Spent $40 on a 'rare' rock that was just painted concrete

Found this cool looking green and blue rock on a trail near the old quarry, guy at a roadside stand said it was 'desert jasper' and charged me forty bucks. Got home, showed my buddy who knows stones, and he just laughed and pointed out the paint flecks coming off in the sink. Anyone else get tricked by a fake find on a hike?

4 comments

4 Comments

jamesroberts9d ago

Happened to me at a truck stop in Arizona last year. Bought a "meteorite fragment" that turned out to be a lump of slag iron with a fancy polish on it. Cost me thirty bucks. Felt like a real idiot when a geologist friend set me straight. Those roadside sellers are slick, they see someone who's just excited about a neat looking thing.

blair_martin9d ago

Ugh, same thing happened to me with some "ancient" arrowheads that were just cheap plastic.

felix_black9d ago

Got burned on a "fossil" that was just painted concrete. Now I carry a little magnet and a loupe in my glove box. Lets me check for real metal or fake tool marks on the spot. Joel_martinez is right, they're selling the feeling. You have to kill the feeling with a quick reality check before you hand over cash.

joel_martinez9d ago

Yeah that "excited about a neat looking thing" part is the whole trick. It's everywhere now, not just roadside stuff. They just sell you the feeling of finding something special.