The Oxford Mineral Show May 2015
Last Updated: 13th May 2015By Jolyon Ralph
It's been some time since I last visited the Oxford Mineral Show, which is now held five times a year close to Oxford (that's Oxford, England, for those who weren't sure), about 1hr 30 drive from where I live. You won't find any major international dealers here, but what you will find is bargains.
Entrance to the show is Β£2 from 10am to 10.30am (for those who want a first look at everything on offer) and free after 10.30am. Check out future shows at http://www.oxfordshow.co.uk
The Oxford Mineral Show
The show is organized by Cornish mineral dealer Paul Lowe who of course has his own material for sale. He usually has a table of minerals at 25% off...
Some of Paul Lowe's discounted minerals
Quite often there is mineral stock in here dating back to the 1970s/1980s including quite a few with Richard Barstow green labels (these were Richard Barstow's dealer stock)
Stilbite from the "Jewel Tunnel", India
Mineral dealer Ralph Sutcliffe, who returned to mineral dealing after retiring for many years (it was just too much fun), was selling specimens from the Eric Sykes collection, which included some nice worldwide material that appeared to have been mostly obtained in the 1970s-1990s period.
Ralph Sutcliffe
Cerussite from Pentire Glaze mine, Cornwall - Ralph Sutcliffe specimen
Wulfenite - San Francisco Mine, Mexico - Ralph Sutcliffe specimen
This Panasqueira apatite was so nice that I decided it had to come home with me.
Apatite from Panasqueira, Portugal - Ralph Sutcliffe specimen
Ralph also showed me this gold nugget which was NOT for sale! About 1cm tall.
Gold nugget from 'somewhere in the East of Scotland' - Ralph Sutcliffe specimen
Some more interesting specimens were with Ed Loye.
Ed Loye
This large calcite on matrix specimen is from the famous (to UK collectors anyway) Hampstead Farm Quarry in Chipping Sodbury.
Dioptsse from Kazakhstan - Ed Loye specimen
Fluorite on Quartz, Wheal Jane, Cornwall - Ed Loye specimen
Taranis Minerals always have a delightfully pretty display.
The table of Taranis Minerals
Christian Montabone came from France with some excellent Iranian minerals.
He also had a notice giving permission for purchases:
Willemite after Descloizite, Iran - Christian Montabone specimen
Noted! Thank you.
Buyers at the show
Richard Tayler had some interesting oddities
Tellurium in baryte from Mexico - Richard Tayler specimen
Want a jar of zincite chips? You're in luck...
A jar of zincite - Richard Tayler specimen
Looking for bargains
David Lancaster had a table selling mostly antique items and ephemera related to rocks and minerals.
David Lancaster's table
Including this fantastic thing:
From Wyatt Earp's Happy Days Mine
Paul Nicholson had this nice specimen of sphalerite from Wheal Jane in Cornwall. Crystalline sphalerite from Cornwall is not common.
Sphalerite on Quartz, Wheal Jane, Cornwall -
Finally, here's devotion to your collection - Trevor Devon (left) is cataloguing his newly acquired mineral specimens at the show. That's a great way of making sure it gets done! (With John Pearce at right. Both members of Sussex Mineral & Lapidary Society.)
Trevor Devon and John Pearce
And why not finish off with some time-lapse video!
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