FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Scott LaBorde]

The one common thread that is inherent within the self collector circles is greed. Although there are many people who dig regularly with others and their relationships remain overtly amicable there is always the possibility of jealously and or greed. I see it happen again and again with mine owners and collectors. Lifetime friendships broken forever, fist fights, and in the most extreme cases even deaths. When whatever is being collected has value and can be sold for profit then inevitably there also will live the "greed factor". The greater the value the greater the greed.

I'd like to hear stories where this point is exemplified.

I'll start the first one keeping the details superficial such as not to offend anyone:

At a well known amethyst mine in NC, gentleman A hires gentleman B to dig beautiful amethyst clusters for him. Gentleman B would get a percentage of the profits from the clusters albeit a very small percentage. One evening gentleman A happens upon gentleman B secretely digging up and keeping for himself big beautiful amethyst clusters. A fist fight breaks out and in the ensuing brawl the mine owner shows up. The mine owner kicks the two gentlman out and closes the mine permanently. -- before which clubs and people came from all over to collect beautiful amethyst for themselves. Two people saturated with greed is all it took to close a wonderful collecting spot, also stopping hundreds of people from ever coming back. Only recently after much negotiation and a bit of groveling has the location been reopened after several years.

[John Williams]

Hi Scott
I don't think it's just the monetary value of the minerals that generates greed but the beauty of them. We are a bit like magpies we like collecting shiny things!
John

[Tracy]

...Alfredo, are you reading this? Not everyone dismisses your "crow" (or in this case, magpie) theory on the collector mindset! :)

- Tracy

[Scott LaBorde]

[Ibrahim Jameel]

I think this jealously/ greed can apply to just about anything, so long as there is more than one person who is interested in it.

As far as minerals go, here's a story from Pakistan:

Last time I was there I was told that two local dealers had gotten into an argument over some specimens. One of them went to the FBI (Peshawar is full of non-Pakistani security agencies) and falsely reported the other as being a Taliban. Because the FBI is not required to provide due process over there, the accused dealer got "picked up"... God knows where he ended up or if he is even out yet.

All this over some rocks.....

[ellencmoe]

The former web master for my rock club would harvest the emails asking our club to assist with estate sales. He would then go to the family and sollict donations of the nicer specimens "for the club to use for educational purposes." He would volunteer that club members would help with pricing the rocks and help staff the weekend sales.

I never actually saw him volunteer an hour at the sales and the club never saw the donations.

However, I spent several weekends with very nice families, hearing how their parents had collected rocks and minerals over the years. I would see many friends from other clubs coming to buy at these sales. I sometimes found a real nice specimen hidden under other stuff which I then purchased at a fair value. And, I almost always was given donations of small specimens which did not sell which I did use for school donations or for prizes for the children's games at our annual show.

So, our web master may have satisfied his greed but tarnished his reputation while the club and I both won by helping families sell the excess rocks.