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160
Million Year Shopping Spree
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Fortnum & Mason and Ancient
Art Display Fossils for Piccadilly Shoppers
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A special report by Paleozoic.org
correspondent
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Founded in 1707, and standing grandly at 181 Piccadilly, Fortnum & Mason has long been one of London, England's most prestigious department stores. With an appointment to H.M. the Queen, over 1,000 "own label" products, and a world-famous Ground Floor selection of exquisite foods, Fortnum & Mason is accustomed to presenting fine and unusual products to its discerning clientele. However, shoppers visiting the store this summer will have a chance to enjoy a display that is unusual even by Fortnum and & Mason's high standards. An exhibition and sale in the third floor Gift Department, entitled "At the beginning . . ." runs from 30th July to 1st September, and presents an impressive display of fossils and minerals. |
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FORTNUM AND MASON
181 Piccadilly, London W1 |
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Experienced fossil collectors will be familiar with many of the items on show, including ammonites from Morocco, England, Russia, and Madagascar; ichthyosaur vertebrae; petrified wood; and megalodon teeth. Shoppers with deeper pockets or a taste for rare and high quality specimens might be tempted by a massive museum quality polished ammonite from Scunthorpe (a few hours' drive north of London); a dinosaur egg from China, sitting regally on a bed of red velvet; or a superb complete Oligocene oreodont skeleton. Presentation is everything, especially for a prestigious Piccadilly department store, and the spotlight illumination and carefully-arranged tabletops that make up this exhibition are more reminiscent of a small museum than a department store. This is the second annual "At the beginning . . ." display and — as with the initial October 2000 exhibition — it is arranged in association with London antiquities and aftifact dealers, Ancient Art |
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| Tabletop display of Moroccan ammonites | A complete oreodont skeleton |
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"At the beginning . . ."
Fossil Collection |