Established London, 2011
Twelve thousand authenticated specimens. Fifty specialist dealers. One trusted marketplace.
Fossil & Antique curates rare fossils, mineral specimens, and antique decorative objects from fifty specialist dealers across fourteen European countries. Every piece is hand-authenticated by our in-house geologists, accompanied by signed provenance, and shipped insured to your door.
Established 2011 · London
As referenced in Financial Times How To Spend It, Architectural Digest, and BBC Antiques Roadshow Expert Hour.
- A+ Better Business Bureau rating
- 4.9/5 Across 3,200+ Trustpilot reviews
- 2× Antiques Trade Gazette Online Retailer of the Year — 2019, 2022
- 24h Insured global shipping on 100% of orders
Chapter I
The Network. Fifty specialists. Fourteen countries. One standard of authentication.
Our dealer network is the largest authenticated fossil and antique marketplace online. Each dealer is vetted, contracted, and bound by the same authentication protocol — the protocol that has shipped over 87,000 specimens to collectors, designers, and institutions since 2011.
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I.
Palaeontological Specialists
Eighteen dedicated fossil dealers across the UK, France, and Germany — Mesozoic marine reptiles, Cretaceous fish, Eocene mammals, and complete crinoid beds. Each lot documented with locality, horizon, and preparation notes.
18 dealers · 9 countries -
II.
Mineral & Crystal Curators
Fourteen cabinet-mineral houses from the Vosges to Bohemia. Tourmaline, fluorite, native gold, and systematic collections assembled by retired curators and field collectors over four decades.
14 dealers · 6 countries -
III.
Antique Decorative Dealers
Twelve ASA and NAVA accredited specialists in scientific instruments, brass orreries, Victorian natural-history cabinets, and 18th-century globes. Provenance traced through auction-house records and family archives.
12 dealers · 7 countries -
IV.
Naturalia & Curios
Six dealers in taxidermy, entomology, and maritime curiosities — shipwright's specimens, sea-shells from the Linnean tradition, and Victorian dioramas. Restoration disclosed in full before listing.
6 dealers · 5 countries
Every dealer agreement is renewed annually by Henry Marchand and our authentication director in Lyon. Read the full directory of specialists, their disciplines, and their shipping windows in our Dealer Directory.
Chapter II
Authentication. Every piece, four pairs of expert eyes before it ships.
We do not list on trust. Every specimen passes through our published four-stage protocol before it reaches you — the same checklist we open-sourced to 1,400+ auction houses worldwide.
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01
Dealer Intake & Provenance Paper Trail
The originating dealer submits the piece alongside field notes, prior exhibition history, and any prior restoration logs. Our in-house team compiles these into a numbered provenance file before the piece is photographed.
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02
Independent Geological Examination
One of our seven certified in-house geologists — trained at institutions including the Royal School of Mines and the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne — examines the specimen and counter-signs the catalogue entry.
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03
Conservation Review & Catalogue Listing
Our conservation team in Lyon documents condition, recommends mounting, and prepares the specimen for archival photography. Only then is the piece listed to the collection with its full catalogue number.
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04
Insured Global Shipping & 14-Day Return
Each order ships in a custom-built cradle with a signed Certificate of Authenticity and full provenance paper trail. Insured door-to-door; damage-in-transit claims resolved within five business days. Industry-leading 14-day returns, even on opened specimens.
Chapter III
The Collection. Newly catalogued this week, across fossils, minerals, and antique curios.
Four current listings that reflect the breadth of the network — from a $540 cabinet specimen to a five-thousand-dollar museum-grade plate. Every piece below is in stock, authenticated, and ready to ship insured.
Browse the Collection
12,400+ pieces currently listed · Updated weekly
Chapter IV
The Collectors. Trusted by 240 designers, 38 institutions, and four thousand private collectors.
The audience we are built for — collectors and trade buyers who return, on average, four times across their lifetime with us. Three notes from the kind of buyer we are designed to serve.
"I have bought seventeen pieces from Fossil & Antique across eight years. The provenance files are the most thorough I have seen outside a Mayfair auction house — and twice I have asked Henry's team to authenticate pieces I bought elsewhere. They told me straight when one was a composite."
"Our studio specifies authenticated natural-history pieces for projects across London, Geneva, and Palm Beach. The catalogue is consistent, the certificates are genuine, and the pieces arrive crated like museum loans. I have never had a damage claim refused."
"We have been acquiring through Fossil & Antique for departmental display since 2020. Their open-source authentication checklist is now the document our acquisitions committee asks new donors to reference. A model for the trade."