Names and Trends -

The archeologist asked one of the professors if he could borrow his microscope to look at the stone more in depth. The group moved down the hall to a small office where we entered. As I stood by his side, he examined the stone and stated that there were glassy areas on the sharp edge around the stone that were not visible to the naked eye. He said that the tendons and ligaments had polished parts of the stone while being used. He also stated that the hide scraper was in mint condition and had hardly been used. He went on to say that most hide scrappers that we see today in museums are small ovals that are badly worn due to their use, and then discarded when they become too small and useless. He also said that he had never seen a slightly used hide scraper before.

He made mention that he wished he knew what group of people had carved the hide scraper. He thought that person who carved the stone might possibly be the first person to be recorded or documented as the first person to be a collector of fossils. He also said that these primitive people were farmers, artists, traders much like the people of today.

He also stated that the position of the bird and the way it was hand carved into a tool to portrayed the bird in such a manner that this item would be considered true fossil art.

After things started to wind down, I felt as several people like me, were in every sense of the word in awe over what this man had to share with us. One of the questions I asked was how much was this unique item I had found worth? The answer was that this artifact with a fossil inside of it had never been seen, documented or recorded anywhere in the world. So because there was nothing to compare it to, this item would be considered priceless.

As people were leaving, a young lady, still full of excitement, that if she was me, I should take a picture of the hide scraper and put it on the internet, and said that I should put a price of 20 million dollars, being that there is only one of these unique hide scrapers in the world. The chances of finding anything like it again are probably one in a trillion.

To date I am the only one in the world that has found anything like this ever. Owning this rare Jewel is overwhelming and too great for any one person to own, so I would like to share my enthusiasm with you and your friends.

If you need more information about this topic, please call me at area code: 520-749-1105 or e-mail smontes@scientist.com and ask for Steve at Montes Orthopedic 520-512-0228