9286 RARE 1in100 BLACK Ammonite PAIR Deep Crystals 110myo FOSSIL XXL 152mm 5.9"

Description

Weight (lbs): 1.50 # Weight (gm): 600 grams Size (inches): 5.9" x 5.1" Size (mm): 152mm x 130mm Description: Ammonite Pair Split, Cut and Polished. LESS THAN 1 in 100 is a black ammonite. Very RARE and highly prized by collectors. These were found only 1 in 1000 ammonites. However you are in luck as they have a new find in Madagascar. These will NOT last. So you can pick one up for a better price. As I have predicted very few large Black ammonites came in the last shipment. Only small ones, which usually means that they are about to get past the Black Ammonite level. So they will be hard to get next year, and the price will surely go up in the next few years.
9286 RARE 1in100 BLACK Ammonite PAIR Deep Crystals 110myo FOSSIL XXL 152mm 5.9"
9286 RARE 1in100 BLACK Ammonite PAIR Deep Crystals 110myo FOSSIL XXL 152mm 5.9"
Click images to enlarge
Description
Imagine holding in your hand a 110 million year old fossil.  Some ammonites are much older than that, up to 450 million years old.  Even older than the dinosaurs.  Oceans at the time were teeming with life.  Predators were everywhere.  And it was a live fast, or die hard world for the ammonites.  In fact, ammonites closely resemble modern squids, octopus and the chambered nautilus.  Ammonites were carnivores as well.
Fossils were
once
found only in museums - NOW you can OWN one!!!  You can hold in your hand a part of the ancient fossil record from the time the dinosaurs roamed the earth.
This is the NEW batch from Madagascar.  I brought in for TUCSON SHOW with some of the best color and deepest cavities/pockets around, excellent batch!!!  Super nice crystals, absolutely the best I have seen in years.
Description:
Ammonite Pair Split, Cut and Polished
.  LESS THAN 1 in 100 is a black ammonite.  Very RARE and highly prized by collectors.    These were found only 1 in 1000 ammonites.  However you are in luck as they have a new find in Madagascar.  These will NOT last.  So you can pick one up for a better price.
As I have predicted very few large Black ammonites came in the last shipment.  Only small ones, which usually means that they are about to get past the Black Ammonite level.  So they will be hard to get next year, and the price will surely go up in the next few years.
Cleoniceras
- These most colorful ammonites come from Madagascar, off the coast of Africa.  Cleoniceras is the most common type in Madagascar.  99% of the ammonites found in Madagascar are this species, with a smooth shell and angled segments.  The animal actually lived in the very last segments.  Variations in price are due to color differences and how many crystal cavities (or open 'cave like' structures) in the segments.  On average 110 million years old.
Weight
(lbs):
1.50 #
Weight
(gm):
600 grams
Size (inches):
5.9" x  5.1"
Size (mm):
152mm x 130mm
Mine location:
Tulear, Madagascar
Item Number:
9286
Retail value:
0 in stores
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Facts about ammonites -
Closest living relative - Octopus, Squid, Cuttlefish and it's closest cousin the Nautilus.
First appeared - in shallow seas 450 million year ago.
Extinct - in a catoclysmic event in the Cretaceous, with the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.
Began life - less than 1 mm in diameter.  About the size of a period in this sentence.  But they grew fast.
Females - reported to grow 400% bigger than males.
Shells - comprised of chambers growing as the ammonite did.  Making 13 new chambers each year.  The ammonite lived in the last section, called the living segment.
Medieval Europe - Ammonites were thought to be petrified snakes.  They were called "snakestones" or "serpent stones".  Ammonites were said to be evidence for the actions of St. Hilda and St. Patrick - who drove the snakes out of Ireland.  In ancient times, traders would carve the face of a snake into the wide end of the ammonite fossil and sell them to the public.
The name Ammonite - comes from their spiral shape.  The fossilized shells somewhat resembled tightly coiled rams' horns.  Pliny the Elder (79 A.D. near Pompeii) called these fossils - ammonis cornua ("horns of Ammon") .  Because the Egyptian god Amman was typically depicted wearing ram's horns.
-----------------------------------------------
Types of ammonites -
Cleoniceras
- These most colorful ammonites come from Madagascar, off the coast of Africa.  Cleoniceras is the most common type in Madagascar.  99% of the ammonites found in Madagascar are this species, with a smooth shell and angled segments.  The animal actually lived in the very last segments.  Variations in price are due to color differences and how many crystal cavities (or open 'cave like' structures) in the segments.  On average 110 million years old.
Cymatoceras
- Wide body Madagascar ammonites.  Some stand on their own and do not need stands.  Much rarer than the regular narrow body Cleoniceras.  More like a Wide Body Nautilus.
(Limited quantities)
Almost all gone.  They are past this level of digging.
Perisphinctes
- Less than 1% of Madagascar ammonites are this type.  Ridges are on the back with a complete different growth pattern.  The chambers are also more compact and of a different shape.  Frequently one of the most brightly colored.  On normal ammonites, the middle is thicker.  On Perisphinctes the inner coils are smaller which is a rare occurance among ammonites.  These always command a high price.  (
RARE
)
Just two in the last shipment.
Fire ammonites
-  Also from Madagascar.  Notoriously hard to photograph.  Fire ammonites have a gorgeous jewel red flash to them.  In fact this jewel red flash is so hard to photograph that we have to take over 100 pictures, just to get 10 good photos.  Similiar to opals in their brilliance.  Occasional flashes of blue, green and purple can be seen.  Fire ammonites look much better in person than in the photograph.  (
LIMITED QUANTITY
)
SOLD OUT!!
Rainbow iridescent
- Running from blue to white in base color, iridescents have a multiple color personality all their own.  These are hard to photograph as well.  Stunning blue, green, red and pink can be seen as they are moved in the light. Not as hard to photograph as the FIRE RED, but still hard to photograph.  Again these are found in Madagascar only rarely.
(LIMITED QUANTITY
)
SOLD OUT!!
Pyrite ammonites
- Pyrite actually replaces the animal shell.  A very odd occurance.  (Calcite replaces the animal shell in most of the other ammonites.)  Pyrite ammonites are species Kosmoceras. Kosmoceras frequently have a opalized shell on the outside.  Occasionally this shell is rainbow iridescent.  Stunning colors of red, green, blue and other bright colors.  In Russia, they use a chemical solution to remove the shell on one-half of the ammonite.  This exposed the pyrite segments inside.  These are only found in Russia, in the Volga River area.  Most are around 165 million years old.
Very LOW.
Orthoceras
- Straight ammonites from Morocco.  Frequently found with round Morocco ammonites called goniatites.  About 400 million years old, some of the oldest ammonites.  (moderately common)  Big ones are rare.
Goniatites
- Curved ammonites from Morocco.  Small ones are moderately common.  Large ones up to 12" are much rarer and in higher demand as decorator pieces. The reason?  The wide ones frequently stand by themselves.  Usually grey, black and white in color. Sometimes in earth tones.  Goniatites are frequently 400 million years old, some of the oldest ammonites.  (small ones moderately common,
large are rarer
- especially ones over 6")
ONLY a few large ones in Tucson, they found very few this year.
UK ammonites
- We occasionally have Rainbow colored (2-3")
Psilocercy
from Dorset England.  About 200 million years old.  And small black & white
Promicoceras
from Lyme Regis, Dorset, which rarely exceed 1".    We have a few golden black
Dactiloceras
from Whitby, UK.  About 165 million years old. (VERY
LIMITED
QUANTITY)
SOLD OUT!!!
On a recent trip to Germany - I was able to acquire a few
Orthosphinctes
from Malm gamma, Bischberg.  Nice greenish yellow 2-3" ammonites on matrix. (
LIMITED
QUANTITY)
SOLD OUT!!!
Check our other listings for these and other types of fine ammonites!!!
------------------------------------------------
New Tucson Ammonite finds:
Madagascar:
***NEW FIND
***
Margarite Daisy ammonite (probably Choffaticeras) -
Brand new find from Madagascar!!!!  So they are in all probability only found at ONE level of digging.   The people in Madagascar call them Margarite or "Daisy" flower ammonites as they resemble a daisy flower.  Chambers have large crystal cavities with nice botryoidial (bumpy) formations.  Supersize the pictures for better viewing.
Still doing research on the scientific name - probably Choffaticeras.  But in any case
VERY RARE
.  All fossils have some restoration, and this one is no different.  From the front you can not tell they have had restoration done.  The folks in Madagascar are that good.   That is why we show you back so you can see all.
Colors range from brown to grey to the ones I bought are BLONDE.   Another dealer and good friend of mine had these, so I scooped up all the pretty ones he had.  Left a couple of grey ones for another dealer.  And yes they were not cheap, but when you see something this rare you have to grab it while is is available.  I saw only one other ammonite dealer in Tucson was WHOLESALING (selling to dealers/ stores) for over 00 each.  Mine were much better color and more reasonably priced.
All of them appear to be HUGE as no small ones are found.  So don't bother asking.  Everything we have is listed.  And we found no small ones.
No one did.
Ultra RARE, get them while they last, and they will not last long.  Universities are buying them up, for scientific study.  They are that RARE.
Anapuzosia
- WIDE Body with D shaped segments inside.  (Regular Cleoniceras have S shaped segments) These are from a new areas of Madagascar and I am not sure how much longer they will last.  Very deep crystal cavities make them desirable.  (
Limited quantity
)
Almost sold out.
Phylloceras
- WIDE Body with an odd V shape segment.  (Regular Cleoniceras have S shaped segments) These are from a new areas of Madagascar and I am not sure how much longer they will last. Very deep crystal cavities make them very desirable.   (
VERY Limited
)
Almost sold out.
Hemitetragonites and Neosilisites
- Both are Medium Body not as wide as Cymatoceras, nor as thin as Cleoniceras.  Some where in the middle - Goldielocks would say, "Just right".  They are usually presented WHOLE.  Unique suture patterns on the outside.  And most interesting they have flattened sides.  They others are rounded. Really cool, some stand without a stand.  (
Very Limited
supply
)
Almost sold out.
Melchlorites -
Similiar to above but with a cross band on the sides and a rounded shell.  Medium body.  (
Limited
supply
)
Sold out.
Desmoceras
- A Medium Body Ammonite similiar to the thin Cleoniceras, but wider body with a tighter coil of the shell. Usually with V- Shaped segments. Unlike the Cleoniceras which S-Shaped segments. (
Limited supply
)
Douvilleiceras -
Unusual in that it has a RIBBED back, 145 to 165 million years old.  Medium bodied, with "D" shaped segments.
RARE
and sell fast!!!
Sold out.
MOROCCO - Wow did I find some great ones!!!
Shoenbacchia -
These you have to see in person.  They have great color and crystal cavities that go all the way through to the OUTSIDE.  Madagascar ones do not do that, all the crystals are inside the shell on the Madagascar ones.  About 110 million years old, and the crystals are superb.  I have carried these before and too be honest, I was disappointed in the sales.  I guess the pictures did not do them justice.  As they are hard to photograph.   I have placed a orange card behind them so you can see throught the crystal cavities to the other side.  Okay now I am going to be mean:  Since they are low margin and they sell great at shows.  I am putting half on eBay and half for shows.  If they sell at shows I am pulling the ebay listing.  (So get them
while they last
.)
Very low quantity.
Notoceras -
Odd ribbed shell ones for High Atlas Mountains, Morocco.  1-3" on matrix.  A lower priced, but unique ammonite.  About 170 million years old. (
Limited quantity)
Sold out.
-------------------------------------------------------
The best I saved for last!!!  Back by popular demand.
Heteromorph -
These are the strangest animals around.   A long "
J hook
" then a ammonite type shell.  At least 117myo.  (I am trying to find more research, as I recall reading somewhere that some species could be over 450 million years old and a precurser to the other ammonites.)  There is some speculation they also partially buried themselves in the mud and held their tentacles in unique way to feed, thus the shape.  This is all speculation.
Normally I only see 18-24" ones that are between 0 and 00.  However I found only 10 small ones in the 3-4" range.  They are less than 9 and I will NOT take less or offer them on auction.  They are priced very fairly especially for the
RARITY.
Sold out.
-----------------------------------------------
Madagascar Ladies Coop -  Most ammonites come from Madagascar, off the coast of Africa.  Madagascar has all the problems that that the African continent has.  One way you and I can combat this is to buy our ammonites from a 'Ladies Coop'.   This is where I get my ammonites.  Not all dealers buy from this source. We will get to the 'ladies coop' in a minute.
A few facts about Madagascar - Average per capita income is 00 to 53 per year.  With an average family size of 6.6.
That makes the average family income in Madagascar ,600 to ,000 per year.  Enough for the basics, but not much else.
Imagine
trying to feed
your
family of 6-7 people with only 00 per year?
Madagascar families have hard working people, they don't want a 'hand out'.  But folks, we can give them a 'hand up'.  The men go out and do the digging and rough surface mining.  Hot sweaty, back breaking work. The women at the 'ladies co-op' work together as a team.  Splitting or cutting the ammonite down the middle with a diamond saw.  Then polishing the inside to a high gloss and then polishing outside to show the shells' true variety.  This can take up to 6 hours per ammonite.
Today 90% of the animals on Madagascar are found no where else.  Even in ancient times the ammonites of Madagascar's shallow sea were unique.  And no other local produces ammonites of such wide ranging colors.  Of the affordable ammonites, Madagascar produces the best and most colorful.
Your purchase helps feed a family in Madagascar.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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FLAT Rate International shipping
- There are over 200 countries in the world.  The USPS has a different rate for each country.  So for a item, we would have to do 200 different shipping entries for each item, which is ridiculous.  It would take us 2 days just to calculate shipping on one item.
Luckily the USPS has
Flat Rate Shipping Boxes
.  Motto - "IF it
fits
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ships
." Great for shipping heavy rocks around the world.  Sizes and prices are in the chart above.  Yes I know that it may seem high sometimes, however we have to assume that it goes to the most expensive country.  And more importantly in the Flat Rate Box.   You may go to USPS and verify these prices.  That is what they charge....  We make no money on shipping, in fact it cost us money sometimes....
EXACT International Shipping
t
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- We will be more than happy to give you an "actual" shipping price for the exact item to your country.  Just email us thru ebay.  Remember to include the 4 or 6 digit item number in the title.  "And the country you live in".  EBay does not tell us, where you live.  We will be happy to give you the actual shipping.  So you may make an "informed decision" before buying.  We would like to save you some money.  We don't want you to pay anymore than you have to....
It is usually cheaper in the Flat Rate Box, but not always.  The USPS charges by size AND weight in regular boxes.  So light items and smaller items can save you money sometimes.  Why not simply ask?
International shipping Customs
– shipping can take 21 to 30 days MINIMUM with USPS Priority. New First Class International takes 60 – 90 days.   Your country's customs can keep and inspect packages as long as they darn well like.  And they do sometimes.  We CANNOT do anything about that.
Canadian customers
- we no longer ship United Parcel Service - UPS.  Yes initially UPS is slightly cheaper, however we have had terrible problems with UPS making customers get a customs broker.  This has cost the customer over 0 extra.  On two other occasions they have sent back packages, because the address was street instead of drive (the customer inputs the address, not us).   So we no longer will ship UPS.  For some reason the US postal service does not do all this.
Combined shipping
- You can save quite a bit by buying several items and shipping them together (in a flat rate box).  So send us a list.  We will give you our best price AND the actual shipping.
MULTIPLE ITEMS
– We can save you a lot of money on shipping by starting you a box.  Ebay requires that we ship within 24 hours after you pay.  However we can start you a flat rate box, as long as you don’t pay.  Ebay does not get the idea that you want to save money on shipping. So what we do is send you a ‘special invoice’ with your first item.  I charge you the full shipping amount and mark it “local pickup”, just to get eBay off our backs.  I know you will not be crossing the ocean to pick it up.  This will bypass eBay’s stupid rules.  With over 13,000 transactions and over 4,000 positive feedback, I am not a jerk.  Just trying to save you money on shipping multiple items in one box.
Tracking-
go to USPS d o t  c o m.  Insert the tracking number in the top left of the website.  This will show you every stop your box makes.  Some English speaking countries continue the tracking in your country, some do not.  That is up to your country, NOT the USPS or myself.  You MAY be able to use ‘the tracking number’ to track it in your countries postal website.  However many countries, do not offer this service.
Your address
- Please, Please make sure that
your address is correct
in paypal and in ebay.  They are two separate companies now.  We have no idea of where you live.  Nor of your address.  We now have 8 returned international shipments for wrong addresses: France (though he put Belgium in the address.  He should know what country he lives in.), 2 for Spain, Italy, UK, another France, Singapore and Dubai.  These all were returned by the home country post office, not USPS.  Some come back in 45 days.  One took 2 years, not kidding.  So we cannot refund any money until we get the item back.  We do not have any control over your local post office and your customs.  Your customs office can hold your package as long as they darn well please.  In addition, if we send it back out, you will have to pay the postage again....
So PLEASE make sure your address is Correct.
Room in the box
- For simplicity sake we have gone to 4 box sizes.  You need to add a minimum 1" (2.5cm) to EACH side of ALL minerals for bubblewrap.    1"inch bubblewrap top, 1" bubblewrap bottom, and 1" on each side.  So a 2"x2"x2" mineral becomes 4"x4"x4" with bubblewrap.
Insurance
- Above prices include Insurance with the shipping price.  And may be added to the above standard shipping price depending upon how fragile and/or expensive items.
Parcel post
- US customers, we no longer ship parcel post. It saves a few pennies sometimes, however it now takes 8 to 10 days to get your shipment- Which is too long for most customers to wait.
Combined shipping
-  If you want combined shipping PLEASE email us.  WE have no way
of knowing when you are finished bidding.  Ebay sends automatic invoices.  Ebay will charge the maximum shipping PER item, if I do not override the invoice.
So bid all you like, but let us know "You want combined shipping."  And we will send you a combined invoice, the next day to pay.
If you want combined shipping PLEASE email us
NEW Photograph information
-
In an effort to have more accurate photos, we started photographing in a indoor "photo studio cube" with a white background, as of June 2015.
Advantages
-
-Better detail of crystals.
-More consistent photos.
-Weather - It is sometimes 5 degrees (-17 Celsius) in Texas.  Sometimes 110 degree (43 Celsius).  Both make it unpleasant to photograph outside under natural daylight.
-No clouds distorting picture color...
-Hard to photograph in the rain too.
Disadvantages -
-Never wear a pink shirt.  My daughter found out the hard way, camera picks up the reflection of your clothing, sometimes on one half of the ammonite.  Sometimes the other.  Depending where you stand...
-Tends to show translucence more than the actual ammonite.  (you can back light it if you like the effect.)  This occurs on thin yellow areas sometimes.
-Browns look a little more red.  Depending on how we edit.
We are working on this, and it is a work in progress.
Keep in mind
different monitors display colors differently
.  We edit with item "in our hand", so we can get as close to the correct color as possible.  However when we move the very same laptop from living room to office, sometimes the colors look slightly different, even on the same computer.  Your color monitor WILL VARY.  IF you don't like the item just send it back.  No problem.  We have a “14 day unconditional return policy”.
Returns
-  We try to be fair.  One return -was because it did not match her drapes – not kidding.  So in that case, she paid both shipping fees.   We don’t guarantee to match drapes.
Rarely we shipped the wrong item (less than 1 per year), which never happen since we are supposed to match the item number AND match the picture before shipping.  But say we sent the wrong item, we pay both shipping to and from the customer.  IF we miss measured by more than 10%, we pay both shipping fees.  Most of the time, and we rarely get returns, we pay one way, the customer the other.  IF we made a mistake, we will only pay the original amount of shipping on the listing OR the actual shipping whichever is lower.  IF someone wishs to add other fees that would be at their expense.
OFFERS
– On items over 0, we do accept offers.  Just email us here thru eBay.  Keep in mind sale prices and fossils are already low margin items.  As we say in Texas, “there is not much meat left on the bone.”  Ridiculous offers will not get a response.
New paulstaberminerals website is under construction.  We are working on our website, it is not operational yet.  This will save you and I eBay’s 10% commission.  Yes they charge us both.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stands -are shown for display only and are NOT included in the auction.
Photography -   I photograph outside in full sun for true color rendition.  Occasionally clouds come over that make the color less than it really is.  On rare occasions I supplement with a flash to highlight details.   Lighting minerals correctly will bring out their best color.  Halogen works the best.  The hand or finger in the photo is to give you a comparision of size.  We realize it is hard to tell the size of an mineral by the picture alone.
Computer monitors - We try very hard for accurate color rendition.  However images look different in color depending on the computer moniter.  I have even moved the laptop from living room (editing pictures) to office to upload and the glare from the windows changes the colors.  If you are unhappy with the item, you may of course return it within 7 days for a courteous full refund.
Measurements - All are measured from the tip to across.  This is the industry standard.  Then we measured across in a X formation.
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!!!!!!
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On Nov-02-18 at 16:30:21 PDT, seller added the following information: