About FossilEra

Founded

Association of Applied Paleontologists
in 2013 and located in Monroe, Washington, FossilEra is the largest retailer of authentic fossil and mineral specimens in the world. In just the past eight years we have shipped over 120k orders to over 40k customers in over 100 different countries. From the passionate collector to those looking for a unique gift, we strive to provide a diverse catalog of high quality material at great prices. Just read the reviews from our happy customers.

The fossils that we sell are real and come from trusted suppliers. We also have over a decade of experience collecting, digging, and preparing fossils, so we are very adept at identifying fake and restored material. You can read our Authenticity Guarantee for more information. We only sell fossil material that is legally collected and can be legally sold. We guarantee the accuracy of our specimen listings, and unlike many fossil dealers, we are up front about restoration work that has been done to the specimens we offer.

We are a member of AAPS, the Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences.



Founder/CEO



Matt Heaton
FossilEra is founded and run by myself. I've been a passionate collector, digger and preparitor of trilobite fossils for over 20 years. While my background is in technology, all of my vacation time is spent out in the middle of nowhere breaking rocks in search of my favorite ancient arthropods.

After running multiple technology startups, I decided to turn my biggest passion into a business. This business became FossilEra. Some of the material on this site is self collected, some of I sell for people I dig with and other material has been purchased wholesale from trusted suppliers. The Story Behind FossilEra


Customer Experience Manager



Shawn Rodgers
Shawn was born into a family obsessed with rocks and fossils. He remembers polishing Thundereggs as soon as he was big enough to hold them. His family was one of the largest importers of Brazilian agate and they traveled all over the US doing rock, gem, and fossil shows. That helped pass the bug along to him, and he's doing his best to pass it on to his little ones.

He wants your experience with us to be flawless, and if there's anything at all we can do to help that along, please feel free to get in touch.



Fossil & Mineral Entry Supervisor



Robert Pummell
Robert has been interested in rocks since he was a kid. Whether it be looking through gravel piles, picking tumbled rocks out of bins at tourist shops, or being gifted rocks/crystals for birthdays and holidays, he has always been attracted to their natural beauty. Robert's love for rocks made it easy to transition into his current role at FossilEra, which is to accurately describe each specimen (fossils and minerals) in the listings that you see. He has been with FossilEra since 2016 and has taken multiple chemistry and geology courses. In addition to specimen entry and research, he fills in when necessary in other departments including packaging, photography, and shipping.

Robert's goal is to provide accurate information about our specimens for our customers, as well as to spread his love and interest in minerals and fossils onto others.




HR Manager



Becky Shaffer
Becky has been excited about earth's natural beauty for as long as she can remember. As a kid, she would photograph anything outdoors from animals to leaves to amazing landscapes on her hiking adventures and camping trips. She has been able to bring that awe for earth's wonders with her as she photographs fossils & crystals at FossilEra. She loves to be outside and has recently taken up kayaking in addition to her continuing treks through the Pacific Northwest wilderness.

She joined the FossilEra team as a photographer and evolved over the years into her current role as HR Manager, as well as taking on various marketing & social media tasks. She fills in when necessary in other departments including packaging & shipping. There's never a dull moment at FossilEra and it's great for her to be able to jump in wherever she's needed. Becky's goal is to help foster a positive & safe environment within the company.



Advisor - Field Operations



Jason Cooper
Founder of Trilobites of America and co-owner of Dinosaur Corporation, Jason has decades of experience in collecting some of the finest invertebrate specimens ever found in the United States. Along with his dad, Dan Cooper and brother Ben Cooper, they've worked to open up dozens of leases over the years, and specimens found by him can be found in seen in major museums and collections throughout the world. Over the years his work has yielded dozens of new species, unknown to science. His second venture Dinosaur Corporation is currently excavating some of the premier quarries in the Morrison Formation, and unearthing many exciting new discoveries such as the most complete Torvosaurus skeleton yet recovered.


Media and Press



  • Fossil hunter turns passion into business (Bothell Reporter)

  • Evening Magazine (Skip to 1:45 in segment)

  • Developer turns his love of fossils into a growing e-commerce business (GeekWire.com)

  • FossilEra, A Newly Launched Startup Selling Fossils Online Fulfills 300 Orders In Three Weeks (PRWeb.com)

  • Trick question: can a shark a million years extinct be an endangered species? (Wac6.com)


  • Contact



    Phone: (866) 550-2013
    Email: support@fossilera.com

    FossilEra
    16722 146th St SE
    Suite 190
    Monroe, Washington 98272

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