Everett Hayes was a member of the Michigan Mineralogical Society. During the 60's and 70's he put together a very fine mineral collection. In July of 1976, I had the opportunity to photograph the specimens that are shown here. In October of that year, I ran into Everett at the Greater Detroit Gem and Mineral Show. To my surprise, he told me that he had just sold his entire collection to a dealer. Within another year he had passed away.

This sort of illustrates the temporary nature of private collections. Minerals have a way of coming together, being dispersed, and then coming together again. Good specimens have a life of their own, moving from collector to collector as time passes.

Putting Everett's collection back together and posting it here, has several points of interest. The specimens themselves are beautiful to see again. The collection represents a point in time. It illustrates what was available during the 60's and 70's and what locations were producing at the time.

The labels are recorded here just as they appeared on the shelves of Everett's cabinets. You will notice that they do not meet today's standards. Even the labels represent a point in time.