Fossil hunting on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is becoming increasingly commercial as social media attention and rising prices attract more professional collectors alongside families and tourists. The trend matters because rare finds can be worth thousands of pounds and valuable British collections may be sold abroad when UK museums cannot afford them.

A recent sale of collector Chris Moore’s 318-specimen collection to a museum in Abu Dhabi was reportedly worth an eight-figure sum and was criticised by some experts as a loss to the nation. Fossil collecting is nevertheless encouraged on the rapidly eroding West Dorset coast, where finds can otherwise be damaged by the sea; under the local code of conduct, ownership usually passes to the finder, with small ammonites selling for a few pounds and larger prepared specimens for hundreds.