Shark Collector Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 What would be the best, safe method for cleaning megalodon fossils for sale or display. They have been washed already but not polished or fully cleaned. Would this be suggested? All info is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickNC Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I usually just rinse my shark teeth and use my fingers to dislodge any visible dirt. Or I will use an old toothbrush with some soap on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shark Collector Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 (edited) I usually just rinse my shark teeth and use my fingers to dislodge any visible dirt. Or I will use an old toothbrush with some soap on it. Thank you for the response! So I'm assuming that means that polishing or scrubbing the teeth hard will decrease the value? Edited July 7, 2012 by Shark Collector Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickNC Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I personally don't polish any teeth. Not sure what you mean by scrubbing, but any really dirty teeth I bring home are scrubbed with a toothbrush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmoceras Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Polishing might decrease the value, but scrubbing the teeth will not, that is just cleaning them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shark Collector Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Polishing might decrease the value, but scrubbing the teeth will not, that is just cleaning them. Alright thanks! I guess I'll just give em a light cleaning then thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Someone mentioned that placing a shark tooth in cocktail sauce (the red stuff you dunk shrimp into) over night -- I tried it and it seems to work , not perfectly but the tooth was a lot cleaner -- shiny even after drying out. Any other feedback on Cocktail sauce? maybe it is the horseradish ... The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeloiVarden Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Most teeth should just need cleaned (methods vary depending on where the tooth was found), soaked (especially if in high saline conditions), and dried slowly (unless a land find). I don't recommend polishing though I know many folks who polish their finds heavily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickNC Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I never really do anything special with my creek/river finds. I just brush them with a toothbrush and soap, rinse, and let air dry. Never caused any harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multicusp Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 If you ask the big web dealers how they get their teeth so glossy looking, it is a product called super shiney. I don't do much if a tooth is already in real pristine condition, water & soft cloth usually gets it done. Restoration is another ball game altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shark Collector Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 If you ask the big web dealers how they get their teeth so glossy looking, it is a product called super shiney. I don't do much if a tooth is already in real pristine condition, water & soft cloth usually gets it done. Restoration is another ball game altogether. Thanks! Well I got a 230 tooth set of Florida teeth (snaggles, makos, threshers, megalodons, and sand shark) that I may be selling to fund new purchases and get the fossils into someone's hands who will appreciate and display them more than I do currently, so I'll definitely look into that stuff if I do decide to sell off more of the teeth.Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multicusp Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 You may want to see if Megalodonteeth.com will buy the whole collection from you. I have sold entire collections before and didn't have to do much with the teeth in the way of cleaning. Dealers will buy out your teeth and just wholesale them rather than go through a lot of processing to deal singles, but if you have some nice specimens along with some lower grade teeth in this group then you would probably do well to offer the whole collection at a reasonable price. Just a suggestion, it's very hard to sell teeth one at a time if they are not super high quality, or very rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shark Collector Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 You may want to see if Megalodonteeth.com will buy the whole collection from you. I have sold entire collections before and didn't have to do much with the teeth in the way of cleaning. Dealers will buy out your teeth and just wholesale them rather than go through a lot of processing to deal singles, but if you have some nice specimens along with some lower grade teeth in this group then you would probably do well to offer the whole collection at a reasonable price. Just a suggestion, it's very hard to sell teeth one at a time if they are not super high quality, or very rare. Thank you i will definitely look into it! I won't post any links to ebay (so im not spamming!) but i recently sold one for 19.99 to a collector through ebay. (one of my better teeth). Judging what i got for one, do you think it would be better to ebay them individually or sell the lot. How much could i expect for the whole collection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multicusp Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 You could certainly go with E-bay as long as you don't mind the I.R.S. knowing what you rake in, of course E-bay gets some of the action too. My personal dealing has always worked better by direct contact with web tooth dealers who clearly state that they buy teeth. You could just make contact with a web dealer and have some nice photos to e-mail to whoever you choose. They are very easy to work with and you get all the profit, no middle man. You should expect at least half of the retail value for whatever you sell unless you have some real awesome Megs, Auriculatus, etc. then you start your pricing high with the intention that a dealer will try to talk the price down. Check some sites and look for comparable teeth to what you have and it will give you a good idea what your asking price should be. You can post a few up in this thread and I can get a rough idea of what the current market value may be, I have teeth that I can't even price for myself because they are once in a lifetime finds which means they are priceless! I would have to see at least a few good examples from the collection to make a good estimate on a total value. I have sold well over a thousand at one time for just under $1000.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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