Megalodon teeth?

joeranger

Sr Member
On a whim I searched ebay for Megalodon teeth. Crazy results ranging from $.99 to thousands. Anyone here collect fossils?
 
I have prepped fossils for 18 years. I still do work for several museums and private dealers. I have tons of meg teeth. The biggest thing with them is the condition and size. Its not uncommon to find near perfect teeth around and above 7” to go for 10k and up. Many of the smaller teeth that are not perfect are very affordable. It depends on what type of collector you are
 
I've had a small fossil collection since I was a kid. Mainly consisting of Ammonites, Othoceras, Trillobites and some dino bone fragments. Just recently I've started to up my collection again with some more dino bones, including a piece of a Hadrosaurid.

Depending on how badly you want a mega tooth...you can technically get them for free...if you're willing to dive for them! A friend of mine's uncle used to dive the Cooper River in South Carolina a ton, and would bring up handfuls of mega teeth! I was gifted one not too long ago.

The thing about diving, especially places like Cooper River, is it's a black out dive. The water conditions are murky and we have a healthy population of gator in this area, so you may be swimming with those guys too! So if you spot some high priced teeth from the Cooper region, it's because of how taxing it is to dive for them.

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I've had a small fossil collection since I was a kid. Mainly consisting of Ammonites, Othoceras, Trillobites and some dino bone fragments. Just recently I've started to up my collection again with some more dino bones, including a piece of a Hadrosaurid.

Depending on how badly you want a mega tooth...you can technically get them for free...if you're willing to dive for them! A friend of mine's uncle used to dive the Cooper River in South Carolina a ton, and would bring up handfuls of mega teeth! I was gifted one not too long ago.

The thing about diving, especially places like Cooper River, is it's a black out dive. The water conditions are murky and we have a healthy population of gator in this area, so you may be swimming with those guys too! So if you spot some high priced teeth from the Cooper region, it's because of how taxing it is to dive for them.

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Wow! How deep do you have to dive? Do you just reach into the muck?
EDIT : just googled Cooper river dive!!!!
 
Since it wasn't me that dove, I'm not quite sure, but you definitely need scuba gear and scuba training. My friend went a few times with his uncle and said it's basically feeling around in the dark, until you've done it so many times and can understand what's in front of you.
 
Having Serrations is another factor in price. It dosnt necessarily have to always be gigantic. If you can find anything over 4.5” with full serrations. Here is most of mine
 

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I grew up on the Cooper and Ashley river in SC. I lived in an area where you could easily find megs in the dirt after a decent rain. Of course this one was pulled from deep water (as another mentioned above) but they were just something every kid I knew had a shoe box full of back in the day. I've sold them for good cash over the years. Hell, I found an old freezer bag in my shop with smaller ones just last week.

I still look for them when I go back for visits now and again. Interestingly enough, shark tooth hunters often reference (on-line) the Summerville/Ashley River area for fossils. Almost all of them claim the area they're in is virgin because of how many there are laying around. Nope, it just rained! The hot spots have always been and remain plentiful.

Not as into them as I once was but fun to see the topic come up. :thumbsup

Thats a great one. if the enamel wasn’t missing in the center that would be big money. Its still a kilker tooth. Do you have pics of the other side?
 
I've collected fossils with my dad since I was big enough to walk. I don't have any megalodon teeth though. Mainly we just have stuff found around the area. I've got a really awesome fossil footprint of some kind of little critter and another I found that I think is a bone, but I'm not sure. Those last two are probably the coolest. I think my dad has some coprolite chunks that my niece and nephew loved to take in for class.
 
This is funny. I had 40 extra dollars in my paypal account and decided to buy a tooth just a couple of weeks ago. There is a lot to choose from. For 40 dollars including shipping, I got a 4.5" tooth with decent serrations and no breaks. I thought it was a good deal. And it is an interesting thing to have on my shelf. I also like the polished ones. I think they look cool.
 
Maybe a crazy/silly question, but how can us non-collectors know if they're casts or originals?

About 16 years ago, I bought one of these (looked similar to Rylo's pic) as a b-day gift for my brother. It was $75 and was being sold as a cast because, as they explained it, the original would've cost thousands. It's a beautiful piece and could pass for an original to the untrained eye.

If someone would've told me it was original though, I wouldn't have known the difference.
 
Maybe a crazy/silly question, but how can us non-collectors know if they're casts or originals?

About 16 years ago, I bought one of these (looked similar to Rylo's pic) as a b-day gift for my brother. It was $75 and was being sold as a cast because, as they explained it, the original would've cost thousands. It's a beautiful piece and could pass for an original to the untrained eye.

If someone would've told me it was original though, I wouldn't have known the difference.

sometimes it hard to tell by a photo. Any fake can pass as real in a photo. If you are able to see it in person its quite easy. Real ones feel like a porcelain/rock type. Remember, anything that has fossilized has mineralized. Essentially turns to stone. If a photo is the only way you can view it, just make sure you deal with a reputable person. Just as you would when buying a prop. And the other common pitfall with meg teeth is restoration. Many skilled artists can add corners (common to be missing on teeth) and enamel and make them look flawless. Again deal with a reputable person. If you can examine the tooth in person, a black light will give any work done away immediately. I would suggest starting collecting small. Get your feet wet first. Buy small ones that are very affordable and also very cool. Once you have a real example you can study it and learn what to look for, colors, feel etc. and learn about the different locations if where they are known to come from. Teeth from certain areas will be a certain color 9 out of 10 times because of the sediment they fossilized in. A lot of fakes are the wrong color for the region they claim to be from. Dont let anything discourage you from buying and collecting. Its just like anything else, arm yourself with knowledge
 
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