Remains and traces of prehistoric life, from microfossils to dinosaur bones.
A fossil is evidence. Where it was found, in which layer and how much of it is original decide both
its scientific worth and its market value. The best fossil collections combine fine specimens with
records that a palaeontologist could use.
Getting Started
ordicio sorts fossils by the groups palaeontologists use:
Invertebrate fossils: trilobites, ammonites and other
cephalopods, molluscs, brachiopods, echinoderms, corals, graptolites and microfossils - the
backbone of most collections.
Vertebrate fossils: fish, sharks’ teeth, amphibians, dinosaurs and
other reptiles, marine reptiles, birds and mammals.
Plant fossils, from Carboniferous ferns to petrified wood.
Many collectors start with a region they can visit, a period such as the Jurassic, or a group such as
trilobites.
What to Record
Taxonomy: the species name and the higher groups, and who identified it.
Geologic age and formation: the period and stage on the International Chronostratigraphic
Chart, and the formation or bed it came from.
Locality: the site as precisely as possible, with the date and the collector.
Preparation: how the fossil was freed from the rock, and by whom.
Restoration and composites: how much of the fossil is restored or added, and whether parts come
from other specimens. This is the most important honesty question in the fossil trade.
Permits: collecting and export permits where the law requires them.
Care and Storage
Keep fossils in a stable climate: some, such as pyritised ammonites, decay in damp air (“pyrite
disease”). Store them in trays with their labels, support fragile specimens and never wash shale or
clay fossils. Amber is sensitive to light, heat and solvents.
Mistakes to Avoid
Buying vertebrate fossils without asking how much is restored.
Separating a specimen from its locality label.
Collecting where it is forbidden: many sites are protected, and some countries ban the export of
fossils entirely.
The 43 fields worth recording for fossils, grouped as in the
ordicio app.
Taxonomy
What organism the fossil is, from species up to phylum.
Scientific name Text
Genus and species with author and year if known, e.g. Phacops rana (Green, 1832); write 'sp.' when the species is not determined.
Common name Text
Vernacular name, e.g. Eyed trilobite, Common cockle.
Phylum Text
Phylum (or division for plants), e.g. Arthropoda, Mollusca, Chordata.
Class Text
Taxonomic class, e.g. Trilobita, Cephalopoda, Insecta.
Order Text
Taxonomic order, e.g. Phacopida, Ammonitida, Lepidoptera.
Family Text
Taxonomic family, e.g. Phacopidae, Papilionidae.
Determined by Text
Who identified the specimen and when (expert, museum, own determination).
Geology
Age and rock unit of the find.
Geologic period Choice
Geologic period after the International Chronostratigraphic Chart (ICS 2024/12); Ma = million years ago.
13 choices
Precambrian (before 538.8 Ma)
Cambrian (538.8 to 486.9 Ma)
Ordovician (486.9 to 443.1 Ma)
Silurian (443.1 to 419.6 Ma)
Devonian (419.6 to 358.9 Ma)
Carboniferous (358.9 to 298.9 Ma)
Permian (298.9 to 251.9 Ma)
Triassic (251.9 to 201.4 Ma)
Jurassic (201.4 to 143.1 Ma)
Cretaceous (143.1 to 66.0 Ma)
Paleogene (66.0 to 23.0 Ma)
Neogene (23.0 to 2.58 Ma)
Quaternary (2.58 Ma to today)
Epoch / stage Text
Finer age, e.g. Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian; Middle Devonian, Eifelian.
Age (Ma) Number
Age in million years, when known from the literature or a dating.
Formation Text
Rock unit (lithostratigraphy), e.g. Hell Creek Formation, Solnhofen Limestone, Posidonia Shale.
Origin
Where and by whom the fossil was found.
Locality Text
Exact find site, as specific as possible, e.g. quarry, mine and level, beach, outcrop.
Region Text
State, province, county or district of the locality.
Country Text
Country of origin or issue, by its usual English name (historic states as named at the time, e.g. Kingdom of Bavaria).
Coordinates Place
Geographic position of the locality (keep private for sensitive sites).
Collected by Text
Person who collected or excavated the specimen.
Collection date Date
Date the specimen was collected in the field.
Specimen
Preservation, preparation and measurements.
Preservation Choice, or your own
How the organism was preserved.
Original material (unaltered shell or bone)
Permineralised / petrified
Replaced (pyrite, silica, calcite, opal)
Mould (impression)
Cast (infilled mould)
Carbonised / compression
Amber inclusion
Frozen / mummified
Trace (footprint, burrow, coprolite)
Mineralisation Text
Minerals that replaced or fill the fossil, e.g. pyritised, opalised, agatised, calcite crystals inside.
Matrix Text
Rock the fossil sits in, e.g. grey shale, limestone nodule, sandstone.
Completeness Choice
How much of the organism is present.
Complete individual
Nearly complete
Partial
Fragment
Isolated element (tooth, bone, plate)
Composite (several individuals)
Several specimens on one slab
Preparation Choice
How far the fossil has been freed from the rock.
Unprepared
Partially prepared
Fully prepared
Free-standing (removed from matrix)
Cut and polished
Cast / replica
Preparation details Text
Methods (air abrasion, acid, needles), preparator and date.
Restoration share (%) Whole number, 0 to 100
Share of the visible fossil that is restored, sculpted or filled; 0 means all original.
Length (cm) Number
Greatest length.
Width (cm) Number
Width, measured from the front.
Height (cm) Number
Height, measured upright as the object is meant to stand or hang.
Weight (g) Number
Weight of the object (without stand, frame or holder unless noted).
Condition
Condition Choice
Overall condition in plain terms; domains with an established grading scale use that scale instead.
Mint / as new
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text
Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.
Legal
Collecting and export documentation.
Permits & documents Text
Collecting, export, import or trade permits and certificates with their numbers and issuing authority.
Acquisition
How and when the object came into the collection.
Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
Purchase
Auction
Gift
Inheritance
Exchange / trade
Self-collected / found
Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).
Value
Estimated and insured value.
Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
Own estimate
Recent sales / auction results
Dealer offer
Catalogue value
Professional appraisal
Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.
Collection record
Your own inventory data.
Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.
Standards and References
The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:
International Chronostratigraphic Chart (ICS, v2024/12) for periods and ages
Paleobiology Database (PBDB) and WoRMS / standard palaeontology texts for the higher taxonomy
Natural history collection practice (locality, collector, date, determination; Darwin Core terms)
National collecting and export rules (e.g. US Paleontological Resources Preservation Act on federal land, Morocco, China, UK site protections)
Updated October 24, 2026
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