Re: Casts of fossils
J. Moore (j#d#.moore@canrem.com)
Thu, 6 Apr 95 16:29:00 -0500
JF> I know casts are available of many fossils. How much do they generally
JF> cost? The Kenya National Museum, for example, sells casts of many of
JF> their fossils. How much would casts of 1470, or 3733, or the skull or
JF> skeleton of WT-15000, cost? How about Neandertal skulls, or any other
JF> well known fossils?
JF> I mention this because the author of a book I've just read has a
JF> collection of 30 casts of various fossils, obtained at what was
JF> apparently considerable expense.
JF> --
JF> Jim Foley Symbios Logic, Fort Collins
JF> Jim.Foley@symbios.com (303) 223-5100 x9765
I can't remember the costs I've heard (and they were about 7-8 years
ago anyway) but one more factor is that many collections like to trade
rather than sell (a lot easier than making money, which disappears into
the parent organizations' coffers, then trying to pry mmoney back out of
those coffers). This is in reference to the really super-well-done
museum quality study casts, which accurately (really accurately)
duplicate the real thing.
There are a couple of businesses in the States which sell lesser
quality (but good) casts of many of the popular fossils. (I don't think
they have the accuracy you need to go around measuring and then writing
scientific papers.) Naturally, I can't remember the names of these
companies, but they usually have ads in the back of (strike that, here's
one, from *Discover*: Skullduggery, 624 South B Street ["Dept DC4" -
this part is their way of telling what ad you're replying to], Tustin,
California 92680. tel.: 800-336-7745) some of the popular science
mags. They also have casts of saber-toothed tigers and the like, and
Skullduggery's ad says they have replicas ranging from $7.95 to $300.00.
As I remember the hot-shot stuff is 2-3 times as much.
Jim Moore (j#d#.moore@canrem.com)
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