$150000 Canadian Ammonite

From time to time I visit the web site of an Internet fossil dealer at indiana9fossils.com to look at the expensive and exotic fossils for sale.  Listed on April 8, 2011 were a group of ammonite fossils from the Bearpaw Formation of southern Alberta, Canada.  An approximate 28 inch diameter fossil is the Placenticeras meeki from the Cretaceous Period is one fossil in this group on display.  The specimen labeled "Canada Ammonite M3" sold for $150000!  As of this writing two other smaller specimens are for sale for $6000 and $25000.

See pictures of the fossils at this web page: http://www.indiana9fossils.com/Ammonites/Ammolite-Ammonites.htm

Wow, that is one expensive invertebrate fossil!

What makes the fossil so valuable is that it is composed of a organic gem like material ammolite. Ammolite is a biogenic gemstone like pearl and amber. The material comes from the ancient shells of cephalopods.  The creature swam in what was known as the Western Interior Seaway which stretched from today's Arctic Ocean, through western Canada and United States and down to the Gulf of Mexico.