On 23 June, AW Auctions in partnership with Paleo Hunters will hold an auction of rare fossils, meteorites and minerals.
The central theme of the Paleo Hunters project is natural works of art formed millions of years ago on Earth and in outer space. The Paleo Hunters laboratory turns found fossils, meteorites and minerals into museum-level exhibits.
The meteorites, minerals and fossilised remains of extinct plants and animals that existed on the planet millions of years ago - presented at the AW Auctions x Paleo Hunters auction - will naturally complement any rarity cabinet collection and blend neatly into the interior.
The highlights of the upcoming AW Auctions x Paleo Hunters auction are a rare sea lily from Holzmaden (Germany) and a woolly rhinoceros found in Yakutia (Russia).
Sea lilies Seirocrinus subangularis are animals related to starfish, trepangs and sea urchins. The slender stem attached to the seabed and the fringed tentacle arms open like flowers, hovering between the sky and the sea abyss, capturing particles of marine plankton. The motley colonies of sea lilies have been decorating coral reefs for 450 million years. The sea lilies from Holzmaden are rare collector's items of art created by nature.
The woolly rhinoceros was part of an ancient ecosystem that existed in the late Pleistocene. Such rhinos could be found in both Spain and Chukotka. They were not numerous anywhere and lived a solitary lifestyle. Their warm fur protected them from winter frosts and their enormous, flat horn made it possible to dig through snow in search of dry grass. The horn itself consisted of spike-like fibres and is rarely preserved in its fossil form. In the presented specimen, both horns are a reconstruction. The front one is 1m long. The skull of the woolly rhinoceros is a unique specimen that would grace any collection.
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LOT 35:
Trilobite CYBELE PANDERI
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Start price:
145,000
p
Buyer's Premium: 15%
More details
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Trilobite CYBELE PANDERI
Location: Volkhov River, Leningrad Region, Russia.
Genus: Cybele.
Age: 458-470 Ma.
Trilobites Cybele panderi is one of the most beautiful of the variety of these ancient arthropods. The trilobite's name translates from the Greek 'Cybele the beauty' and is given in memory of the goddess of nature. Among collectors, the trilobite is also known by the beautiful name "Ordovician butterfly".
The trilobite's compact body tapers from the broad head shield to the tail shield. Sharp outgrowths emerge from the transverse segments of the carapace, two of which reach considerable length. The spines behind them are shortened and curved, as if encircling a small caudal shield.
The head carapace is in pronounced relief with knolls and cones, and two short but sharp spines are prominent on the cheeks. Three more spines form a "crown" at the front of the head.
The eyes are tiny, on long stalks, which may indicate an ability to burrow into the ground to wait out danger.
This amount of fine detail, and especially the presence of flat, thin spines, makes Cybele panderi one of the most difficult trilobites to dissect. It took over a month to work on this specimen. What makes this work unique is that the trilobite is situated on a thin rock outcrop and its spines are completely free of rock. The finished specimen of Cybele panderi deserves a place in the finest private or museum collection!
