Lifetime Authenticity Guaranteed
Looking for Fossil, Artefact or Meteorite Authenticity? Welcome to THE FOSSIL STORE™ ≈
Look no further with THE FOSSIL STORE™ and it's 100% lifetime authenticity guarantee to secure your future and beyond!
Relax, THE FOSSIL STORE™ has all your items covered!
All our Fossils, Artefacts and Meteorites Include a 'Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee'
All THE FOSSIL STORE™ products described within our online shop, popup shops and exhibitions are accompanied with a ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ document. This is THE FOSSIL STORE™ guarantee to you, the purchaser of the authenticity attribution, origin, age and genus/type and description. This is your personal assurance that we have sold you what has been illustrated and described. We catalogue each sale enabling us to identify any historic item. Without THE FOSSIL STORE™ ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ the value of your item may depreciate. Similar to a bond, this is our money back guarantee that the item you purchase is a genuine fossil or mineral of natural history and is in line with our website terms and conditions and descriptions and is your personal assurance of the guaranteed attribution that THE FOSSIL STORE™ has supplied to you, the purchaser, an authentic and natural product as described.
Certificates \\ COA ≈
In issuing the C.O.A. (Certificate of Authenticity) document, acts as a bond between THE FOSSIL STORE™ (the seller) and you (the buyer) and original client, we guarantee accurate information and authenticity of your new product. This will also include the provenance for each product, as seen on our website for the relative product category. This document may be used for insurance purposes at any time in the future by you (the client), accompanied with the original invoice provided by us, (THE FOSSIL STORE™).
The certificate of authenticity is the accurate description of your purchased item. The authentication lists the region of the find, the age, type and is signed by a representative of THE FOSSIL STORE™. We offer this assurance to provide comfort in knowing all our products are genuine, authentic specimens excavated from around the world by qualified professionals and authenticated by accredited museums and Palaeontologists and other learned institutions.
Restoration + Conservation
Conservation, restoration and repairs. The reality of unearthing any natural fossil or mineral is that the vast majority of specimens quite often come out of the ground in multiple sections and require further conservation. The ‘general rule’ is an acceptance of a 25% bar on restoration, if approximately or more than 75% of the element is complete, this is then considered an acceptably fair specimen with conservation.
For a correlation of this rule and when considering Museum collections, particularly vertebrate and dinosaurian specimens, the level of acceptance is much higher if only 25% of the fossil is original and 75% is not or has been cast from other known specimens, this is considered acceptable. However when considering minerals an 80% -100% unrestored state would be more in line with what is considered a good or fair condition in most collections.
Fossil repairs are almost always necessary, as a matter of course, particularly with vertebrate specimens, bone, claws and teeth type fossil material.
These normally need to be stabilised and repairs affected to any breaks or fractures caused historically in the fossil layers or during the extraction process from the ground. This is undertaken with sympathy to the originality, by a good fossil preparation laboratory, often associated with a recognised company or museum service. Under the right circumstances, we acquire projects which are prepared and restored in-house. This will be in our descriptions or requested condition reports. Some exceptional specimens require no work or stand alone without further conservation, this will be noted in our descriptions.
Legality + Cautionary Notes
THE FOSSIL STORE™ only trades fossils and associated materials that are legally sourced. Any fossils exports and imports which are currently being reviewed or have current restrictions and that may be illustrated in our website catalogue were acquired before the current regulations changed. Recent or new changes in the law of the country of origin may be applied by the country of origin from a certain date which may be post historic collecting.
For example, dinosaur eggs and nests; currently these are not legally allowed to be exported directly from China, even though within China’s borders there is a healthy selling market, at fossil shows for example, with independent Chinese traders selling eggs and egg nests etc. Like most businesses in the fossil industry, we will not deal with any business or take part in any transactions based outside of any legal guidelines. THE FOSSIL STORE™ deals solely with legally acquired fossils, some of which may have been acquired in old or historic collections some time ago and prior to any new or recent rules and legislation.
Legislation banning collecting or exporting. When dealing with fossils it is easy to find an overwhelming volume of categorical specimens on the trading markets within the fossil industry. We advise when looking to invest in any fossil, do your research in the business you are intending to make a purchase from. Many businesses in China selling reptile specimens can be more than 90% fake, fossil dinosaur eggs can also be very much over-restored, single eggs and nests shaped with random shell fragments made into eggs.
North Africa has also been known as a region of many fakes particularly in exporting fake trilobites in great quantities which have been expertly cast making it difficult to identify from a novice point or perspective. If in doubt we are always happy to help in these scenarios as we can only imagine for the purchaser, an unsettling experience, not knowing if what you have brought back from the souk, is a fossil or a resin cast within an ordinary rock nodule.
3rd Party Valuations
Please note THE FOSSIL STORE™ does not certify or value third-party items unless collaborating on a project commissioned by an authority, gallery or museum where fees are applicable prior to any valuation.
Certifying third party specimens often requires a physical examination. Some fossils can be evaluated for division, probate and insurance at long distance with clear accurate photography. Accurate dimensions and provenances are required.
THE FOSSIL STORE™ provides the highest standard when authenticating and valuing palaeontological items. For further information please write to info@thefossilstore.com
