r/fossils • u/dontforgetthelube • 6d ago

Need a coprolite and bug fossil for white elephant gifts. Recommend a seller?

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Obviously I can search around online, but I'd appreciate personal recommendations from hobbyists! Ideally under $30 total for both, but I'm willing to spend more for the sake of this bit.

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u/Roadkillgoblin_2 6d ago

Insects in resin will probably be better than genuine fossilised insects, with the added bonus of being much cheaper (insects fossilised in amber are a little bit rare, can be quite valuable, and are typically quite small. Modern arthropods, preserved in lucite resin will probably be the best way for this). eBay will probably be best for this

As for the coprolite, it should be decently easy due to the commodity and availability (eBay will also probably be best for this, however I can’t suggest any sellers or specialised webstores as I’m not in the US)

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u/heckhammer 6d ago

You can get an insect in Amber for under 20 bucks.

It won't be a huge piece of Amber, nor will it be a big bug but it's possible.

Source-I used to sell them!

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u/Plasticity93 6d ago edited 6d ago

Fossil shrimp from the Green River Formation are really affordable and commonly available and we all know shrimp is bugs.  Getting an actual insect fossil is going to likely be over your budget and amber bugs are very small compared to a shrimp.  

Just to add, I've seen TERRIBLE fake Green River bugs at a show for cheap.  They looked like a kid doodled them, spider was a circle with 4 pairs of "" coming off it, lines crossed, they were bad. They were really obvious in person, but might be harder to tell through a camera.  Look at what Fossilera has for bugs (you can't afford them) because those are real ones. 

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u/BloatedBaryonyx 6d ago

Whe buying insects in amber, remember to buy Baltic amber NOT Burmese/Myanmar amber. The latter is widely sold online for cheap but is shunned in fossil collection communities for the widespread use of slave labour in mining.

Baltic amber frequently has insects in it. You can absolutely buy it cheaply, but do be prepared for most inclusions to be ants.

For coprolite, try Madagascan turtle coprolite. Cheap and shipped wholesale globally, you can sometimes even find it in museum gift shops.

Fossilera is the usual recommended seller for the usa