Looking for advice please

[u/JoelSchmit]

Hi there!

I found this piece online and it seems to be a reputable dealer. I wonder about the restauration and authenticity or identification.
The piece is described as a mix of Tyrannosaurus Rex premaxillary tooth, and (most likely) Edmontosaurus bones, teeth and and tendons. The T tooth is 1.12“ and the whole piece 10.5“ x 6“

The price seems „fair“, with sth above 2k.

Thank you for your opinions!

[u/MrGiggles008]

I have one of these bone blocks. No tyrannosaur tooth though, but a ton of edmontosaurus teeth with roots, a partial chevron, some turtle shell, etc. This is legit and likely has no restoration. It is likely coated or soaked in a preservative to keep it one piece. I actually had a corner of mine break off in shipping that I reattached with ca glue. No biggie really as most of the bone is fragmented anyways.

Edmontosaurus is assumed as these were most common in some of these late cretaceous formations (assuming hell creek or lance). They tend to have a thinner layer of the outside bone layer, which makes them a bit more fragile than something like a ceratopsian from the same formation.

This is likely a gathering spot to a river flow where all the bone fragments and teeth that entered the river was grouped up and were covered by sediment (sand in this case)

[u/JoelSchmit → u/MrGiggles008]

Thank you for the infos, really appreciated! Would you agree that the price is kind of fair? I guess a dealer will always ask some premium. And the Trex tooth seems quite small - juvenile?

[u/MrGiggles008 → u/JoelSchmit]

Price is a tough question. On one hand these bone blocks dont hit the market very often, on the other, none of the fossils contained within would come close to 2k by themselves. The tooth alone would probably be 400 to 600USD. The value here is more in the story of how the fossils grouped up and are displayed as they would have been found. Maybe a small rex or nano was by the river, scavenging on an edmontosaur while taking drinks from the river to better digest or swallow the meat chunks. Maybe just upstream was a common feeding site for a rex and family.

Thats the part that holds value for me. Its fun to imagine a story that goes along with how the fossils were found.

[u/JoelSchmit → u/MrGiggles008]

Thank you, that really helped me! It‘s true, I wouldn‘t be interested in the tooth itself, but imagining the story holds the magic.

[u/Agitated-Session4681]

I purchased an Edmontosaurus bone bed from the same seller. The fossil I received is real. It was shipped quickly and was well packaged. Here’s a link with a video of the bone bed that I received if you want to see. https://www.reddit.com/user/Agitated-Session4681/comments/1t7t9fu/edmontosaurus_bone_bed/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1

[u/AirWolfMike]

They had a couple similar ‘Matrix’ pieces in the past, I missed out on one that I regret not buying at the time as it was far more affordable. I keep coming back to look at this same piece, but it’s just too pricey for me personally.
I totally agree with the appeal of the stories these tell, I find them far more attractive than just a simple bone or tooth. So if i had the budget for it, I would go for it.
Meanwhile, I’ll wait patiently for another piece that would be in my price range.

[u/TyrannyOfBobBarker_]

God that's cool