Authenticity Guarantee

At The Jurassic Outpost, we stand behind every fossil and mineral specimen we sell. We source exclusively from trusted suppliers and apply our own expertise to personally verify the authenticity of each piece.

Have a question? Reach out through our contact form or give us a call at (845) 667 0246.

If you ever feel our description of a specimen's authenticity or restoration is inaccurate, you may return it for a full refund — no time limit.

Repair

Most fossils don't come out of the ground in one piece — that's just the nature of the hobby. Repair is a standard and accepted part of fossil preparation. Dinosaur material almost always requires stabilization and reconstruction.

When repair is done skillfully, it's virtually undetectable and preserves/enhances the value of a specimen. A talented preparator can transform a fragmented find into a museum-worthy piece. We consider quality repair a mark of craftsmanship, not a flaw.

Restoration

Restoration goes a step further than repair. Rather than reassembling existing pieces, restoration involves recreating parts of a fossil that were lost or damaged, filling a crack, correcting a preparation error, or reconstructing missing shell or spines. Nearly every specimen you'll find in a natural history museum has undergone some degree of restoration.

With certain fossil types, some restoration is almost unavoidable. The shells of large trilobites, for instance, are prone to cracking as the surrounding rock expands and contracts over time, and not every fragment can be recovered.

We know that dishonesty about restoration is a widespread problem in the fossil market. Too many dealers sell heavily restored specimens without disclosure, leaving buyers in the dark. At The Jurassic Outpost, we examine every specimen carefully and we disclose any restoration directly in the product description. We don't just take a supplier's word for it.

Remounting and Compositing

Remounting refers to placing a specimen on matrix it didn't originally come from, often to improve display or stability. Compositing takes this further by assembling a single specimen from parts of multiple different fossils. While these techniques have legitimate uses, they are also sometimes used deceptively to create artificially impressive pieces.

We will always disclose any remounting or compositing in the product description, so you know exactly what you're getting.

Questions about a specific piece? Contact us and we'll give you the full picture.