European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 29, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 photos by a this 1994 photo provided by the Hebior family shows John and Theresa Hebior with some of the woolly Mammoth Bones being excavated on their farm John Hebior looks Over some crates in his basement last month that contain the Bones of a woolly Mammoth that was found on his farm in Paris township wis the Hebior family would like the sell its Skeleton of the ancient predecessor of the elephant i j i task Cash for ancient Eton not so easy 0 0 somewhere under John Hebior 36 acres of Cornfields rest the ancient Bones of at least one woolly Mammoth but the 76yearold Retiree Doest plan to excavate the fossils quite yet id like to sell this one first he said gesturing to about 20 boxes containing the carefully packed Bones of a Mammoth unearthed from those Fields 13 years ago unfortunately turning the cold hard fossils into cold hard Cash has proved to be a Mammoth task the Small Pool of potential buyers includes museums and universities traditionally Cash strapped institutions that cant easily afford the or More he Hopes to get for it for Hebior the experience illustrates the Challenge of getting full financial value for artefacts whose value is More scientific than commercial the Hebior Mam Moth is about 90 percent intact with minor fragments missing from a foot and elsewhere said David Over Street who helped excavate the fossils in 1994 from Hebior farm in the town of Paris in Southeastern Wisconsin its an extraordinary specimen because of its completeness said Overstreet 64 an adjunct professor of anthropology at Marquette University in Milwaukee the specimen is about 13 feet High and 12500 years old he said the Milwaukee Public museum approached Hebior about a month ago to inquire about the Skeleton he Bior said adding that he Hopes the museum can acquire the Bones to keep them near where they were found but the museums interest is Only exploratory said spokeswoman Ellen Burmeister this is very much a preliminary plan she said because of our financial situation now it would have to be completely sponsored by a Benefactor or corporate donor the Field museum of natural history in Chicago would be interested but the museum rarely pays for ancient artefacts said William Simpson who manages its collection of Fossil vertebrates i  say we would never pay but it would be unusual he said we like to collect specimens our selves because we know exactly where they came from How they were found that just As important As having the Fossil Hebior said he didst need the tax deduction he could get from donating the Skeleton with four grand children entering College in the next five years he planned to hold out for the Best Cash offer he said Richard Slaughter director of the geology museum at the University of Wisconsin Madison said his museum is Lucky to afford its full time staff of one much less to procure Allstar specimens such As the Hebior Mammoth if 1 had the Money available id prefer to use it to pay for students to go out and collect things for the museum Slaughter said its cheaper for us and the students get the educational Benefit museums also hesitate to pay for artefacts that May not get displayed the Field museum has so much inventory that More than 995 percent remains in storage instead of on display Simpson said the american museum of natural history in new York also has most of its collection of out Public View with about 40 percent of the museums area devoted to Public exhibition space said spokesman Steve Reichl those remaining artefacts Arent gathering dust scientists frequently use them for research Simpson said placing a Dollar value on fossils is Dicey because the real value is whatever the Market will Bear said Dan Damrow a commercial Fossil supplier in Mosinee wis he estimated the Hebior Mammoth would fetch to though he said the Market had become saturated in recent years after Russia loosened restrictions on sales of its abundant Mammoth fossils from Siberia private collectors make up a Small but impassioned Market but most prefer manageable specimens such As a single Tusk or tooth he said few collectors would have the space to House Hebior 13foomall Mammoth Skeleton Hebior son David turned up a canteloupe sized object while blowing a Field in the 1970s John he Bior a retired Railroad station agent showed it to Overstreet in 1993 As Overstreet excavated a different Mammoth about half a mile away Overstreet recognized it As a Fossil and searched Hebior land Stum bling across the Hebior Mammoth tests showed the original Fossil was from a different Mammoth whose Skeleton still presumably remains to be uncovered Hebior Hopes the Milwaukee museum can find a corporate sponsor to underwrite his mammoths Cost that what Chicago Field museum did in 2000 Mcdonalds corp and Walt Disney world resort helped sponsor the million Cost of sue the largest and most Complete tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton known a replica of the Hebior Mammoth made of a casting from the original Bones is displayed at the Kenosha Public museum in Kenosha wis while some would like to sell the Bones they have found on their property most museums Arent to the High Price tag