The shark tooth market does not have a centralized grading authority the way numismatics or philately do. There is no PCGS or PSA for fossil and modern teeth. Authentication, therefore, rests on a combination of direct visual examination, documentation review, and the reputation of the dealer offering the specimen. Each of those elements has standard methods, and each can be tested by a careful buyer.
Visual Examination
The first authentication pass is always visual, done in good natural light or under a strong directional lamp. Five things get examined:
Enamel integrity. Modern teeth have an enamel face that catches light evenly. Replicas and heavily restored teeth often show flat spots where the enamel is missing or has been painted in.
Serration consistency. Natural serrations follow a pattern that scales with crown size. Painted-in serrations break the pattern; you can see the irregularity if you look at the cutting edge under magnification.
Root color continuity. The root and crown should show a natural tonal relationship. A bright white crown attached to a stained dark root, with a hard color break at the bourrelet, signals reattachment.
Surface micro-features. Modern teeth show fine concentric lines along the enamel face. Fossil teeth show feeding wear, mineral patina, and sometimes encrustation. Completely smooth surfaces on a tooth represented as ancient should raise questions.
Weight in hand. A trained dealer can often distinguish modern, fossil, and resin replica by weight alone. Modern teeth feel cool and light; fossil teeth feel substantially heavier; resin replicas feel uncannily light for their size.
Documentation Review
Beyond the tooth itself, the paper trail tells a story. For modern teeth, this means provenance documentation: where the tooth was held before it reached the current seller, when it entered the market, and which prior dealers handled it. For fossil teeth, this means locality documentation: which formation produced the tooth, the collection date if known, and any prior estate records.
Magnification
For high-value specimens, a 10x loupe is the minimum. Restoration on serrations, root reattachment, and enamel infill all become visible under magnification that would be invisible to the naked eye. A serious dealer is comfortable letting a buyer examine the tooth with a loupe before purchase.
UV Inspection
Restoration adhesives and resin fills typically fluoresce under ultraviolet light. A 365nm UV lamp held over a tooth in a dark room will reveal repair work that visual inspection alone may miss. This is the single most useful diagnostic tool a collector can own, and a quality UV lamp costs under fifty dollars.
What a Reputable Dealer Discloses
Restoration is not disqualifying. A grade-B tooth with disclosed restoration at the bourrelet is a legitimate market participant. What separates a reputable dealer from a careless one is the disclosure itself. Every listing should state whether any restoration is present, where it is located, and what was done. If a description avoids the word entirely, ask.
The Trust Layer
The final layer of authentication is the dealer’s reputation. Specimens are not anonymous — they travel through dealers, collectors, and estates in a chain of custody that builds over time. A dealer who has been authenticating specimens for a decade and has not had a public dispute is, statistically, a safer source than a one-off seller on a general marketplace. That is not foolproof, but it is the closest thing the market has to a guarantee.