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Tucson, questionable prices?
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Jordi Fabre
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PostPosted: Mar 16, 2008 18:23    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Gail,

Im following your posts and I agree with most (if not all) of your comments. But I also agree Gneissware.

My impression is that the discussion is not if the behavior of wealthy people buying expensive minerals is correct or not. It would be a great disaster if they don't do it. We need the energy supplied by the "elite" and their request of the highest quality to grow up the mineral's quality standards.

Considering that maybe using website's prices and other tools we can have an "ARP" or approximate prices to discriminate realistic and not realistic prices, then the discussion could be if actually some of the expensive minerals have not realistic prices and the consequences that this fact could generate on the hobby.

People like you or the members of MAD, searching carefully on Museums, websites, magazines and mineral's shows, do an excellent job, no problems for you, but not everybody is so expert or have the time and the desire to learn that you and the members of MAD's group have, so they can lost the necessary knowledge about "ARP" prices.

I can't find nothing bad to buy an Onassis villa in Greek isles, but probably I could complain if for some mysterious reason its market price becomes multiplied by 10 just because it is so nice that it can't have a market price.

Hopefully it make sense.

Jordi
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PostPosted: Mar 16, 2008 18:35    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Yeah Jordi, you make sense!
Just teasing about the Villa on the Greek Isle...it is the Greek Isle I really want to own!
ha ha!

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PostPosted: Mar 16, 2008 19:37    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Gail,

In fact there may be some island in polynesia that's still within your budget... :-)

Patrick
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PostPosted: Mar 17, 2008 08:37    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Patrick,

I believe everything you are telling us about the technologies available to make this happen. That is why I made the statement, now let someone do it. This is not a simple challenge but a pragmatic one. I have outlined how I would see the list of parameters to make this list all inclusive. That and the existing websites, shows and my network as the result of my years in the hobby are the tools I use to assess the market at any point in time. My frustration is that you and others are apparently aware of technology I can only dream about yet are not in a position to bring it to this hobby.

One of the true constants in this hobby is the battle about who holds the high moral ground, field collectors or silver pickers (those who buy). There is a great deal of joy and pride to being able to collect a specimen and I have been fortunate in that regard. But, not everyone can or wishes to do so. Then amongst the silver pickers, it is the on-going debate about prices always being too high. For some collectors, $50 is a lot of money, for others $5000 or even $50,000 is what they are comfortable spending. At this past Tucson Show, I purchased over 20 specimens for our collection ranging in price from a few $100's to a few $1,000's. I am just as happy with a tennantite(possibly tetrahedrite) on quartz from the Magma mine for $300 as I am a calcite on quartz on chrysocolla from the Old Dominion mine for 15 times that. Both are great additions to our Arizona collection. There are plenty of minerals out there for everyone. However, if you are looking for a 5cm Bisbee azurite rose with high luster for $100, you are going to be disappointed.
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PostPosted: Oct 10, 2008 13:15    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

As a new member of the forum I only just read this topic. As someone new to collecting I am one of those people that some of you have expressed fears may be scared away by the pricing problems you have been discussing. So perhaps my experiences will be of some interest. I have certainly been disappointed by my initial ventures into the mineral marketplace and “bewildered” would certainly describe one of my feelings. Some of my initial purchases were made with no knowledge or sense of the kind of issues that have been discussed here. So I felt much let down when having made some buys, I discovered what appeared to be very similar material being offered elsewhere for around one third of what I had paid. How could such apparently similar things vary so much? Had I been ripped off?

At I started thinking about it (and before I had read the very helpful discussion here) all kinds of possibilities went through my mind. Was the quality of the material genuinely similar? – after all, it can be quite difficult to tell from photos and descriptions on the web. Maybe the higher priced specimens really were significantly better in some way than the cheaper ones? Maybe there was a difference between markets in different countries? But the more I looked the less I could make any sense of it. I really felt very deflated, becoming convinced I had paid far more than I need have done.

Of course over time, I hope to build up my own sense of the market by comparing lots of vendors, visiting shows, reading relevant literature and so on. But this takes time and I felt that there should really be something better out there to help newbies. After all, many more experienced collectors have gone through that process and I’m sure would have valuable things to share about what they have learned. For example, some of you say you have developed for yourselves an idea of which dealers you would regard as having fair and reasonable prices and which are “known” for higher prices, perhaps adding extra zeros that others would not. Well I don’t yet “know” which dealers are which. Would any of you be willing to share your views and name names? If everyone on this forum would write in with a simple list of which dealers they have found reasonable and which ones they would say are highly priced that would be of immense help. I know these would just be personal opinions but it would at least be a starting point for someone like me. After all, the more who share these things the better - I would be more inclined towards trusting a dealer that 50 of you had in their “reasonable” list than I would that only one or two people had included. But if only one or two have shared such a list there is less to judge by. Of course you may feel wary of openly saying that such and such a dealer is rather expensive but it doesn’t have to be done in a way that could get you sued! You may describe some dealers for example as “here are some I would feel like haggling with”. I don’t think anyone could sue you for saying that! Or you don’t even have to do it on the forum – you could email me privately.

Other technology that has been discussed really would be helpful if developed. While I appreciate the problems discussed, I can’t imagine it beyond the wit of man to come up with some sort of guide to prices that would give a feel for the market at any one time. I think the main stumbling blocks are not technical but more mundane – who is going to have the time to do it and who is going to pay for it?

Gladly, despite my initial experiences I have not been put off collecting. But I feel embarrassed at being so easily misled by inflated prices and shall be much more wary and cautious about future purchases.

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PostPosted: Oct 10, 2008 14:01    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

I just wrote this huge long reply and it never made it. GRRRRR.
Lesson learned, copy it before sending it!



will write again later.

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PostPosted: Oct 10, 2008 14:46    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Hello Pleione,

First welcome in the collecting world. You're right, prices can be differents. A few pieces of advices that might help you :

- Become a member of a mineralogy club, so when you'll attend shows you'll be with more experienced people who will give you advices, or help you meet dealers.
- Specimens sold within their country of origin (at least in western countries & Japan) tend to be more expensive (because the market is larger) than abroad.
- Read the reports written by dealers and others (Gail, Tracy) about shows and especially about new finds. Usually it means lower prices and it will be more easy to compare.
- Get a book of systematic. I know it takes time, but later when you'll discuss mineralogy with dealers they will see you as an insider and will be more willing to offer you advantages.

For the guide you talked to, I'm still wondering how to do it. Unlike art, each mineral is unique making a comparison quite difficult for me. As you probably already experienced it yourself, a specimen you like is not necessarily liked by somebody else...

Hope you'll get feedback from other members of the forum.

Enjoy.

Christophe
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PostPosted: Oct 10, 2008 15:16    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Pauls,
I really hope you will enjoy the pursuit of mineral specimens and knowledge about mineralogy and mineral localities. Whatever the interests, priorities and goals might be, for most collectors the purchasing of specimens is a tool in this process and not a goal in itself. That is to say - very few collectors look at the monetary investment as the key element in enjoying minerals and mineral collecting. Still everyone would like to pay a fair price for specimens and thus the concept of a "correct" market value seems tempting. But two specimens of the same mineral from the same locality will rarely have the same inherent qualities - and judging these qualities will also be flavoured by your personal taste. Asking other collectors, visiting mineral shows and window-shopping on the internet will give you a good idea about which dealers have a fair pricing policy. But nothing can substitute for the knowledge and taste acquired by yourself after having studied numerous specimen in museums, privat collections, at shows and in books and magazines. Try to limit your focus to certain minerals and localities in the start, trust your own judgement as you gain experience and if you really feel a specimen is worth the price - go for it ! Try to avoid buying the "medium quality" specimens. It is better to start buying specimens at a modest price to support the learning process - adding carefully selected really high quality specimens when you feel you are ready for it.
Good luck and enjoy the fascinating world of minerals.

Knut
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PostPosted: Oct 11, 2008 04:31    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Gail,

I'm really sorry that you lost your work. It is hard to avoid it because it could happens due a minimal break on the line access or a temporary trouble with our server. The safer is, as you said, to copy and save long texts before to send them, but also if when this trouble happens you do a return on your computer 90 % of times you will recover your text.
We are working to solve it and fix it for the 100 % of times. If be have success, we will keep you informed,

Jordi
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PostPosted: Oct 11, 2008 05:40    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Paul:

The mix is a little more complicated than just dealers who tend to be high priced and those whose prices are more attractive. This comparison might mean something if all were selling the same things, but as Knut stated every specimen is different and subtle differences can effect major changes in pricing. Esthetics, among other factors, are (is) an important consideration. Absence of damage is another.

There are dealers who offer what I would consider mediocre specimens for extremely high prices, prices that are far in excess of what they should be. These dealers can only hope for sales to the novice collector. Then are also dealers who handle fine quality specimens and their prices are not excessive, they are fair. Then there are dealers who have fine specimens but their prices tend to be unbelievably high, uniformly so. Other dealers have a mix of wonderful specimens and mediocre ones, yet their prices for everything appear to be excessively high.

I have many dealer friends in each of the categories above so there is no way that I can provide lists of the ones that I consider fair and not fair. Some of them would no longer be very friendly toward me.

You simply will have to do as Knut says, you must study the market until you have developed a good sense of what fair pricing is. Buy very carefully and deliberately. Do not hesitate to seek advice and the opinions of other collectors with regard to what you have bought or what you are thinking about buying. Ask the high-priced dealer what makes a particular specimen so expensive. Perhaps there is some feature that you do not recognize. Ask about return possibilities if you later discover that the piece was misrepresented.

The essential point here is that the responsibility to learn about what you collect is yours. You cannot approach this hobby, or any other hobby, indifferently. You have to work at it before you become an effective collector.

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PostPosted: Oct 12, 2008 06:55    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Well John pretty much said a lot of what I had written. You can't expect anyone to list who is fair or unfair as it would be based on personal feelings and some of that is obviously tainted or slanted.
And, would you like dealing with a buyer/customer who says bad things about dealers and wonder if you might be next if you don't do something to keep them happy?

We had to learn quickly, we both collect and that means no one is there to say WHOA.
At first we were guided into believing you had to buy it quick before they were gone. Well.....that didn't last too long as most minerals came before us repeatedly and we realized we had to learn which were good quality specimens if they interested us enough.

I have gone to see 40...50...private collections? That helps. You see what others find interesting and it gives you a sense of what is highly sought after and what is abundant or hard to get.

Mentoring from club members, mineral friends you trust, publication articles all help to move you along the learning curve.

We got burned a few times when we started out. We didn't enjoy most of our ebay experiences...but many others do with no problems. I like to get to know my dealers and prefer the home visits where we can kick back and look at minerals as compared to the shows where everyone watches you turn over labels and keeps tabs on who you are buying from ( at least in our case it is the norm. ).

We buy a lot of minerals and the gossip lines are fully charged when we do. I note that we can't walk from one end of the hall to another in some shows without getting a comment about a piece we just bought half an hour before at the other end of the hall.
The dealers are all asking if collectors are good with payments, what do certain collectors like to collect, do they just deal with one dealer and if so...can they pass pieces to that dealer and share the profit. This is the type of business it is. Handshakes are still quite the norm, but I like actual paperwork with all our deals.

Listen to friends, they will tell you their good ( and bad ) experiences with dealers.

Go online to see prices and see if the minerals are mediocre or truly worth what they are asking.
You have got to do your homework and since there is no "Better business bureau" for mineral dealers you will have to simply find out or talk to friends you trust.

Note: I think there are a lot of really honest and hard working dealers in the world, look at Jordi...I have never heard a bad thing about the man!

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PostPosted: Oct 14, 2008 15:02    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Many valid points are brought up by John and Gail, et. al. regarding pricing, learning about collecting and who to select minerals from when attending shows or buying from the internet. When I started silver picking for minerals, I chose dealers based on honesty, policies, and, as a starving student starting out, I needed time to pay for my champagne tastes on a beer budget. Many of these dealers were growing at the same time I was growing. Today, there are but a handful that still earn the level of trust I desire. And those are the ones I still buy from. You can still shop around and find the reasonable deal without hawking a home for a specimen. But,these folks are no dummies. They figured out that they didn't have to work near as hard at selling 100 minerals for $1000 to get $100,000. All they had to do was boost prices up and sell 5 minerals for $20,000 to get to the same number. Are you catching my drift? And, the folks digging the minerals can access lots of information on the internet and by word of mouth and know the pricing structure went through the roof. So, you have to work a lot harder to stay in a reasonable budget. But you can.....

Like Gail, buying over the internet is not something I enjoy for a number of reasons that have been discussed on this forum. I will also echo Gail's sentiment about Jordi. I have found my dealings with him to be on the up and up, in Barcelona, Ste Marie aux Mines, and in Tucson. Will he drink wine with me? Not yet, but maybe one day he will (he works too hard.)

As a collector, get after it. Develop your relationships just like in a business. Some of these relationships may turn into life-long friendships. All the better when you want to be among the first to be contacted even if you don't spend $100,000 per show. Walk away from the losers. Cut your losses when you do a bad deal. It is as much your responsibility to acknowledge you screwed up--the dealer didn't force you to buy the specimen. Primary rule: learn, learn, learn. (I was lucky because I was educated in mineralogy by a zen master of the science--Dr. Abraham Rosenzweig.) And do it as long as it is enjoyable. That's what the passion of mineral collecting is about. Good luck!/Gluck auf!/Buen' suarte!

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PostPosted: Oct 19, 2008 13:19    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Many thanks to all of you for your very helpful comments & suggestions. I'm going to take these on board - I'm going to my first show in a couple of weeks time, am joining clubs and reading relevant literature. Thanks again for sharing
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PostPosted: Nov 23, 2008 10:11    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

A couple of thoughts on this discussion. I see many people come to our booth and decide we are not the right value (either high or low) based on one mineral specimen. Sometimes dealers buy things "wrong" and their price reflects their cost. Hey we all make mistakes. So you should look at a range of a dealer's specimens before deciding if they are high or low. We always have a few sleepers in our stock just to keep the pursuit entertaining. We also try to accommodate a wide range of budgets - we are inclusive- as many mineral dealers are.

And as in everything - practice, practice, practice. As stated earlier go to shows, club meetings, swaps, museums, mines - everywhere you can to practice looking at minerals. Your mind will start remembering color and form very well over time - then you will be able to compare specimens easily. Damage, over processing, repairs, size all greatly affect value.

I want to stress field collecting. If you participate in collecting trips you will start to be a better judge of how minerals naturally form. When you have this knowledge you determine more readily how much "restoration" has been done to a mineral (this is a topic unto itself). You will also start to realize just how hard it is to find a really well crystallized mineral and the difficulties in extracting it properly.
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PostPosted: Nov 23, 2008 10:51    Post subject: Re: Tucson 2008, questionable prices?  

Absolutely Mary!

Jordi
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PostPosted: Aug 22, 2013 03:40    Post subject: Tucson, questionable prices? - An addition from the M.R.  

In the May-June 2013 - Volume 44 - Number 3, edition of the Mineralogical Record, in the "Notes of the Editors" section, pages 238-239, is a column that I consider very interesting in order to compare the current thoughts with the old ones. With the kind permission of Wendell Wilson (thank you Wendell) we reproduced part of this article to complete the previous discussions in this thread with its excellent historic vision.

As usual, the best would be to buy the Mineralogical Record and enjoy there the whole column as well as many other great articles, but on the meantime here it is:


Mineral Pricing—in 1801
_______________________________________________


Readers of this journal learned, in the March-April issue, about the formation of the Fine Mineral Trade Association; one of the purposes of that group is to help collectors to be well enough educated to accurately distinguish between market-priced and overpriced specimens. Mineral collectors have always been concerned about prices, and about being unknowingly overcharged. Although learning the price structure of the mineral market today is a challenge, at least we have access to generalized pricing information for many kinds of specimens, thanks to the Internet and the big mineral shows where we can see countless thousands of priced specimens and get a “feel” for the market. It was not so easy in times past to develop a sense of what a particular specimen might be worth. Two centuries ago, dealers (who mostly sold specimens face-to-face and one-on-one) could ask whatever they wanted, and the potential buyer, unless he had a great deal of experience, would have no way of knowing if it was a “fair” price.
Today I would say that situation prevails most often at the very highest levels of the mineral market (hence the perceived need for the FMTA). Pricing at the high end of other collectibles markets such as fine art, coins, stamps and antiques is established at auctions, and the results are published for all to see. But when it comes to world-class mineral specimens, relatively few change hands at auction (though that end of the business is definitely growing!), and selling prices are usually kept confidential by both sellers and buyers. And so it was two hundred years ago, when the true market price range for specimens was likewise almost unknowable because information on market values was so difficult to obtain.
Browsing through the Mineralogical Record Library recently we came across an editorial that addressed this very subject, written by the editor of a mineral magazine – in 1801. He made an interesting proposal for establishing a sort of clearing house for pricing information, composed of himself and a panel of other experts who would analyze and correlate sales information forwarded to them from the collector and dealer communities.
Such a data center wouldn’t be practical or necessary for most specimens today, except perhaps for the very top end, but 212 years ago collectors at every level were desperate. Here’s what the editorial writer said (translated from the original German):

Recently in another journal, an anonymous lover of mineralogy expressed the desire that several mineral connoisseurs and collectors would make known in some public forum the prices of the minerals they have bought, particularly the new finds, and thereby put a stop to the arbitrary and often monstrous increase in the prices of minerals, which depend solely on the mineral dealers and which present the most extreme kind of burden to collectors. He wished at the same time that his duplicates and other specimens which he might want to dispose of by exchange or sale occasionally be publicized as well.
I, too, have looked around for a long time for a mechanism by which mineral collecting could in some measure be made easier, and I take this opportunity to suggest a way in which the contributor's intention can be realized. When I began as editor of the present magazine I had the intention of devoting a special article to the mineral-selling business. Since then the plan has not been realized, as the topic has not been ripe enough; however, the pertinent materials have been ready to hand, and there should be no further delay. The idea proposed here can be realized later, and if several mineral collectors and mineralogists are willing to lend a hand it can surely be useful; in fact, I should think that mineral dealers themselves would profit if they will take part.
The matter might be organized in the following way: Whoever is looking to buy new or rare minerals, especially those newly appeared on the market, and whoever wishes to sell or trade specimens of such minerals, may communicate in writing with me, describing the conditions under which he proposes to do business and, as exactly as possible, the sizes and qualities of the specimens sought or offered. If several inquiries and corresponding responses should come in to me from several quarters at the same time, I will not wait for the appearance of the next issue of the magazine to make the information known, but will communicate it in writing to all parties immediately.
In this way it can be ensured that mineral lovers who want to enrich their collections with new species, or who want to dispose of their duplicates, can easily acquire the necessary [pricing] information to do so. By the same means I, for my part, can easily gain an overview of the median prices of minerals, and will thus be able to judge, and pass on in my correspondence, whether or not a given offering is reasonably priced and desirable.
Since, however, the latter could prove in practice to be a very touchy and thankless business, I would hope that with any such arrangement would come another, whereby the prices of the minerals themselves are publicized. To bring this about, I would need to keep track of the mineral collectors who customarily purchase new and beautiful specimens, and in that way the average prices of the minerals could soon be established. Such a system will not only work to inhibit the overpricing of specimens by dealers, but will also generally refine the judgments of collectors regarding asking prices. This will be all to the good, since perhaps it may happen that a collector thinks a specimen is too expensive but in fact the dealer cannot afford to offer it for a lower price.
I am proposing this idea with the intention of trying to make it happen. For the present, I set no further conditions for anyone who might want to contact me. If the idea meets with approval, and the arrangement is instituted, it will soon become apparent whether it satisfies its purpose.

The writer of this editorial was Karl Ernst Adolph von Hoff (1771-1837), Ducal Saxon Legations-Secretary for the city of Gotha and an Honorary Member of the Mineralogical Society of Jena. He had founded a new mineral magazine that same year (1801), called the Magazin fur die gesammte Mineralogie. Unfortunately the journal lasted for just one year before folding (four issues, 579 pages—similar to the annual page count for the Mineralogical Record); Hoff’s editorial was the last item to be published, so we will never know how his suggestion was received. Hoff went on to have a prominent career as a geologist and, one hopes, enjoyed success as a mineral collector as well, despite the uncertainties of a mineral market that was still a long way from The Information Age.
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PostPosted: Feb 04, 2015 21:32    Post subject: Re: Tucson, questionable prices?  

In Tucson Show 2015 Matt_Zukowski wrote:
I want to caution people on commenting about the prices. This year one dealer stopped allowing photographing in their room because of last year's carping. If you want to get mineral reporting like i am doing, I just wouldn't comment on pricing on a thread adjacent to my postings.

In defense of the dealers, I photograph the things that interest me which are very good pieces. Very good pieces go for very good prices. The price difference between a wulfenite specimen with the best color, luster, and transparency, largest xtals, isolated xtals, good composition and matrix, and no damage or “issues”, is one or more orders of magnitude more than one that lacks those characteristics. If you are the dealer with the one best brookite to have come out in many years, there will be people bidding large amounts of money for it. The true measure of whether prices are reasonable is whether they sell, and I assure you much selling is occurring. Of course I certainly do see some prices that are out of whack - but I just simply don't buy those. And I don't spend any time telling the dealer I think their price is crazy. Why create acrimony?


I am surprised the subject of absurd and overpriced specimens was not brought up sooner. Just looking at the various pricing schemes for even common species denotes that they should be priced at 10-100x less than what they should be. I mean selling a floater Galena for a thousand dollars plus is just absurd.

At a time when the median household income has fallen by over $5000 since 2007 prices continue to rise for specimens even common ones. That's not mentioning the absurd actual inflation rate and unemployment figures for the United States (the real figures not the reported or official figures).

As another posted has posted and said a car even a used car can be bought for those prices even a brand new one.

As for photographing a dealers room if they don't give you permission. What is the worst that they can do. They can't call security or forcibly take your camera away. Besides photographing their specimens and their specimen pricing is just another advertisement for them even if it is not intentional.

As consumers we should vote no with our wallets to the absurd pricing. I have chosen not to attend this show and this is one of those very same reasons.
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GneissWare




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PostPosted: Feb 04, 2015 21:47    Post subject: Re: Tucson, questionable prices?  

It is very rude to photograph a dealer's specimens without asking. Many dealers prohibit photos because thieves take photos to set up what items they want to later steal. So, Matt is treating these dealers with the respect they deserve.

And, he is right about pricing. For example, that Brookite is fabulous, and is worth every penny being asked. Of course, if you don't like the prices a dealer asks, go elsewhere and don't buy from them. Of course, you will not find that quality somewhere else for much cheaper. Very good things cost a lot. The broken and less gemmy pieces will be much less. Some people like Masaratis and some like Fords. ;=)).
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Vitaliy




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PostPosted: Feb 04, 2015 21:58    Post subject: Re: Tucson, questionable prices?  

GneissWare wrote:
It is very rude to photograph a dealer's specimens without asking. Many dealers prohibit photos because thieves take photos to set up what items they want to later steal. So, Matt is treating these dealers with the respect they deserve.

And, he is right about pricing. For example, that Brookite is fabulous, and is worth every penny being asked. Of course, if you don't like the prices a dealer asks, go elsewhere and don't buy from them. Of course, you will not find that quality somewhere else for much cheaper. Very good things cost a lot. The broken and less gemmy pieces will be much less. Some people like Masaratis and some like Fords. ;=)).


It doesn't matter whether a photo is taken or not. Specimens with high pricing draw more attention to them regardless whether permission was taken or not. It's just the reality and the association that if something is higher priced it must be better (which usually isn't the case).

As for pricing I am not sure how anyone can justify those kinds of pricing. Sure if you are retired and spending your retirement fund or pension then it's a smaller hit but the majority of collectors are willing to spend up to $100 per specimen maximum. That means middle class (whatever is left of it nowadays) and lower class collectors.How can you justify spending over a few thousand dollars on a specimen when you can buy a car or pay for the bills with that money. It's all about priorities and the saying goes "A fool and his money are easily parted". The trend is that mineral pricing and artization of minerals is reversing the hundreds of year old trend where minerals became affordable to not just the nobility.

I am surprised how some are so quick to justify and even defend the pricing schemes without rationally and logically evaluating it.
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Matt_Zukowski
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PostPosted: Feb 04, 2015 22:31    Post subject: Re: Tucson, questionable prices?  

I always ask permission before I photograph. After they say yes to that question I inform them that I would like to put the pictures up on this website. If they say no to either question, I respect their wishes. It seems to me that I have been fortunate that so many dealers have allowed me to put up pictures of their stuff on this website. I thank them all and want to make sure, to the extent I can, that the experience is positive for them. Please help me in this.
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