I live in WNY should I bother looking around here ?

[MD Dog]

I have alot of slate and shale all around my area and I know ther are some types of fossils around here but just the little bottom of ocean type. Most everyone around here just takes them for granted but I think they're amazing, I get that same connected to the past feeling in my stomach, right after the thrill of the discovery, that I get MDing. What do you guys think ? I know I probably won't find a t-rex or nuthin but maybe a fossilized plant or some thing, I just love the idea that i would be first person to see or hold something millions of years old.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[fossis]

With the presence of shale, you probably have coal deposits in the region,
so you should keep looking for fossil ferns at least.
We find fossil leaves & wood in association with sea shells sometimes, according to the experts, shallow seas covered the hot steamy swamps in our area, then receded, & more tropical swamps grew up only to be covered again many times, resulting in all the fossils & coal, we also find pyrite sometimes, & calcite.
HH, Fossis.......................

 

[MD Dog]

Thanks Fossis, Now that ya mention it my son found a big calcite peice a few years back on our land.

 

[Montana Jim]

Underbear - I'm originally from Rochester and grew up running all around the areas south of there... if there is shale, the fossiles are there. I picked them in shallow fast running creek beds, in and around the wooded areas south and south-west of Roch. I wish then I had saved some for more than ten minutes. In fact, I think the state as a whole has them in abundance... I also lived in Central NY and found them everyplace I fished. hunted, hicked and camped... riverbeds and shale were always key (for me anyways).

Good luck!

 

[Eu_citzen]

Yeah, sandstone can also hold fossils. (tell me if you find my grandpa! )

 

[MD Dog]

So say I find something out of the ordinary, how do i know if it's a keeper. I mean what makes a fossil worth anything ? 8)

 

[fossis]

Fossil leaves are common, I sell them or trade for about $20,00 per flat,
(cardboard beer flats), fossil wood depends on the size, length, & pattern, I usually get about $1.00 per inch, on average, each area of the country would be different.

Critters in stone, a whole nother story!!! , On my post (my buddy found a dinosaur), it sold for $500,000.00, Hope this is helpful.

Fossis.................

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I believe there is only one species of land dinosaur (Coelophysis, a very early & relatively small one) that has been found in NY. But LOTS of marine fossils and lots of other and later land critters. Trilobtes are pretty fascinating (and desireable for collecting and/or selling). Corals, mollusks, the sea scorpions (eurypterids - our state fossil)

Though these are like the bluebird, our state bird. I've never seen one "in the wild".


Here's a good link to PRI in Ithaca.

http://www.priweb.org/ed/finger_lakes/nystate_geo2.html

 

[MD Dog]

Hey thanks you guys have been alot of help. I'm sure my wife and I will enjoy our new found hobby and maybe we'll even make some pocket cash to boot.

 

[Eu_citzen]

So say I find something out of the ordinary, how do i know if it's a keeper. I mean what makes a fossil worth anything ? 8)

first you have to Id it, then a few factors make it valuable:
1) occurrences, how rare it is.
2) shape how well preserved it is, if there are any damages etc.
3) size, weight etc.

Those are the ones I can remember for now..

 

[MD Dog]

Are tere any books about fossil values, like red book for coins ?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Are tere any books about fossil values, like red book for coins ?

Not that I'm aware of. I have a field guide that describes relative rarity, I believe. But coins were identical and there are known mint volumes per year. God knows how many and of what kind of fossils there are. And most are flawed or incomplete in some way so it would be like grading damaged coins. Check ebaY. The market hops around and there are fakes and "repairs" to be wary of.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Are tere any books about fossil values, like red book for coins ?

Sorry I can't resist on that one...

Yes there are and they are sometimes HUGE you know then as Palaeontologists and/or Museums.

http://www.ukge.co.uk/ They seem to have something..
Seek and you shall find.

 

[MD Dog]

Huh ? I don't get it




Oh ! yeah now I do Duh


Thanks for the link Eu

 

[diamondjim]

You kidding, right?

Ashamed of fossils that ain't T-Rex?

NOT A CHANCE.

Fact only about 5 people out there actually collect T-rex, the rest of us dig and marvel at the amazing past in all of it's strange forms. No matter how small, how "ugly", fossils of any kind tell a story so profound, so compelling it's hard to resist.

Can't tell you how many "minor" fossils i've shipped all over the world and how excited the folks are to get them...even if you need a magnifying glass to see them!

One of my primary sources is "treatis on invertabrate palentology" but it's a WAY hard read. Recommend "Fossils of Ohio" $20 from ODNR...many similar fossils in NY and far easier to read. (Many of the pics in the book are actually NY fossils anyways...go figure)

Pricing? Well...that's TOUGH. Mostly just experience. I specialize in crinoids...most good ones I have sold go over $10 each, so I start the bidding at $10 to save the trouble. Over time I've developed "feel" for what the market will bear... like those trays of plants. One word of advice...be prepared to ship international...NY stuff in demand GLOBALLY. What you think is common is rare in the rest of the world.

Oh, and don't think "non-dino" age means all sea shells either...I got an awsome shark tooth site stashed away...in the middle of OHIO. Those teeth bring $50+ EACH. Even plant sites...those are even better, bugs and verts rare, but possible and valuable out the wazoo.

Moral of the story is..KEEP HUNTING...good stuff out there and a broad market for it.

 

[MD Dog]

Wow diamondjim now that's what I want to hear, I mean I like to hunt fossils just for the fun of it, but if there's money to be made I'm up for that too.

 

[goldgrubber]

Hey Underbear, there's fossils all over our area, I'm from WNY too. A incouple of good spots are in Akron and in Zoar.

 

[MD Dog]

I was thinking zoar might be a good place GG, thanks. Do you think theres anychance i might find some in the bottom lands in Ischua valley. I only ask because I own alot of land with tons of streams and rivers there. But if not I was also thinking of portageville so. of letchworth. And by the way nice to meet you PM me if you get a chance I figure I can never get too many friends of any kind especially Treasure hunting friends.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

http://www.earlysunriserealty.org/fossils.htm

{Six good sites in Western NY}

Something about Letchworth and fossils triggers a synapse, but I can't bring it to the surface. Trilobites? Mastadon found there in the last generation, maybe?

 

[MD Dog]

Wow Charlie, great link, thanks alot again.