Harry Pristis
Well-Known Member
Here is a find of a sort I never expect to make again. I was just drifting in a river, near an old steamboat landing (that's where the bottles are). I had checked a number of bottles -- mostly Ancient Age whiskeys and recent beer bottles -- but didn't have any keepers yet .
In 20-30 feet of water, you have to check out individual bottles because the old ones look pretty much like the new ones. Bottles may be half-buried in sand or they may be obscured by algae. Often, it is just a shape that catches the eye.
Looking for any rounded lines or other tell-tale sign of a bottle, what caught my eye was a semi-circle of small studs -- like teeth. Goodness! They were teeth!
Mind you, I have collected many fossil animal jaws and teeth. A jaw is always a nice find, readily diagnosed to the species it represents. But this set of teeth in a "jaw" was a different story. No doubt what species is represented here!
My dentist suggests that this is lower denture for a female. He believes that they date to the 1930s-40s based on the materials used. The teeth seem to have moderate wear.
I'll never know if the woman who used these teeth came to a bad end in the river, or if she merely got overly-excited when landing a fish over the gunwale of her boat.
----------------------Harry Pristis
In 20-30 feet of water, you have to check out individual bottles because the old ones look pretty much like the new ones. Bottles may be half-buried in sand or they may be obscured by algae. Often, it is just a shape that catches the eye.
Looking for any rounded lines or other tell-tale sign of a bottle, what caught my eye was a semi-circle of small studs -- like teeth. Goodness! They were teeth!
Mind you, I have collected many fossil animal jaws and teeth. A jaw is always a nice find, readily diagnosed to the species it represents. But this set of teeth in a "jaw" was a different story. No doubt what species is represented here!
My dentist suggests that this is lower denture for a female. He believes that they date to the 1930s-40s based on the materials used. The teeth seem to have moderate wear.
I'll never know if the woman who used these teeth came to a bad end in the river, or if she merely got overly-excited when landing a fish over the gunwale of her boat.
----------------------Harry Pristis