I thought I was going mad aka how I found a Plesiosaurus

[mick]

I was going through some new stock, sorting the pics for listing.

One piece kept cropping up, confusing me, it seemed to be in two piles.
I remember it when it was on the sellers table infront of me. It looked like it could be worked into an initial a M or N maybe a V.

So this is driving me mad, Im, going to have to take pics again because I must have mixed up some stones, grrrrrrrrr

So I go to look at both bags, lo and behold, what do I find but the annoying stones other half!

I looked, pit them together, yep a perfect fit then BINGO

Its a verterbra of some sort. Of what type I do not know.

What has happened here, is that the miner did not spot this for what it was at the time. I think it has been through the tumbler and has broken in half when he hit it to see what was inside. I havent looked closely, so it may have been broken in the ground, and then tumbled.

It was with material of similar quality, funny I paid 100 an ounce less for one half! Now there has been rumours of Plesiosaurus being found... I wonder if the same bloke?

Needless to say, this is my most exciting find to date. It is better then the match head sized fossilized seed I found.

Now I have to look at the other material, it may be bone too. Then see if I can buy what else he has of this grade before I let on. When I have the rest, I will tell him.

Whats it worth? well the color is worth 2700 per ounce, being a fossil, double it. Being a dinosaur, it will double again. So we up to 10800 an ounce.
Then if it can be identified, double again, as its a pair, perfect for ear rings, double again. So we up to 52000 an ounce or so. Hmm a lot of red, we wont worry about that yet.

Whats the weight, I dunno, let me look. .............261 troy ounce.

Quick wheres the calaculator?

$13572, full of red. I would sell for 5 but I dont think I will be selling them any time soon. Any more than 5 and no one makes any money down the line you see.

There ya go folks, live fossil discovery, just amazing. I am contacting old mate to find out the story. I cant believe it either. I thought I was going

What a pair of ear rings they will make, bloody amazing. Whats that hanging off ya port melbourne piers love? oh just an Opalised Mickosaurus!

[kjsspot]

wow! Better not cut those!!

[PinkDiamond]

Wow is right, although the size of them makes me wonder if it could have been something that big, unless of course it was a young 'un, or maybe came from near the end of the tail. I wouldn't cut them either, and keep us posted if you score any more, not that we could afford to buy them from you, but we do want to know what you find out about them. Hope you can score them all and get a positive ID on them!

[mick]

[SwordfishMining]

Good eye.

[mick]

Well there is no more, but I found three more halves in the same parcel that do not fit, so someone has the other halves!
That makes 4 verterbra, has to be the same animal. Im looking at the rest of the parcel and all but one look to be bone too. One is iffy.
Its sad to think that there could be more of this material that was sold and not picked up for what it was.
My guess is up to half a kilo.

[PinkDiamond]

Yes, that is a shame, but at least you've come into these pieces and I hope you can make a killing on them.

So tell us, at the price you quoted, how much would just one of those puppies be?

[OpalSpectrum]

wow this is awesome find - congrats Mick
I think there are many fissils like dino bones and other cool stuff but they are hard to identify even if they survive the mining proces
in most cases (like in your last photo) there are only fragments which look like 'normal' rough opal and you never know it's dino
btw. one with green fire have very similar looking potch

[SwordfishMining]

Well Thank the Opal Gods they are precious and not just bones. In America every fossil that had a spine belongs to the Government unless its off private land by law. An unpatented mining claim is not private property either. UC Berkeley is happy to get what would be rolled off with a bulldozer and buried forever if not picked up when seen.

[mick]

wow this is awesome find - congrats Mick
I think there are many fissils like dino bones and other cool stuff but they are hard to identify even if they survive the mining proces
in most cases (like in your last photo) there are only fragments which look like 'normal' rough opal and you never know it's dino
btw. one with green fire have very similar looking potch

I had a proper look, all have the classic dog bone shape inside. Also have the remnants of indentations top and bottom.
These three, the pair, I am certain they are verterbra. If the pair is the other three are. The man I know whao has seen these type bones before, says they are Plesiosaur.

I found out the story where they came from. I cant say much, apart from the original miner found a lot of similatr material from same animal and more animals, most went to museums and collections, he is now dead.

The other pieces, its the same material, different shapes. My guess, ends of bones or protrusions or something, a bone doctor will know I will post a pic of them.

Ive asked the SA museum if they want to se the lot for ID.