40,000,000-year-old crocodile fossil to be snapped up at auction

A rare crocodile fossil estimated to be 40 million years old will be auctioned off in Scotland.

Belonging to a retired geologist, who does not wish to be named, it will finally be unveiled to collectors travelling from far and wide for next Wednesday’s event in Glasgow.

Among almost 200 pieces assembled over a lifetime is the Eocene specimen – a 36-inch-long skeleton, which was excavated in China.

Described as being in ‘immaculate condition’ in its stone tomb, it is estimated to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000.

But the auction house stressed a similar, albeit larger, example recently sold for £250,000.

James Spiridion, of McTear’s auction house, said: ‘This is a marvellous collection that has been painstakingly assembled over many decades.

‘The varied nature of the items is remarkable with fossilised plants and animals sitting alongside rare minerals, rocks and even a meteorite.

‘The fossilised crocodilian is in immaculate condition with a near perfect skeleton on show.

‘It is worth noting that a similar, albeit larger, example recently sold at auction for 250,000, illustrating quite clearly how important these fascinating items are.’

Another eye-catching item is a nest of fossilised Hardrosaur eggs – duck-billed herbivorous dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous Period, the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era.

It is expected to fetch around £7,000. A Gibeon iron meteorite that fell to earth in Namibia is also on the list.

The 25cm-long rock weighs 15 pounds and is predicted to go for a sum between £4,000 to £6,000.

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