Monday, January 11, 2010



Ok. Allright… I haven’t posted in awhile but it doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy collecting relics. I’ve been out digging for fossils, diving for bottles, hitting civil war battle areas and even sites that were tussles between the Indians and the Europeans off the boat. But today I’m going to talk about stinking echinoids. I don’t really collect these things but some fossil collectors go gaga for em.


A year ago I secretly tailed a expert on the things during a club hunt wondering why he was going opposite everyone else. Then I finally saw him down in the gully in the deepest part of the mine, after working my way towards him from a ridgeline I confronted him on why the hell he’s over in this area. “Dude, the only place on earth you can find these baby’s are right here and at Castle Hayne. Just think what they’ll be worth when the mine shuts down. They’re a hundred bucks on ebay now sometimes”. Unfortunately for me that day he cleaned up and only left me a few little guys I really had to get muddy for.


Fast forward to now! It’s cold and nobody’s out there poking around. Just like this summer when I score when its freaking hot outside and everyone’s in the A/C. I get to the mine and it’s cold as Shet! Water is frozen on the sides of the ridges, it’s like Surviorman and the glacier episodes! But nobody has hit this area for awhile and sure nuff these noids start to fill my pocket! After I picked up everything I think I got me a 1000 dollar haul of fossilized orbs! Here’s some dude’s website for the two types I found, 56 complete in all.

http://www.marksfossils.com/Echinoids.html