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After
the Cambropallas trilobites, Cretaceous Procheloniceras
ammonites are the most commonly faked Moroccan fossils.
The authentic ones have long been cleaned out, especially
some that were more than four feet in diameter. They
are now simply carved out of fossiliferous limestone.
There were thousands of these carved fakes at the 2007
Tucson Fossil Show. The clever carvers exquisitely mimic
the chamber details. Authentic specimens are NEVER white.
It is important to note that even the real specimens
have no mineralized shells or septa remaining (they
have been desolved over the eons), and thus even the
real ones are only internal body casts of the original
animal. These sold for $5, $35, and $125 for 1/2, 1,
and 2 foot diameter pieces, respectively. For that price,
they are indeed attractive displays that can be easily
painted an authentic brown color, and re-sold cheaply
to unsuspecting people. |
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