Product Description
ID
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Carcharocles megalodon
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FOUND
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Beaufort - South Carolina, U.S.A.
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AGE
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MIOCENE to PLIOCENE: 23.3 - 1.81 million years
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SIZE
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5.5" in length on the diagonal edge x 4.5" wide
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CONDITION
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NO REPAIR OR RESTORATION
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NOTE
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NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND TOP QUALITY
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INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX - Actual Item - One Only
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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MEGALODON
At a width LARGER THAN MOST TEETH ARE LONG, this is one of the finest, investment-grade 5.5 inch Megalodon tooth we ever offered. It is a behemoth of a specimen and in the condition it is in, it is EXTREMELY RARE. Hold this whopper in both hands and it just brings a smile of disbelief to your face! Every feature of the tooth makes this a prime investment-grade specimen. Rarely do you have a massive Megalodon tooth show this kind of preservation. Steely blue-gray enamel is dense and naturally lustrous with stunning reflective metallic-like CHATOYANCE when held in strong light. Beautiful swirls of warm cream adorn the crown enamel with darkened blue black serrations! The tip and serrations are crisp and present with only very light natural feeding wear on the tip. The bourlette is dense black and complete - rare in teeth this size. None of the blade edges have the typical bite gashes often seen in teeth this large. This is a massive UPPER JAW tooth where the lower teeth are narrow and long to stab and hold prey while the broad upper teeth sheared flesh off in every bite. This tooth is 100% NATURAL, COMPLETE, INTACT and most important in this size class, WITHOUT ANY RESTORATION OR REPAIR. Furthermore, teeth of this size almost never have intact, undamaged lower serrated blades by the root but this tooth has unbroken blade edge bases with one side showing slight pathology. The root is unbroken and COMPLETE with a dense and detailed preservation and superb surface detail.
At Paleo Direct, every Megalodon tooth we offer (even if from an old collection) is run through our on-premises lab facility for scrutiny. It is then microblasted to clean it and inspected for any defects.
This INVESTMENT CLASS enormous fossil shark tooth is from the jaws of a huge Megalodon shark known scientifically as Carcharocles megalodon - the largest and deadliest shark that ever lived and possibly the largest predator that ever lived! The massive Megalodon shark is one of the largest and most fearsome predators that ever existed on our planet. Owning a genuine, fine quality tooth from these terrible creatures of prehistory is the pride of many collectors. Most teeth found intact and unbroken have average sizes ranging from 3 to approximately 4.5 inches. On occasion, unbroken, complete examples 5 inches and over are found. Very rare instances of unbroken, fine grade teeth at 6 inches in length are ever found. At a maximum tooth length size of 7 inches, probably less than a dozen of these teeth in an unrestored and complete state, even exist. Current and increasing future demand will never be satisfied by the dwindling numbers of the truly top grade specimens such as this beauty, hence their constantly increasing prices each year. Megalodon teeth have ALREADY proven their rock-solid value appreciation in price during the last decade when they possess fine preservation and remarkable beauty. Only teeth WITH NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION that have premium features will appreciate in value and those that have premium features at the top of the size chart will most likely, appreciate beyond expectation since the source deposits for these teeth have been over-collected and heavily depleted in the past two decades!
Whether it is disclosed or not, once a Megalodon tooth gets in this size range, very few fine grade and complete teeth without serious damage are found. Restoration and repair is very common on teeth this large. Such work makes them worth A FRACTION in price of what a natural tooth like this specimen is worth. Five inches is considered the "magic mark" in Megalodon teeth and the largest Megalodon teeth ever found measure up to approximately 7.25 inches. Of the dozen or so in existence over 7 inches, most have restoration and/or repair, in some cases to artificially extend their lengths. Teeth that approach six inches and up from are so hard to come by in a fine natural state that most collectors will accept some repair or restoration because the teeth are otherwise ugly as they were found. Furthermore, the demand for teeth this large far exceeds supply so even very bad teeth will be modified and restored to meet the insatiable demand. Large Megalodon teeth with repair and restoration will never appreciate in value anywhere near to the status that a natural tooth would, such as this specimen. Unlike all other fossils, Megalodon teeth collectors do not find such work done to fossil shark teeth acceptable or desirable and serious collectors shy away teeth with repair or restoration.