PaleoRon Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 A friend of mine asked me to cut this trilobite so he could use it as a teaching aid and warning to collectors not familiar with Moroccan fossils. I thought it might be of some interest to forum members to get an "inside" view of a Fake-ops so I took some before and after pics of it. I hope you find it interesting and informative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 The poor thing died of starvation! Great post; those guys are pretty good! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 That's what I call hand made history! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 If they were being sold as reproductions, that would be one thing... "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitviper Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Who do you trust for good trilobites? "Nothing happens in contradiction to nature, only to what we know of it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I like fake-ops as display pieces if I had some I would tell people. I would defiantly buy a few of rare species if they were reasonably priced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSRaddict_1 Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Good catch , what tipped you off a hollow sound when you thumped it ? LOL Thanks for showing . Hunting fossils is fun , but discovering is better ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I hope you find it interesting and informative. Very much so, thanks for the info. Who do you trust for good trilobites? There are a couple of guys from Morocco that post in the "Sales and Trade" section. Everyone seems to be happy with what they sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenInTime Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Very informative Ron! The first indication that this bug is a fake is the eyes, if a species like this one does not have facets in the eyes, you know there's something wrong. The old way of faking did not allow the construction of the extremely detailed facetted eyes. Apart from that there's probably either bubbles in the matrix from baking, or there's a line of distinction between the plaster used to "install" the fake on and the original matrix. Be aware that the Moroccans have gotten a lot better at making those fakes, there's a lot better ones out there now, including spiny ones with free-standing spines, I've seen them for sale at a few dealers in some occasions. These fakes also commonly occur on eBay, so be VERY aware of who'm you are buying. A few German collectors have written a small guide on fake trilobites, and they have a showcase displaying fake trilobites on some of the major shows in Europe, they also have cut some specimens in pieces to show what they look like. the original guide is here: http://www.trilobit.org/Content/fakes/tuto...elschungen.html but for those who can't read German, ...EDIT: deleted... has made a translation of the more extensive version which can be found here: ...EDIT: deleted... (be aware there are multiple pages) One of the expert collectors who wrote this guide actually has his own shop, selling authentic Moroccan trilobites. Heiko Sonntag's www.trifoss.com Hope to have made a valuable addition to this topic. kind regards, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Hey Gang, Good info from all. Thanks Ron/Mark especially for providing the photos and links...Hope it prevents being suckered as I was much earlier this decade!! Here's more....Note the several shots of my lovely Moroccan Paradoxides. I always hoped that there was some fragment of this fossil that was legitimate but I gave up hopes many many moons ago. The patterns of small cracks around the margins of the fossil and minute bubbling are very subtle but are there! I can now LOL without too much crying and sobbing before hand!!!! Regards, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I have an idea for a new contest, who can make the best fake fossil! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Actually that is a very good idea. Lots of creative people on here... Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 No, I want pose! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 No, I want pose! Living fossils don't count! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSRaddict_1 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I have a fake Trilo that I know was cast from a very rare Trilo ( Breviscutellum) , I might paint it up and see what it looks like . It does have the cast bubbles and lower definition of features than the original . Hunting fossils is fun , but discovering is better ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bone digger Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 great post, thanks! So for the first one you showed how does everyone suppose they did that? Would they have taken the negative of a trilobite and basically made a cast of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicranurus Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Great topic and thanks for sharing. I have heard that about 90 % moroccoan trilobites are fake. It is not illegal to make fake trilobite in Morocco. Here is one berber with no scientific training but a hugely intelligent "eye" for a good trilobite and who is also a seller. http://www.trilobiteshop.com/ You can also read for this guy for Richard Fortey's new book: Dry Storeroom No. 1 The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum (pages 75-). http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display...n=9780307263629 "It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living." -Sir David Attenborough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 WOW..... and that looks kind of passable, so those No way can they be real, 4 trilobites facing one another having a meeting on a rock are all definately forged to...... How can these online fossil suppliers sleep at night? Thanks for posting that Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 A friend of mine asked me to cut this trilobite so he could use it as a teaching aid and warning to collectors not familiar with Moroccan fossils. I thought it might be of some interest to forum members to get an "inside" view of a Fake-ops so I took some before and after pics of it.I hope you find it interesting and informative. You know it's too bad someone doesn't have a cross section piece of the real thing. Would make an interesting comparison. Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSRaddict_1 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Here is what I was talking about , don't know if you can see the Trilo . Really don't want to mess with it though , kind of unique like it is . Hunting fossils is fun , but discovering is better ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I think replicas are A-OK, but what they're doing with them is B A D. It is, of course, unscrupulous dealers that omit the part about it being a replica who are to blame for the reputation of Moroccan fossils. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSRaddict_1 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I think replicas are A-OK, but what they're doing with them is B A D.It is, of course, unscrupulous dealers that omit the part about it being a replica who are to blame for the reputation of Moroccan fossils. Here , here . Truly scoundrels , and should be banned from trade shows and Internet sales of fossils . Hunting fossils is fun , but discovering is better ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 saharaoverland.com has a good tutorial on faking trilobites complete with pics. This group assembledge I purchased from them several years ago. Note the cracks in the piece where the fossil, which was collected in pieces was repaired. Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 This group assembledge I purchased from them several years ago. Note the cracks in the piece where the fossil, which was collected in pieces was repaired. Better saw it into quarters, just to be sure! Awsome multi!!! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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