Wow, did any of you see how much that 3.5" Auriculatus went for on eBay yesterday?  Over $800 !!!  Congrats to the person who could afford it.  I must admit that if I could afford it, I would probably have put a bid on it too, but you know, there's a completely different feeling about the teeth in your collection that you have found personally.  Don't get me wrong, I buy shark teeth off of eBay, a couple websites (LCG), and from folks at our club meetings.  I usually pick up stuff at a good price, and it's usually stuff that I either can't find locally or know I won't travel to (like Morrocan Otodus or Palaeocarcharodon teeth).  Sometimes I'll buy a tooth just to round out my collection so I can say I have at least one specimen of a particular species (ie. Megamouth tooth from Chile).  But I can honestly say that I really love the fact that I can still grab my riker mounts and point to my very first cowshark tooth (my favorite of all shark teeth), my first Meg (2.5"), and so many other memories about some really awesome specimens.  On the drop of a dime I can relive the day, the hour, the moment that I found a particular tooth.  I can recount the weather that day, the water/tide conditions, time of day, how it was that I wound up going that particular day, how I came to find the tooth, and most of all the excitement when I found it.  I think the urge to buy teeth is especially strong for new comers to the hobby.  I remember the feeling I had when I first started collecting, and I saw other people's collections that had been collecting for 10 to 20 years or more.  I thought, oh my God, how am I ever going to catch up and get as much nice stuff as them, so I went on a buying rampage and started buying teeth left and right.  Now when I look at those teeth, I honestly can't even remember who I bought them from, when I bought them, etc.  Sometimes I even forget I have them.  So remember, you can buy a tooth, but you can't necessarily buy the memories that go with it. 

Daryl. 

I agree whole heartedly with you JP and love your logic about the travel expenses etc vs. the likelihood of finding a big tooth.  In fact, last year I knew I wasn't going to be able to go on my Lee Creek trip, so like you, I started computing the costs of what I usually rack up on my annual trek to PCS.  For me it's about $300 for gas, lodging, food, extra riker mounts from John Everette in the parking lot (he has the best prices!!), a couple bucks for the museum, etc.  With a club meeting coming up soon before the date of what would have been my trip, I thought about bringing some extra money to maybe buy a tooth that I've never found before at Lee Creek - a Bramble!  In fact, at the meeting, the guy that usually brings a bunch of stuff happended to have two of them so I bought both (they're perfect)!  Don't remember what I paid, but most of the $300 was gone.  I love looking at them too.  My only point of my first post was perhaps more of an inward reflection of not having the excitement of the find when looking at teeth that I didn't actually find myself.  For some things, like a shark jaw (which I have bought many), for some reason I don't miss this absent "feeling", since I know it's a bit unrealistic to go catch the sharks myself, cut out the jaw, etc.  And your point about not living in a well "fossil populated" or fossil rich area is well taken.  I'm from upstate NY and would be hosed if I were a shark tooth collector, but living in MD I'm a stone's throw away from so many collecting sites. 

I guess my whole point to my first post is that for me, I tend to "value" the teeth that I have found (not necessarily $$$ wise) more than some of the teeth that I have bought or traded for.  I continue to buy and trade teeth myself, matter of fact I'm getting ready to trade some Potomac River micros for some other teeth because I probably won't ever get around to travelling to this other spot. 

Daryl.

I've been in Lee Creek over 100 times. I started going in the mid to late 1980's. I have found just about every rare tooth that can be found in the mine including a Megachasma, but I have never found a big meg. The largest complete meg I have found in Lee Creek is 4 3/4". It is a beautiful heart shaped tooth with a perfect blade and root, but the bourlette is only about 50% complete. I figure I paid at least $6000 for that tooth and that's just the trips up to the point that I found it. I an now looking to buy a big tooth. The cost of a six inch Lee Creek meg seems ludicrous, but in retrospect it's not that much after all.

Years ago I met a Canadian couple at Lee Creek who had no idea where to look or how to find a tooth. I gave them a quick geology/collecting lesson on the bus on the way into the mine. At the end of the day I asked them how they did. They said they only found one tooth. I said it was a long way from Canada just to find one tooth and then they pulled out a near perfect 5 1/2" Yorktown tooth. I have had a few people find nice teeth after telling them where to look. If I were smarter I would quit helping people. To make up for my lack in Lee Creek I have found over half a dozen megs from 5 7/8" to 6 1/2" while diving. They don't have the Lee Creek color, but they are still pretty nice.

I almost chose not to go collecting yesterday morning at my favorite beach because collecting hasn't been too good and the thought of getting up early, driving 45 minutes, and spend about $10 in gas to probably find a couple of dumb little teeth wasn't too appealing - but I went anyway!  Because I too enjoy the hobby so much now, that it's not just about the teeth, but the great outdoors, the fresh air and exercise, the ducks and eagles I see, even the snakes!  Turns out I ended up with a nice redneck sunburn (literally - the back of my neck is toasted red) and a perfect upper cowshark tooth. 

Daryl.