LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 January Signature Natural History #5000  / 

48383

EXTREMELY RARE DOUBLE TRILOBITE PLATE

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:3,500.00 USD Estimated At:4,500.00 - 5,500.00 USD
EXTREMELY RARE DOUBLE TRILOBITE PLATE
<B>EXTREMELY RARE DOUBLE TRILOBITE PLATE</B></I><BR> <I>Arctinurus boltoni<BR>Middle Silurian<BR>Rochester Shale Formation, Middleport, New York</B></I><BR>This well-presented double specimen represents one of the very rarest species of this strange prehistoric creature, often referred to as the "Emperor of the North American trilobites". It is found in only one location, near Buffalo, and is certainly the most desirable of all trilobites to be found on this continent. It is characterized by a "bat wing" appearance on the posterior lateral segments and a pustolose (pimply) surface texture giving it a unique and unmistakable appearance possessed by no other trilobite genus in the world. Superbly prepared, these details are immediately apparent on the examples offered here, with the raised tail section of the smaller specimen imparting an immediately dynamic three-dimensionality to the whole plate. Only a few dozen of this rare species are collected per year compared to the tens of thousands per year of the exotic-looking but quite common trilobites from famous Russian and Moroccan sites, and in the 15 years that the quarry has been open, only about 10 natural doubles (i.e. two specimens on the same rock matrix) have been collected. This specimen is one of the very best: the animals are in their original death position and have not been moved or altered in any way. One of the most familiar of all fossils, the trilobite belongs to the phylum Arthropoda (joint-footed), a phylum which to this day represents the most successful (78%) of all life forms. Although some species lacked eyes, others are the earliest known life form to possess vision, and they flourished in the shallow seas for 350 million years before the great mass extinction event at the end of the Permian period. Fossils of the trilobite have been prized by man for over 25,000 years: the Cro-Magnon settlement in France known as the "Grotte du Trilobite" yielded an example with a hole drilled through it, to be worn as an adornment. Others have been found in Greek, Roman and Egyptian tombs. They were known to have been sold on the streets of 15th-century Europe, and closer to our own age were sought out by such celebrated collectors as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. This highly desirable example boasts individuals measuring 5? x 4 inches and 4¾ x 3? with only minor restoration. Both specimens rest together on natural matrix measuring 10¾ x 8 inches. <BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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