About

Our philosophy : The Antiquities Company is committed to educating people about ancient life on earth. Our primary interest is dinosaurs—how they looked and how they lived. We seek to create products that are both ultra-realistic works of art and flexible educational tools.

Tom Hendershot and Sabra

Our story: When Tom Hendershot retired from his position as a Fortune 200 executive, he found time to pursue a lifelong fascination with dinosaurs. He started by collecting fossil casts and models. Then he teamed with sculptor John Schneider to develop a lifesize Tyrannosaurus Rex foot named Thunder that now occupies a large portion of Tom’s basement. The Grand Rapids Press nicknamed Tom “Dino Man” in a 2005 feature story. In 2006 he launched the Antiquities Company’s first product offering, the Prehistoria Collection of digitally created dinosaur posters.

The Prehistoria posters were a hit, selling in museums across the country. Tom then turned his focus to full-scale museum exhibits, as he and John first developed Sabra, a life-size saber-toothed cat. Then Tom created an Ice Age musk ox. Those creations are the focal points of the two diaramas that form the core of Ice Age Imperials, an exhibit that combines lifelike reproductions with actual fossils and interactive, educational components that bring the Ice Age to life. Ice Age Imperials debuts in fall 2009.

John Schneider with Velociraptor

John Schneider of Schneider Creations is a sculptor and animatronics expert with a background in Hollywood special effects. He collaborates with the Antiquities Company by creating lifesize dinosaur models including Sabra and the Velociraptor shown at left.