FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Tom Mazanec]

When was it? 1920? 1880? 1850?
Was it in London or somewhere else?

[newryqs]

There was an advertised one day mineral show in Paris, Maine in 1882. Augustus Hamlin invited participants to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, who were taking the train back from the Montreal meeting, to stop when their train was coming through town. Hamlin, of course, was also at the meeting stirring up enthusiasm for the sale and exhibition.

[Forrest]

[newryqs]

Hamlin's brother-in-law, Samuel Carter, was probably also a dealer along with Nathaniel Perry. All three were known mineral dealers living in Paris, Maine. Carter was a part-time mineral dealer, however. Odessa Bowker, who was the owner of Mount Mica until just about the timing of this mineral show, was certainly not a participant in the show and exhibition. Bowker would raid the Hamlin diggings, particularly on Sundays when Hamlin was absent from the working face of his lease and Hamlin would buy tourmaline that was found by Bowker. One wonders if he didn't set up his wagon across the street?

[alfredo]

I don't know about actual "shows", but there were already mineral specimen dealers a couple hundred years ago in Goethe's time, because he complained about them ruining mineralogy by raising prices too much. (Sound familiar? ...Some things never change, ha ha.)

The Chinese have had people selling stones in markets for thousands of years.

[newryqs]

We know that a trade/commerce existed in stones, gems, and minerals for hundreds of thousands of years. I think the concept of a "show" as a moveable feast complete with advertising, is a new phenomenon.