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FOSSILS AS INVESTMENTS:
In the field
of rare collectibles, fossils certainly qualify with an ever-increasing demand
and international appeal that transcends all countries, languages and cultures.
This cannot be said for many other collectibles such as American pop culture
items with respect to a Japanese or German collector audience. With fossil
collecting finally coming into the mainstream market, evidenced by the surge in
major international natural history auctions, it's likely to rank amongst the
most promising investments with regards to the rarest and finest examples.
Not only are deposits becoming rapidly exhausted, other factors have come into
play helping make the acquisition of fresh discoveries from the ground as
extinct as the fossils themselves. This will only accelerate the rising
value of the best specimens, not common commercial qualities or types.
Technological changes in machinery used in dredging and quarry operations now
destroy fossils that were once found by more primitive manual labor. Many
states and entire countries are passing legislation each year banning the
collecting, owning and export of formerly important market sources. And
finally, sites are being permanently destroyed by the advancement of Man with
the building of new highways and other infrastructures along with new commercial
and residential structures, this all on top of prime collecting sites.
What this translates to is that as more and more people each year are
discovering the fine appreciation of acquiring important and rare natural
history specimens, the source for these specimens is rapidly becoming depleted
at an exponential speed.
From vintage
automobiles to antique weathervanes, the rare collectible market offers a haven
for investing if done wisely and if placed in only the finest and rarest
specimens but no venue of this field has more promise than that of collecting
rare fossils. In comparison to all other rare collectible markets, it is
one of the MOST UNDERVALUED markets. For example, while 1960's-era
American muscle-cars routinely fetch prices in the hundreds of thousands to
millions of dollars, these prices are for cars that were produced by the
thousands off the assembly line and only several decades ago! This
irrational run-up of collectible prices can be seen in many different fields
except rare fossils. Only recently put on the map with the advent of the
Jurassic Park movies, the appreciation in price and interest of RARE fossils has
only just begun. It's a shame in one respect since by the time many
collectors will catch on to what is happening, the best opportunities to acquire
new material will be gone and likely, a very finite population of truly fine
grade and authentic fossils will simply change hands from one collection to the
other at insane prices. The rapid emergence of
fakes and fraud
in the fossil market in the last decade is also a warning sign that supplies are
becoming restricted.
Despite what some
scientists or 'anti-private ownership' individuals may tell you to discourage
the fossil trade, the highest quality and rarest fossils DO APPRECIATE and their
value goes up each and every year. This is simple logic. They are
not making fossils any more.
Minerals, gems, natural
precious metal specimens and meteorites are still forming in the Earth or
dropping from the sky as you read this yet, we see outrageous prices for this
material rise every year.
Unlike these collectibles where the
supply keeps growing, there are no more fossils! There is a very finite number on the
planet. Some more rare than others but once a deposit "plays
out" and is fully collected, or in some cases, is closed to the public for
legal collecting, the amount of available fossil specimens to acquire suddenly
ceases to grow. This transpires while
collector
demand for only the finest quality specimens drives onward, forcing
values and prices higher as time goes on. In some
instances, there certain kinds of fossils that outnumber collectors wanting them
and you will always have an overabundance of the common quality, but generally
speaking, most fossils are rare when it comes to the top grades which is why we
advise "BUY THE BEST" or at least, the best you can afford.
Stick with the
best quality you can afford and you cannot go wrong. There is a universal
demand for high quality fossils and collectors exist all over the world for the
best specimens. The increasing public awareness and appreciation of our
prehistoric past means that the collector market continues to INCREASE while the
supplies of quality fossils continue to DECREASE.
To recap, not
ALL fossils are good investments - only the truly highest quality and rarest
specimens. This rules out many types and certainly ALL of the commercial
quality fossils. Remember, if you ever go to resell a fossil or your
entire collection, it will only be desirable to a buyer if it is better
material than what everyone else is currently selling! The fastest and
most promising appreciation in value will be for the unadulterated, authentic
fossil specimens of the absolute finest quality and rarest types
ONLY. Invest in the BEST from a highly competent and extremely
knowledgeable professional dealer who is well versed in fossil preparation,
restoration and repair. This knowledge is needed to expertly weed out the
ever-increasing fakes that plague the fossil market like it does ALL rare
collectible markets. Get a guarantee in writing regarding the authenticity
of the specimen and make sure the guarantee is forever and unconditional.
Nothing's worse than bequeathing your collection to a museum or family member
only for them to find out you have the best collection in the world of the
worst fossils!!!
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