Background

JJFossils was created in memory of my dad who passed away when I was a young child. I had a facination with dinosaurs and science that never faded entirely. I was not able to pursue this as a career, but it didn’t stop be becoming a collector. 2022 I had the chance to share my collection of fossils and, replica historical weapons, with the general public and have been doing so ever since.

Since then I have hosted 20 events which include: Libraries (Carrickfergus, Whitehead, Holywood & Portaferry), Larne Museum, a local primary school, Cubs n Beavers, Halls, Charities and Mid & East Antrim Council.

This project is entirely funded by myself, and is delivered to the public for free. I do not run this as a business and I do not make any money for doing this, but I would ask for a donation, depending on distance to travel, to help cover my fuel costs, especially if I am making a 60 / 80 / 100 mile round trip, but most times I do not even ask for this.

I try to ensure as many artefacts in the collection are genuine to ensure authenticity and scientific value. There are replica artefacts which are necessary for several reasons including: legal (e.g. replica guns)/ moral (e.g. replica Great White Shark tooth) / financial (e.g. Replica Large Megalodon teeth retail at £700 – £11,000+) reasons, but these do not reduce the impact of the exhibition.

When you arrive at the event, I take you on a journey through time from the formation of our planet with a genuine Meteorite that was formed in the asteroid belt between Mars & Jupiter 1 billion years ago, introduce you to one of the earliest animals, and the oldest in the collection, that evolved – a Trilobite dated to 250-520 million years ago, we discover a Seeded Tree Fern leaf (300 million years old), pick up some Scottish shark poo, through the age of the dinosaurs, feel the chill during the last Ice Age and finally arrive in 2020 (see fossils & weapons menus for more detailed information).

I aim to bring some local knowledge to each event so my visitors, if they wish to do so, can go away and explore the local area. For example, there are 400 million year old rocks on the North Coast, the sand stone in Red Bay was laid down 300 – 440 million years ago. The Antrim Glens were carved by glaciers, one of which picked up a boulder (Cloughmore Stone) from Scotland and carried it as a glacial erratic and left it near Rostrevor. And my latest acquisition, courtesy of a friendly metal detectorist in L’Derry, are genuine musket balls from the Siege of Derry in the 1600s.

The collection also includes some real, but mostly replica, historical weapons*, which are a combination of handheld and projectiles, that chart the evolution of warfare throughout history. From the Spear and Atlatal, to the Bow & Arrow and finally at the invention of guns. I have a sample from different time periods which I can show. (see historical weapons menu for more detailed information).

Each event is customised to meet the venue needs. E.g. you may only want fossils or Neolithic artefacts or a sample of everything. Whatever your needs, I will ring you and we can have a chat to discuss any logistics e.g. event duration, how much time for setup/packing, any health & safety concerns etc.

So if you are interested in a FREE event, or want to know more, email jjfossils@gmail.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/JJFossilDisplay/ for more information.

*Note: any replica gun has been bought within the UK to comply with legal requirements. All are non-firing and cannot be converted to fire live ammunition. The knives and swords are a combination of sharp and blunt replicas. Anything with a sharp edge is subject to strict health and safety measures, whereas the blunt replicas, which are mostly polypropylene plastic, can be handled under strict supervision. This is to ensure everyone has a fun and safe time at each event.