About us

Our story

I have always had an interest in historical artifacts thanks to the influence of my dad, a physician and American Civil War enthusiast (amongst other interests). Childhood treasure hunts at suspected historical sites also included encounters with wild animals, leading to a passion for reptiles. I first stumbled upon some conlinoceras ammonites in 2015 while looking for snakes in a creek along the Tarrant/Dallas county border, though it wasn't until several years later that I realized finding fossils was a great way to spend the wintertime, when snakes were brumating.

My penchant for discovering unknown or underappreciated microhabitats extended to fossils as well, allowing me to collect from rural or even very urban areas that few have traversed, at least not in a search of fossils. I'm attracted to fossils for several reasons:

1) A visual glimpse into a relatively unknown past from a different time, a world that no longer exists, yet one that we are physically standing on in modern times (instead of swimming in the Western Interior Seaway).

2)The excitement of discovery, knowing that each fossil found likely makes me the first person to handle that fossil since it became fossilized, and by extension the anticipation of seeing what the fossil looks like when fully cleaned and prepared.

3) The investment merits of owning something that is increasingly scarce, usually durable, and oftentimes visually appealing, especially specimens that are crystalized internally or externally.

Thanks for sharing in my interest and thank you for your business!

Shaun Hayes

Our values

I take personal pride in doing my best to handle each fossil with care, starting with removing the fossil from the matrix and general location where it was found, then cleaning the fossil to bring out its natural features and colors. As someone who has owned various art pieces since 2011, I also appreciate the significance of provenance and the value in knowing how and from where something originated. Unless specifically mentioned, each fossil has only had one owner, myself. I stand by my desire to make sure future owners are satisfied with their purchases, including accuracy of photographs of items for sale and what is received by the customer. Some items are difficult to price, depending on rarity, but I always aim to be competitive with pricing.