FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Tobi]

We have a lot of collectors who present their treasures with a lot of effort on the collection section of FMF ( https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewforum.php?f=22 ), I would like to know some basic facts about all the wonderful collections we see here. I'm glad that there are many views and appreciating comments on my own thread ( https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?t=551 ), but in fact I have only a small collection, I often sell many minor specimens to purchase a few good ones, and I have only one display where I present my collection. I know there are many collectors who own thousands of specimens and who rather have a private mineral museum than an ordinary collection stored in a cabinet. I'd like to know how many specimens the other collectors here have on display, how many different mineral species are there, and from how many different countries do they come?

My own statistics, only counting my display collection, not counting minor specimens in boxes and drawers that are for sale:

Mineral specimens on display: 140
Number of mineral species: 46
Number of countries of origin: 30

[Peter]

In January when I packed down my collection I had:
973 specimens in display cases (highest number of specimens, i.e. additional ones are not fitting in display cases but are stored in drawers and boxes.
52 countries (I may have forgotten one or two, just counted in my head)
211 species (most number of species are in drawers)

Peter

[crocoite]

A quick count in my cabinets - about 150 specimens. When I include those in drawers and boxes, there are specimens from at least 94 countries, and upwards of 1,750 species...

[Tobi]

Only 3 of over 9000 registred users want to share some data? ;)

[Josele]

My math teacher always said that, although the data are correct, statistics are made to not be believed.

[Debbie Woolf]

Sorry Tobi :)

On display over 600
Species don't know
Countries 7

[Bob Harman]

I have a room dedicated to display of my minerals and several shelves in my office room.

On display: about 1000 specimens (rest are boxed up in my prep room)

States/countries: 90% Indiana of which 90% are geodes or segments (many viewable on the Mindat geode thread).
Several minor sub collections, otherwise many earlier foreign examples are currently being sold off.

Mineral species: Indiana about 25. Minor sub collections about 25.

[chris]

Halo Tobi,

I only have one display with 75 specimens. They come from 20 different countries. The number of obvious species is 50 (probably more as most of them have sulfides/sulfosalts). All the specimens have at least 2 species, most of them much more.

Christophe

[Pete Modreski]

Well, the reports are limited to those of us who do have a good enough catalog of our collections to be able to provide a good count! It's always my goal, but not yet achieved--probably, will have to seriously wait until I retire when there will be "more time"--in my case, only a few more years down the line, so, within sight--at least the time for it, if not the actual doing. Cheers to all my fellow collectors, especially to those who have their collections very well in order!

[Jean Sendero]

Here we go

Mineral specimens in the Collection: 1,032
Mineral specimens on display: 177
Number of mineral species: 151
Number of countries of origin: 1 (Mexico)

And maybe 200 others from Peru (catalogued but not the "real collection")

Cheers

Jean

[Michael Shaw]

Tobi,
I'm glad that I decided to catalog everything in a database long ago. If I had waited the task would have been much too daunting. Anyway, here are answers to your questions. A good exercise - I have never looked at these statistics before!

# specimens in the collection: 3,120
# of specimens on display: 51
# of species represented: 408
# of countries of origin: 73

One note: Even though I only have 51 specimens on display, I do change them from time to time. More importantly, I put together a display of minerals in our public library about 4-5 times each year. I use minerals from my collection to develop a theme and try to make it educational, not just a case of pretty rocks.

Michael

[TripleRoyale]

First time poster, and relatively new collector here :)

I have 50 currently on display, but the number frequently changes as I am still an excited new buyer. 49 on a shelf and 1 in my room next to the record player.

I am interested to ask: what kind of software do people like to use to manage their collection database, should they have one?

[Bob Harman]

This actually is an interesting thread and a lot more can be done with it. For example, just looking over this past week's collection postings, I see that about 10 collectors have added mineral pictures from their collections without ever responding to this thread. Hmmmmm....
How many of us collectors field collect vs buy or both?
How many focus their collection.....any kind of focusing.....vs just collecting (buying) anything in their price range that looks aesthetically pleasing and colorful?
How many collectors actually know something about where their specimens come from or have been to these sites?
How many have display cases or shelves in their home vs putting the specimens in boxes, maybe to be rarely seen again?
Or how many display their examples at shows, museums or other venues where the public might view them?

I have elected to put most of my pictured examples in the Indiana portion of a "Mineralogical Trip Thru The States of The USA" rather than picturing them in a "Bob Harman Collection". Why are other mineral examples from the USA put into the collector's thread rather than being put into their respective states? Is this a conscious decision?

Tobi has touched on an interesting aspect of our hobby that some of us would like to explore in more depth. BOB

[rweaver]

My answer with your questions. Been collecting since 1968.

How many of us collectors field collect vs buy or both? Over the years both with of most the collecting being done in San Diego County,

How many focus their collection.....any kind of focusing.....vs just collecting (buying) anything in their price range that looks aesthetically pleasing and colorful? My current collection is minerals from all 50 States with over 200 of them from Arizona, a large San Diego County collection, along with T/N's since that is what my mom collected and I have just added to it over the years.

How many collectors actually know something about where their specimens come from or have been to these sites? I have and enjoy learning about the locations, keep all old labels and add what data I can to my collection database.

How many have display cases or shelves in their home vs putting the specimens in boxes, maybe to be rarely seen again? I have a room in my house with built in display cases so most of the collection is out where I can see it.

Or how many display their examples at shows, museums or other venues where the public might view them? There was a time that I showed in Southern California but anymore there are no real shows around me to show at. I live in the middle of no where. I also have them on a personal web site so that the general public can look at them.

Like you, I have placed a lot of my US minerals in the "Mineralogical Trip Thru The States of The USA" rather than picturing them in a "Bob Weaver Collection".

[Robert Seitz]

Response to Bob Harman musings.
1. The FMF photos section with queries gives same result as putting in the state or country threads. I put under my collection for this reason. Why place into the threads, e.g., state? No one continues to discuss one approach vs. the other. I look at all new postings on this forum.
2. Field collect vs. buy or both. I do both. However, the quality of what I can buy especially with ready access to Tucson presents two different worlds. Even working in mines for 40 years I have rarely collected specimens that would compare with the ones I've bought. Mine geologists were there first and that says it all. This has increasingly been the case as time has progressed. Yet it remains fun to look in the field.
3. The associations and locations are interesting. I am purging most single crystal specimens as I prefer to have associations, even when the associated minerals may not be as aesthetically pleasing.
4. Display - Most of my collection is displayed in house. I have recently sorted out (for several reasons) approx. 1/3 of the collection and am thinking of disposing rather than putting in boxes for indeterminate storage time.
5. I focus on copper, lead, zinc minerals and associated 'gangue' minerals. Is this appropriate description for fluorite and calcite? All this was part of sorting as well.

Regards,
Bob