cowsharks Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Have you seen the new show "Pawn Stars" on the History Channel? It's a neat show and over this past weekend a fossil collector brought a collection of Mazon Creek fossils that he had collected himself into the Pawn shop to sell. The owner of the shop (Rick) reviewed the items, but not being an expert in fossils, called in a local Paleontologist from either the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Paleontologist came in to the shop and confirmed that the fossils were authentic and from Mazon Creek (Illinois?). The set of fossils consisted of about 5 or 6 ferns/leaves, one which had a split-tip which was rare I guess, as well as a complete spider. One of the fern impression specimens was repaired from being broken. I guess these things are cracked open with a hammer/chisel to expose the fossil/carbon impression inside. In any event, the fossil collector who brought the collection in said he wanted $1200 for the whole collection. Rick, the owner of the Pawn Star's shop initially offered him $800 but the guy wouldn't budge off his asking price. In the end, Rick purchased them for $1100. The fossil collector said that the spider specimen alone was probably worth $800 by itself, so he felt Rick got a good deal and will probably make money. I wondered why this guy didn't try to sell the collection pieces on eBay? He was obviously very knowledgeable and he didn't seem desperate for the money$, and he said he wanted to use the money to go on more hunts and possibly buy other fossils. The Paleontologist said that these weer some of the best Mazon Creek specimens he had ever seen, so it seemed like maybe they should be worth more than $1100, but who knows. My sons and I have probably seen every episode of "Pawn Stars" and there have been a couple other episodes in which folks brought in fossils for sale. It's a neat show and you'd be amazed at the kind of stuff folks try to pawn/sell. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilshale Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Daryl, I couldn't see the show since I am living in Germany, hence I am not able to value the fossils. But a spider from Mazon creek is really a rarity and might sell for 800$ + (depends how lucky you are and/or how knowledgable the seller is). Selling these rarities at ebay is very difficult and time consuming. There aren't so many people who dare to buy at ebay without seeing the fossil in reality (at least I wouldn't dare this). Thomas Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes (Confucius, 551 BC - 479 BC). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickNC Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I saw that one. The show is ok, but it is just another example of why the history channel has gone down the drain. It is more reality TV than history. I used to watch the Hist channel all the time, I barely even bother anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I've seen two episodes with fossils in them. The one you are talking about had real nice specimens and I thought the deal was a good one. The other episode has some rough looking meg teeth and I thought they paid way too much for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 I've seen two episodes with fossils in them. The one you are talking about had real nice specimens and I thought the deal was a good one. The other episode has some rough looking meg teeth and I thought they paid way too much for them. Yep, we saw that episode as well. My sons both got excited when they saw the teeth because they were like, "dad, check out the fossil shark teeth, are those Megs?". I felt like such a Paleo-authority in my house and exclaimed, "why yes, those are megalodon's, most likely from some Carolina River, probably worth a few hundred bucks at most". So then they were glued to the tv to see what "Rick" was going to offer. I forget the exact amount, but I too felt he over paid, at least compared to what I see similar Megs sell for on eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFossils Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I know the guy who sold the collection of "Mazon Creek" fossils on Pawn Star's. He is from illinois and brought the fossils with him on a vacation to Las Vegas with the hopes of getting on the show. The fossils are not actually from Mazon Creek but from a similar locality several hundred miles south near Carterville illinois. The site is similar in age to Mazon Creek. I was really surprised that Rick paid 1100.00 for the collection. The spider was rare from but the preservation was not great. My guess is that if it were listed on Ebay, it would sell for under 500.00. There were a few odd plants but I think that Rick overpaid just like he did for the Meg teeth. The fern with the split tip is Pecopteris unita. It is one of the most common types but is quite rare to find with a bifurcated (split) tip. I am attaching a picture of the actual specimen sold on Pawn Star's along with an example from my collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I like yours better because of the contrast. When you think about those reality shows, keep in mind they get paid a certain amount for each episode. Even if they over pay for an item they will likely make up the difference with the show fee. This is another of these "reality" shows that makes people think they have gold hidden in their attic when it's really just a pile of moldy rags. It's only going to drive prices up because they saw some schmuck say it's worth something on TV. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 I know the guy who sold the collection of "Mazon Creek" fossils on Pawn Star's. He is from illinois and brought the fossils with him on a vacation to Las Vegas with the hopes of getting on the show. The fossils are not actually from Mazon Creek but from a similar locality several hundred miles south near Carterville illinois. The site is similar in age to Mazon Creek. I was really surprised that Rick paid 1100.00 for the collection. The spider was rare from but the preservation was not great. My guess is that if it were listed on Ebay, it would sell for under 500.00. There were a few odd plants but I think that Rick overpaid just like he did for the Meg teeth. The fern with the split tip is Pecopteris unita. It is one of the most common types but is quite rare to find with a bifurcated (split) tip. I am attaching a picture of the actual specimen sold on Pawn Star's along with an example from my collection. RCF, yep, that pic on the right is the one bifurcated specimen from the show. Since you watch the show you know that in many cases when Rick doesn't know the value of something, or needs it to be authenticated, he calls in one of his friends or a local expert form a museum etc. The Paleontologist that came in to review the items verified their authenticity, but didn't give Rick a value, nor did Rick ask him for some reason. I know some of the museum guys don't like to provide values etc. Given that, I was surprised that Rick made any sort of offer since he didn't know what the value of them was. He obviously has a network of collectors of all kinds that he has access to, so on merchandise like this where he's only spending around a $1000, he's probably willing to take a risk and is probably already noodling through his head who he's going to call to sell it to. Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 ''yep, that pic on the right is the one bifurcated specimen from the show.'' RCF has a top collection of that gear and if thats the best nodule for comparison he has that must be a top quality nodule... I bet that alone could pull $200 - $300 in the right sale... I know if it was a UK one Id willingly spend that... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I watch the show but haven't seen that episode yet, tho I did see Rick being interviewed on some other show, in Toronto I think, and among the things he brought in to show off was what I recognized to be a Mazon Creek fern fossil (as I recall, he referred to it only as a fossil from Illinois worth about $300).. must have been one from that collection! Maybe he didn't have someone in mind to sell it to after all, otherwise why would he bring it? I too am worried that the prices will be driven up.. they're already overpriced as far as I am concerned, but on the other hand maybe I'm just too poor for the hobby... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhk Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I saw that show and the one with the Meg teeth too. Good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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