Armored fish Coccosteus

Unusual: This fossil does not come from the Orkney Islands, but from the Scottish mainland. 
It was found in the Achanarras Quarry.

The inconspicuous site of "Achanarras Quarry" is located near the town of Halkirk. It was an 
important site for fossil fishes. Originally, natural stone slabs were excarvated here. 
Quarrying began at the beginning of the 19th century. Its heyday was around 1900. However, 
the industry then declined due to rising costs.

Cocosteus was a placoderm (armored fish) that became extinct millions of years ago. This fossil 
is about 380 million years old.

The fish offered here is about 23 cm long. It is beautifully preserved in three dimensions 
(unfortunately, this is not sufficiently shown in the pictures). The stone is original and 
unbroken, measuring approximately 29 x 24 x 2 cm.

We received the piece unprepared from the estate of a deceased collector and have prepared 
it in our workshops using modern tools.

The fossil has a thin, colorless varnish, which can be easily removed with acetone. 
No manipulations whatsoever!

SOLD