Jurassic Teeth to Be Given to Kids by Dallas Auction House
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
"It brings children closer to earth's history"
From the Dallas Morning News:
Kids can snag free dinosaur teeth belonging to the Spinosaurus, a large carnivore, this weekend at a Dallas auction house.
The teeth, which are each about an inch long and several million years old, will be given to the first 100 children between the ages of 7 and 13 on Saturday, said Kelley Norwine, a Heritage Auction Galleries spokeswoman. The event is from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the company's office at 3500 Maple Avenue in Dallas.
Organizers hope the giveaway will help children build an interest in science and the earth's history, said David Herskowitz, the company's director of natural history.
"It brings children closer to earth's history when they can hold, in their hand, earth's past,” he said. "It makes the past come alive."
Each tooth is valued at about $25, he said.
Dinosaur teeth, especially from meat-eaters, are rare, said Ron Tykoski, a fossil preparator at the Dallas Museum of Nature & Science. They can cost up to thousands of dollars depending on the size and species of the dinosaur, Tykoski said.
"Any kid that goes in and can get a hold of any kind of dinosaur tooth is going to be absolutely excited," Tykoski said. And if even one kid comes out with a spark for natural history or science, then it's a great thing."
The teeth will be given away during a pre-auction show for a variety of dinosaur items, including a triceratops skull.
This is not the first time Heritage Auction Galleries had dealt with pre-historic items. Last year, Lone Star, the world's largest four-tusk mastodon skull discovered in a gravel pit in La Grange, was sold at the auction house for $191,200. Including the skull and tusks, Lone Star was roughly the size of a Volkswagen.
(Photo courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries)
From the Dallas Morning News:
Kids can snag free dinosaur teeth belonging to the Spinosaurus, a large carnivore, this weekend at a Dallas auction house.The teeth, which are each about an inch long and several million years old, will be given to the first 100 children between the ages of 7 and 13 on Saturday, said Kelley Norwine, a Heritage Auction Galleries spokeswoman. The event is from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the company's office at 3500 Maple Avenue in Dallas.
Organizers hope the giveaway will help children build an interest in science and the earth's history, said David Herskowitz, the company's director of natural history.
"It brings children closer to earth's history when they can hold, in their hand, earth's past,” he said. "It makes the past come alive."
Each tooth is valued at about $25, he said.
Dinosaur teeth, especially from meat-eaters, are rare, said Ron Tykoski, a fossil preparator at the Dallas Museum of Nature & Science. They can cost up to thousands of dollars depending on the size and species of the dinosaur, Tykoski said.
"Any kid that goes in and can get a hold of any kind of dinosaur tooth is going to be absolutely excited," Tykoski said. And if even one kid comes out with a spark for natural history or science, then it's a great thing."
The teeth will be given away during a pre-auction show for a variety of dinosaur items, including a triceratops skull.
This is not the first time Heritage Auction Galleries had dealt with pre-historic items. Last year, Lone Star, the world's largest four-tusk mastodon skull discovered in a gravel pit in La Grange, was sold at the auction house for $191,200. Including the skull and tusks, Lone Star was roughly the size of a Volkswagen.
(Photo courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries)
posted by Chris and Frank at 12:32 PM
2 Comments:
Wanna bet some of these teeth end up on eBay?
Ben, Tyler, TX
I hope so... I would buy one sit on it and then resell once things get better with the economy. Like maybe 5 years from now.
Bruce Callaway, Yuma, Az
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