Now that in no way makes collecting dull or seriously lowers your chances of success : There is still enough rock naturally crumbling away from the cliffs  (although we fossil collectors always moan about mild winters, lack of north-easterly storms of the truly ferocious sort etc).

But when the opportunity arises to benefit from somebody legally digging in the cliff or reef, you better be there…

This was in April, 1996. A new (err) sewage pipe (yes they still did this then, nowadays all the sewage is being pumped away to a sewage treatment facility) was built out to sea through beds in Robin Hoods Bay. We (2 other friends and myself) just happened to be there (really, I swear, it was just coincidence !).  As we surveyed the rock being dug up, we soon found large, well-preserved examples of Paltechioceras, Eteoderoceras  and other ammonites that we hitherto had never found or never in this size or quality !And now comes the bit that my wife thinks was really, really embarrassing : In our excitement, (she says) we jumped on the freshly dug up rock, like vultures (she says), almost before the digger had dumped it . Well, what can I say, we had a terrific time 🙂

I don´t really think that´s us, anyway, the picture is conveniently unsharp…

See one result,  a particularly nice 4″ Paltechioceras tardecrescens complete with mouth border here :

We visited the new trench in the reef again and again during the following days before it was cast with concrete.
Over the years (more than 15 since then), I have found Paltechioceras again, but never as large or complete as this one – it was the opportunity of a lifetime !

AndyS