. Most of the overflow is in beer flats stacked on the floor or on Adwood shelves. I've recently (belatedly maybe) started saving pizza boxes from the grocery store with the plastic window on top, for flat fossils such as Eocene leaves/insects. They stack better than flats.