Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 76

Manuscript Sale

Fossils

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 756		A Rare Therizinosaur Dinosaur Egg. This rare dinosaur egg is very distinctive in being from the rare and poorly understood class of dinosaurs known as Therizinosaurs. Therizinosaurs were some of the strangest looking dinosaurs having some features of a plant eating dinosaur and some features of a theropod dinosaur. They had a small skull on a long neck with a large gut which resembled a plant eating dinosaur, but also were bipedal, had filamentous feathers, and extremely large hand claws up to three feet long in the largest species, like a theropod dinosaur. Embryos have been found in some of the eggs of this shape so we know that they belong to this strange dinosaur which probably was a plant eating dinosaur although some paleontologists think that the large claws may have been used to tear apart large termite mounds or tear through tough vegetation. This egg is2.75 x 2.5 inches long and was deposited between 80-90 million years ago in the Xixia Basin of the Henan Province, China. This mottled brown egg is in excellent condition being unhatched and not crushed like most found. Even though the shell of Therizinosaur eggs is very thin, this egg contains between over 90 percent of its original shell on the top side with some more shell still buried in the matrix on the bottom side. Therizinosaur dinosaur eggs are much scarcer than Hadrosaur or Oviraptor eggs and are rarely offered for sale. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $550 - 700 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,050
Lot 757		Amber with Encapsulated Insects. One appears to be a mosquito as in Jurassic Park! Size: 47 mm x 40 mm. Estimated Value $300 - 400 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $216
Lot 758		Carcharodon megalodon Shark's Tooth. Even though Carcharodon megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived growing to more than 50 feet in length most of the teeth found are only 3-4 inches in length. Teeth over 5 inches in length are in great demand and the magic number is a full 6 inches which is the size that every collector aspires to own. This immense slightly over 6 inch 15 million year old Carcharodon tooth was found in the muddy river waters of South Carolina. Estimating the length of a shark at about 10 feet in length to every one inch of tooth, this behemoth would be over 60 feet long. This huge tooth has a complete dark brown root and attractive medium to dark brown enamel. There are no serrations on the edge and there has been some professional repair done to smooth out some edge nicks as well as to fill some cracks in the root which blend in perfectly. The is very thick and one of the most massive Carcharodon teeth found which somewhat makes up for the needed repairs. This huge tooth comes with a custom 7 x 4.75 inch wooden stand for display. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $600 - 800 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $810
Lot 759		Carcharodontosaurus Dinosaur Tooth. Large 3.5 inch long (around the curve) by 1.50 inch wide complete dinosaur tooth of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, the T-Rex of Africa. Even though Carcharodontosaurus was even larger that a T-Rex, most of the teeth found are only 1.5 to 2.5 inches long. This complete brown shed tooth has excellent enamel with only very minor enamel chipping on the bottom and on a couple of small areas on the edges. Most of the steak knife-like serrations are present and sharp on both edges of the tooth with only minor breaks. This large impressive tooth was found in the Sahara desert of Morocco. Carcharodontosaurus was older than a T-Rex at 70-80 million years old and is an excellent value for a huge carnivorous dinosaur tooth as a T-Rex tooth this size would cost more than $5,000. Housed in a 6 x 5 inch Riker mount. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $800 - 1,200 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 760		Dinosaur Egg Duckbill. This large complete unhatched Duckbill dinosaur egg is 70-80 million years old, 6.5 x 5 inches, and is unprepped with 50 percent of its original shell intact or perhaps a little more. It is difficult to tell how much shell is still below the reddish brown matrix which is almost the same color as the original shell. The egg has been completely removed from the underlying matrix which is unusual and contains some original shell on both the top and bottom. We do not know to what Duckbill species this egg belongs as no embryonic bones have every been found in the Duckbill dinosaur eggs, but being the largest Duckbill egg at a gigantic 6.5 inches in length(most eggs being 5-5.5 inches long) it might belong to the huge Duckbill dinosaur Shantungosaurus which reached more than 50 feet in length and has been found in the same area in the Henan Province of China. Dinosaur eggs are becoming hard to locate and rising sharply in value and this average quality egg should be an excellent value. Add $25 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $350 - 500 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $300
Lot 761		Dragonfly From Solnhofen. Solnhofen Germany is well known for having the first bird found in the fossil record, Archaeopterix but one of its other famous and popular fossils is the dragonfly. These 150 million year old dragonflies are beautifully preserved in the fine grain lithographic limestone matrix. This rare species Tarsophlebia exima is 3-D positive fossil perfectly positioned on a 8.25 x 7 inch limestone matrix with an interesting black manganese dendritic plant-like pattern at the top. The dragonfly has a 2 inch long body and a wingspan of 2 inches long and appears to be in flight. This is a complete dragonfly with a well defined head, both eyes and amazing wing detail where even the most delicate wing membranes are preserved to make this dragonfly one of the finest to be found from the famous lithographic limestone quarry of Solnhofen. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $500 - 750 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 762		Fossil Walrus Baculum. A small number of mammals possess an unusual bone, the baculum, which is a penile bone. Baculum are possessed by seals, sea lions, bears and the walrus. The Walrus Baculum is the largest of all as represented by this huge 19.5 inch long, 1.5 inch wide complete specimen penile bone from Alaska. This 5,000-10,000 year old fossil bone is from a very large male Walrus from the species Odobens romanus. The Yupik Eskimos call the Walrus Baculum an oosik and have used these large bones as clubs, as well as carving images into them like scrimshaw. A real conversation piece. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $450 - 600 View details	Realized $360
Lot 763		Framed 130 Million Year Old Marine Reptile. This framed museum quality light brown Sinohydrosaurus is immense at 24.5 inches long on a 27 x 10 inch long dark gray tuffaceous sandstone slab and a 38 x 20 inch black and reddish brown frame with a dark green felt mat. Sinohydrosaurus translates to Chinese water reptile and they are 130 million years old from Liaoning Province, China. Like the famous feathered dinosaurs from this area, they too were buried in the massive volcanic eruptions that occurred several times in the Liaoning area of Northeastern China. This immense adult Sinohydrosaurus is a virtually complete 3.D specimen with intricate delicate detail of the bones of the body, ribs, small feet and claws and particulary the large complete skull. All of the tiny toe bones and claws from the front and back feet are intake except for some slight disarticulation on one of the back feet. This near perfect specimen is one of the very best recovered and has no restoration like over 90% of the specimens offered. Only a dozen or so specimens were so special that they were mounted in wooden frames that are ready for hanging. This huge over two foot long specimen is about as large as Sinohydrosaurs get with most available being less than 10 inches long. From an old estate, this was one of the former owner's favorite fossils. Add $75 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $4,500 - 5,500 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $3,600
Lot 764		Green River Fish and Tree Branch. Green River Wyoming is famous for its exquisitely fossilized 50 million year old fish and plant material. These are usually found separately because most of the fish are found in deeper water than the plants which are mostly found close to the ancient lake shore. Rarely are they found together as on this large 20 x 19 inch limestone plate. This plate contains a large 21 inch branch of a tree with a 2 inch long twig and three Knightia fish swimming above and below the tree branch. The three Knightias (related to herring) are between 3 inches and 4 inches long complete with excellent bones and fins. The medium to dark brown fossils are nicely contrasted against the cream colored limestone matrix and make a very esthetic display. Add $35 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $550 - 700 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $480
Lot 765		Hoplolichoides Spiny Russian Trilobite. The quality of the light brown trilobites from the 450 million year old Laba river basin near St. Petersburg Russia is quite stunning resulting in the trilobite looking alive. Hoplolichoides conicotuberculatus is one of the most unusual and rarer species. This 3-D specimen is over 2 inches long positioned on a 4 x 3 inch tan matrix block. Hoplolichoides is spiny with two barbed horns extending backward from the cephalon (head), three long spines on its bodys as well as rows of small sharp spines along both sides of its body. Even the tiniest detail is preserved such as the individual calcite lenses of the compound eyes and the small bumps (called postules) scattered on the head and body. Some of the spines have been broken, restored and professionally reattached to the trilobite giving it an impressive look as if it were alive. This is a rare trilobite rarely offered and in great demand for its beauty and interesting spines. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $550 - 750 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $420
Lot 766		Keichousaurus Skeleton. Keichousaurus hui was the 240 million year old ancestor from Guizhou Province, China of the famous long necked sea reptiles Plesiosaurs which were made famous as being the best choice for the mysterious Loch Ness monster. Keichousaurus also lived in the ocean and had a long, flexible neck, tiny sharp teeth, webbed feet and a tail as long as its neck. This 4.5 inch long excellent dark brown 3-D fossil has an excellent skull with some small teeth visible, well defined bones and is well positioned on a 5 x 3.5 inch medium grey slate matrix. All of the bones present are of top quality with all four legs present with even the tiny digits of the feet. This museum quality fossil is a real Chinese dragon and comes preserved in a 8X6 inch Riker Mount. Add $20 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $600 - 800 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $540
Lot 767		Largest Egg Known. The extinct flightless bird Aepyornis maximus produced the largest egg of any animal that ever lived including dinosaurs. The egg in this lot is 13.5 inches high and 29 inches in circumference. This was the equivalent volume of 10-12 Osterich eggs or 160 chicken eggs. Aepyornis is commonly known as the elephant bird, a name that originated from Marco Polo's account of the giant bird in 1298. He described the ten foot tall Aepyornis that weighed over half a ton as having talons large enough to seize an elephant. Aepyornis was the largerst bird that ever lived and only became extinct in the middle of the 17th century. Aepyornis only lived on the island of Madagascar and the shell from this bird that has been reconstructed to form this huge impressive egg is 10,000-20,000 years old and was found in the southern sands of Madagascar. Great care and time was spent in matching the sizes and curvature of the egg fragments to put the egg back to its normal shape and size. The egg is quite solid and stable. There are only about a dozen unbroken Aepyornis eggs known most in museums with one selling at auction for over $25,000. This huge egg comes perched on a hand carved wooden stand for a very dramatic display. Add $50 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $1,800 - 2,200 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,440
Lot 768		Mammoth Tooth Embedded in a Partial Mandible. This complete museum quality dark brown 7.5 inch wide with a 8.5 inch complete root is still set in a 13 x 6509 inch portion of the lower jaw that has been cut away to reveal a very interesting honey-combed-shaped bone structure. The hollowed out cavities in the bone helped reduce the weight of the jaw as well as allowing blood flow throughout the bone. This museum quality fossil is 30,000-50,000 years old from Siberia where the best preserved Mammoths have been found. The flat surface of Mammoth teeth was used to grind coarse vegetation. The alternating rows of dark brown enamel and lighter brown dentine are clearly visible. A single complete Mammoth tooth is a highly desired, but a tooth is in a partial mandible is much rarer and more desirable. Add $30 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 769		Oreodont Skull With Partial Skeleton. Merycoidon was a strange 30 million year old mammal from the extinct oreodont mammal group found only in North America that has no modern relative and had some features of a pig and some features of a deer. Oreodonts are Artiodactyls (even toed ungulates). While Merycoidon skulls are not rare, nearly complete skeletons are very rare. This spectacular 3-D specimen is over 30 million years old form the White River Formation of South Dakota and has been expertly prepared in the original death position on the 25 x 18 inch original light gray stone matrix. This museum quality display includes an 8 inch long skull with most of the teeth with the enamel being a lovely brown color, two nearly complete 18 inch long rear legs with several disarticulated claws, and a 18 inch long body and vertebrae with several rib bones. This completely original fossil with no restoration was found on privately owned land in the White River Badlands formation of South Dakota. Add $50 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $2,400 - 2,800 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,800
Lot 770		Oviraptor Dinosaur Egg. This original fully inflated unhatched Oviraptor egg is 70-80 million years old from the Djadokhta formation of Ukhaa Tolgod of Mongolia. This dark brown fully prepped egg was found in the Gobi desert and is 6 inches long with over 85% of the original shell on the top side and about 20 % shell on the bottom side. The layers of matrix on top of the eggs has been carefully airbrushed off. This museum quality egg belongs to the largest of the two Oviraptor species called Citipati to distinguish this difference from the other smaller species. Citipati Oviraptorids were made famous by the nest of eggs with the mother Citipati sitting on top of the eggs in a brooding position. This famous specimen is displayed in the New York Museum of Natural History and was discovered in 1995. It was revolutionary to discover a dinosaur sitting on top of its eggs like a bird and only later was it discovered that Oviraptors such as Citipati also had feathers like a bird. Citipati eggs are ratite in texture and have a very thin shell which is why they are rarely found complete. This complete unhatched egg could contain some embryonic bones inside as typically, about 20% of the unhatched Oviraptor eggs contain some embryonic bones. The bones are always disarticulated and usually are jumbled together in a small area. This egg is special even if it does not contain any embryonic bones as it has excellent detailed shell detail where present and is uncrushed.and not flattened like most of the Oviraptor eggs available. Add $30 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $810
Lot 771		Pair of Amber Nuggets With Insects. This pair of two museum quality clear young amber nuggets from Colombia contains many different insects as well as twigs and a leaf in very clear amber nuggets. The first perfectly clear light amber colored large nugget is 3 x 2 inches weighing 32 grams containing more than 20 termites, larvae and small pieces of twigs. The second even bigger 4 x 2.25 inch 72 gram deep clear amber color nugget contains many different flees, flies, beetles and even a large dark brown flying ant. It also has a large 3.5 inch twig as well as a 1.25 inch leaf that has been partially eaten by insects. The absolute age of young Colombian amber or copal cannot be determined as amber itself cannot be tested and dated, but from the color and hardness of these nuggets, experts suggest their age to be at least 1-5 million years old and probably much older. By using a magnifying glass the detail is amazing and the shear number of insects is impressive. Add $15 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $500 - 600 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $630
Lot 772		Rare Cretaceous Shark. Many interesting fish and sea creatures are found in the 97-100 million year old fossils from the Hakel Quarry of Hajoula, Lebanon. This excellent variety of fish occurs because this was a salt water shallow sea 97 million years ago. This large 11.5 x 4.5 inch limestone matrix contains a rare shark fossil, Paratriakis curirostris which is 9.5 inches long and mostly complete missing just the very end of the tail and a few small pieces of the body. What is remarkable about its preservation is that the skin outline with fins is preserved as well as the vertebrae and head with even a few small teeth and eye still visible. Since sharks are cartilaginous not having solid bone, usually only their teeth are preserved. Also, there is a bonus fossil, a somewhat faint small 3.5 inch lobster with parts of the body, one clawed arm and one very long antennae visible. A rare fossil for shark lovers. Add $25 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $600 - 800 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 773		Scunthorpe Ammonite. Some of the most beautiful ammonites in the world come from the Jurassic (200 million years old) from the Frodingham Ironstone Quarry in Scunthorpe, UK. This 5.5 inch diameter complete ammonite, Asteroceras sp. has lovely white-cream colored chambers with golden Septa (divisions between the chambers). It is aesthetically displayed on its 10 x 9 inch original matrix darker rock and stands in an upright position making for an excellent display. The ammonites from this quarry are in high collector demand since the quarry has been permanently closed for many years and is now a landfill site. Add $30 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $600 - 800 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $552
Lot 774		Spinosaurus Foot Claw and Tooth. Made famous in "Jurassic Park III" as the dinosaur that killed a T-Rex, the enormous theropod dinosaur Spinosaurus with a huge sail on its back remains an enigmatic dinosaur as no even remotely complete skeleton has been found and the only partial skeleton was destroyed in World War II. Spinosaurus is mostly known from its teeth which are fairly common but usually broken and ugly. Claws are rarely found and big claws such as the 3.6 inch complete museum quality foot claw showing all of the bold grooves with a perfect tip with just some crack. Claws are much rarer than teeth because dinosaurs could replace their teeth but not their claws. Also included is a gigantic quality 5 inch long tooth that was found in two pieces and put back together with excellent brown enamel, a partial 2 inch root with just a little tooth wear and minor chipping on the tip. This 80 million year old dinosaur claw and tooth were found in the Kem Kem Valley near Taouz, Morocco. These museum quality fossils are housed in a 8 x 6 inch Riker mount. Add $25 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $1,250 - 1,750 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 775		Two Different Types of T-Rex Teeth. Virtually all T-Rex teeth found are shed teeth that broke off when the T-Rex was feeding on some other dinosaur. Usually these teeth are just fragments or are broken into many pieces, but this lot consists of two virtually complete shed T-Rex teeth without the root that were found within a few feet of each other in the 66-67 million year old Lance Creek formation of Wyoming. There is no restoration to either tooth. The larger 1.75 inch thick typical jaw tooth has excellent enamel and sharp nearly complete serrations with a perfect intact tip and interesting ripples in the pristine enamel. The other tooth is a 1 inch long Pre-maxilary tooth from the very front of the mouth and has excellent enamel with some wear on the enamel at the tip that occurred when the T-Rex was still alive and some serrations but they are not sharp. The Pre-maxilary teeth are very distinctive in having two rows of serrations close together on the inner curve of the tooth versus having one row of serrations on the opposite sides of the regular teeth. This set of the two different types of T-Rex teeth may be from the same juvenile T-Rex with superb dark brown color and are displayed in a 8 x 6 inch Riker Mount. Shipping: $20. Estimated Value $1,700 - 2,200 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 776		Virtually Complete Turtle. Turtles are unique in the animal world having their entire torso embedded in a bony shell casing. There still is no consensus about their origins. Turtle fossils are usually just the carapace without the head and limbs. This 125 million year old fossil 9.5 x 4.75 inch Mancherochelys sp. from Liaoning, China is the rare exception having an excellent skull and parts of all four limbs with one foot still having 4 toes preserved. and even the tail. This turtle had a soft shell which does not fossilize but the bones of the webbed plastron (underside shell) are nearly complete. The medium brown color is nicely contrasted against the lighter 10 x 6.75 inch stone matrix. Mancherochelys was a Crytodira turtle that could not withdraw its head and limbs inside like modern turtles. A rare spectacular and well detailed fossil turtle. Add $25 for domestic shipping. Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,500 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold