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Mineral ShowsWhich is the best mineral show?

28th May 2013 02:36 UTCMichael Rolph

I'm new to collecting and am getting very enthusiastic about it. I would love to attend one of the big international mineral shows (I'm from Australia). Which is the best show for a new collector to visit and learn as much as possible about minerals? And to buy some beautiful specimens, of course.


I've heard about Tucson, and that sounds perfect. But I'm not sure I can wait until next year! I'd be really grateful for suggestions for any other similar shows, anywhere in the world.

28th May 2013 06:33 UTCMalcolm Southwood 🌟 Expert

Michael,

Saint Marie (France, in June), Denver (in September) or Munich (in October) are all worth considering, but my view is that these are a long way to go for relatively short duration (3-day) shows. I'm also in Australia, and I reckon Tucson is the best bet, simply because you can spend two (or three, or four) weeks there looking at minerals.

Where are you in Oz? Drop me a PM if you'd like to have a chat on this or on collecting in general.

Cheers

mal

28th May 2013 06:49 UTCWOLFGANG NOACK

hello there are quite a few exhibitions here in Australia and if you are just starting in the hobby i would recommend to visit some of our Australian exhibitions first they are run by the local lapidary clubs which also includes a lot of mineral collectors

so there will be quite a few minerals on show and also some specimen for sale by some of the Australian dealers if you want to know more about them drop me a line and i can supply the dates and places for the Victorian events including the ones run by the VGCA AND ROCK AND MINERAL SWAPS which are on later this year

regards wolf

2nd Jun 2013 00:58 UTCMichael Rolph

Thank you very much Wolf and Malcolm for your helpful replies

9th Jun 2013 16:17 UTCTim Jokela Jr

Save up, do your research, and get thee to Tucson.


Take enough time to enjoy yourself, at least a week, better two. Remember that the odds are pretty good that you'll pick up some kind of cold or flu virus amongst the hordes, so you're going to have to budget a day or two in bed. Got the worst cold I've EVER had when I was there.


Check out the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, maybe even Bisbee or the myriad other desert attractions, don't just skulk down hotel corridors.


Come with a plan. There are infinite pretty rocks, so if you can specialize in some way, you'll have more fun. Try to narrow down what interests you; eg: Aussie minerals, or sulfides, or twins, or specialize in a single mineral like fluorite, calcite, quartz, or whatever. Makes shopping simple; you can go into a room, ask if he's got any xyzite, and skip right along.


Figure out how you're getting your purchases back home, and don't buy fragile stuff.


Did I mention saving up? Bring every penny you can.

15th Jun 2013 12:27 UTCJohn Davis (2)

The larger shows are your best route if you're coming all the way up here. I go to Tucson once a year and as Tim says, there are plenty of activities within a couple hour drive to keep you interested if you get bored with the show. Even Las Vegas is only about 400 miles or so from Tucson. You could easily spend a month in the area. We have smaller shows all over the country just about any month you can pick. Nobody has mentioned the Detroit mineral show in September. If you don't know, Detroit is our automotive industry hub and very close to our Great Lake region. So this is a very interesting place to visit also

15th Jun 2013 15:01 UTCD Mike Reinke

All shows are cool, and can hold surprises. I've attended 4-5 small midwest USA shows a year, and in 4 years have never found chalcotrichite for sale. Found 2 thumbnails at one show, one for just $3.50. Every show is an education. The Tucson show is maybe 'higher education'.

21st Mar 2014 01:36 UTCWOLFGANG NOACK

hello the last show the Victorian gem clubs show i went to here in Melbourne was held at the Hungarian club at wantirna nice large hall NOT A CHICKEN SHED which was well set out a bit hard to get in and unload for us dealers specially when packing up plenty of room for us dealers and plenty of good quality specimen for sale also a lot of cut gemstones and jewelry also for sale by us dealers as Mathew says there are a lot of specimen on sale on the internet but a lot of people like to see them and hold them before they decide to buy you can not do this on the net that's the reason i do like to go to those shows and display my goods since most of the shows are in a hall most of them even have air-conditioning

so i got no idea where he gets the idea that most shows are held in a chicken shed


regards

21st Mar 2014 02:02 UTCJohn Sobolewski Expert

I am an Aussie but I have been living in the USA for the past 48 years. I have started collecting in Adelaide 62 years ago and have attended all the shows mentioned so far multiple times except for the Gilsum Rock Swap. My suggestion is to wait and attend the Tucson Show in 2015. But before then, I suggest you attend the 2014 Gemboree in Gatton near Brisbane, Queensland during the Easter break on April18-21,2014.


As someone said above, the Gemboreee may not be well organized, but it does have professional Australian mineral dealers with both Australian specimens and specimens from world wide locations, many of which were acquired at the Tucson Show. In addition, you have a slew of "amateur dealers" who are old miners and mineral collectors with excess specimens. It is these latter dealers who very often have the most interesting stuff at very reasonable prices. Most of their specimens are from Australia. They may not be in pretty boxes with pretty labels and professional lighting but you can get some terrific deals if you know enough about minerals to recognize a great deal when you see one. I bought a couple 7 cms tall Bismuth crystals from the classic Kingsgate locality in NSW for $10. There was no label and they were both in a "box" that was the cut off bottom of a milk carton but what a bargain! You cannot find them anymore except in a museum. The seller was an old miner from Kingsgate. who was selling his collection including beautiful Molybdenite crystals.


Tucson is terrific with dealers from every continent and prices can vary by as much as an order of magnitude for similar

specimens from different dealers. This means you have to know the different dealers and the different venues where they are given that they are scattered all over Tucson. When you are ready to go, drop me a PM for more information. John S.

21st Mar 2014 07:26 UTCRock Currier Expert

www.bluemelon.com/exclusiveminerals


The bluemelon website is run by Mathew Web himself to promote his mineral collection.

28th Mar 2014 07:41 UTCRichard John Hiles

Hi Michael,

I note that it has been about a year since you posted your original question "which is the best mineral show." The upcoming 50th Australian Gemboree held this year at Gatton, Qld over the Easter holidays is a great show as is our local show here on the Nth coast of NSW - the 24th annual Lismore gemfest has possibly developed into one of the best country shows held this year May 17-18th. It has numerous capital city mineral dealers attending and is well supported by a friendly tailgating community. Feel free to contact me at johnhiles_geo@hotmail.com Happy hunting and don't be afraid of chicken sheds.

30th Mar 2014 21:56 UTCTony Albini

Tucson and Munich are large shows with many attendees. If you are looking for minerals local to your area, I find that the small, local shows have more local material for sale. Every show has something good to offer.

31st Mar 2014 00:47 UTCMichael Rolph

Thanks everyone for your continuing replies to my original query. Very helpful and interesting. Just so you know I've been listening, I'll give you a quick update: I took some of the early advice and went to Tucson in Feb this year. Wow! What an amazing experience. I had no idea mineral collecting was such big business. Seeing all the forklifts out the back of the tents, the 44-gallon drums of quartz clusters etc left me feeling a bit embarrassed when buying just a single piece, or even just a single flat. I probably only made it to a quarter of the venues in the week I was there, but still left for home feeling footsore and overwhelmed. Am now wondering if I can possibly justify going next year as well. I particularly enjoyed the broad international flavour of the event, not just the different minerals available, but also the different approaches to selling/haggling. I seemed to spend a lot of time hovering around Mexican and Moroccan dealers because I hadn't seen a lot of their stuff before. I posted back about 100 kg of minerals, about half of which I'm going to sell, and half of which I'm trying to squeeze into makeshift display areas around the house. The main show was fascinating but I certainly didn't buy anything there (other than a subscription to 'Rocks and Minerals') - the prices for the superb pieces on display there are really something (and I'd already spent way too much by that stage of the show anyway).


I appreciate all the suggestions re local Aus shows. I'm still wondering if I can face the 1000 km drive to Gemboree in April (similar travel time to get to Tucson!). My local (Canberra) show is on this weekend, which I've found to be excellent the few times I've been.
 
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