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bob kerr
Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 537
Location: Monroeville PA
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 09:54 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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Bruce Friedman wrote: | Great reporting Bob. I look forward to your future reports. It was great meeting you at Westward Look in Anton Watzl's room. I was the one who bought the nice Turkish diaspore. |
Thanks Bruce - I do indeed recall meeting you in Anton's room - his diaspores were indeed terrific - glad you got a nice one.
I'll be wrapping up this the reporting today - a long 4 weeks!
bob
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bob kerr
Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 537
Location: Monroeville PA
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 10:02 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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The latest version of the Minerology of Arizona will be coming out this summer. There was a case showing the new cover - and the previous cover - with the specimens photographed for these covers. These are two of Arizona's iconic specimens and clearly demonstrates that pieces do not have to be large to be iconic.
bob
Mineral: | Minerology of Arizona case |
Locality: | Arizona, USA | |
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Mineral: | Minerology of Arizona case |
Locality: | Arizona, USA | |
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Mineral: | Minerology of Arizona case |
Locality: | Arizona, USA | |
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bob kerr
Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 537
Location: Monroeville PA
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 10:06 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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There was a very interesting case of copper memorabilia including some copper "chisel fans".
bob
Mineral: | Coper Memorabilia case |
Locality: | Michigan, USA | |
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Mineral: | Coper Memorabilia case |
Locality: | Michigan, USA | |
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Mineral: | Coper Memorabilia case |
Locality: | Michigan, USA | |
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James Catmur
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 1349
Location: Cambridge
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 10:07 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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Thanks Bob for your hard work
bob kerr wrote: | I'll be wrapping up this the reporting today - a long 4 weeks!
bob |
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bob kerr
Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 537
Location: Monroeville PA
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 10:11 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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There was also an excellent case of smithsonites clearly demonstrating how this single species can/should be a focal point of a collection.
bob
Mineral: | Smithsonite case |
Locality: | [unknown locality] | |
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Mineral: | Smithsonite case |
Locality: | [unknown locality] | |
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Mineral: | Smithsonite case |
Locality: | [unknown locality] | |
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Mineral: | Smithsonite case |
Locality: | [unknown locality] | |
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bob kerr
Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 537
Location: Monroeville PA
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 10:14 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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A very nice case of silvers.
bob
Mineral: | Silver case |
Locality: | [unknown locality] | |
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Mineral: | Silver case |
Locality: | [unknown locality] | |
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bob kerr
Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 537
Location: Monroeville PA
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 10:17 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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I'll wrap up this show report with the excellent Annaberg case and then add some commentary.
bob
Mineral: | German Fluorite case |
Locality: | Germany | |
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Mineral: | German Fluorite case |
Locality: | Germany | |
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Mineral: | German Fluorite case |
Locality: | Germany | |
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Mineral: | German Fluorite case |
Locality: | Germany | |
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bob kerr
Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 537
Location: Monroeville PA
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 10:55 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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Some thoughts on this year's Tucson Shows
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- It was another very challenging year due directly and indirectly to the Covid pandemic. Traffic at all shows was way down - as were sales. Dealers were the main buyers.
- The worldwide international flavor that makes Tucson so special was largely missing. Many international dealers could not attend - not so much because they couldn't get to Tucson but because they would have a very hard time getting back into their country.
- The international dealers also had to endure huge shipping cost increases - and of course the risk that their shipments would not make it. Frederick Gauthier of Little Big Stone had his shipment delayed and missed the most important sales week of the show - OUCH!
- The Westward Look Show is on life support. Many dealers have already left the show and numerous others do not plan to return next year. This makes the cost of the remaining dealers jump causing more to leave. Other than the first few hours of the first day, there were always parking spots in front of the show buildings. Stay tuned to see what transpires.
- The area around Top Gem and Mineral City has clearly taken over as the center of the Mineral dealing universe. The very plain cement block buildings at Mineral City need to be spruced up - a lot! Room signage needs significant improvement. Graham Sutton is very aware of these items and has some improvement plans for the future including maybe some additional buildings/rooms.
- The area around the old HTCC (Inn Suites) has clearly taken over as the center of the "elite" mineral dealers.
- The TGMS Show was hit hard by covid with many dealers staying away - especially the "elite" dealers. It was also clear that the jewelry dealers stayed away also. Traditionally half of the main floor was reserved for mineral dealers and the other half for jewelry/lapidary. This year maybe 30% of the mineral half were jewelers.
- A very conmen lament I heard is that bringing your wares to these shows is simply way too expensive. "Why should I pay so much for these shows and spend all my time only to find I essentially give away my minerals?"
- Many are moving to internet sales - Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp and others have become VERY popular and as long as dealers have liberal return policies, it works. The $64,000 question is: "Is this just a blip or a trend?" Personally, I see this trend continuing for the foreseeable future.
- Remember, it's also VERY costly for buyers to attend these shows. One friend of mine converted the money he would've spent for travel, motels, rental cars and restaurants into specimen sales on the internet - and is very happy with the results thank you.
Time to take a break from minerals!
bob
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bob kerr
Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 537
Location: Monroeville PA
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 11:03 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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James Catmur wrote: | Thanks Bob for your hard work
bob kerr wrote: | I'll be wrapping up this the reporting today - a long 4 weeks!
bob |
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You're welcome, James. I find doing these reports as a somewhat convenient way of "storing my photos" and can share them with friends by simply sending them the link to the thread. So, I have a bit of an ulterior motive for doing these reports.
best regards,
bob
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Don Lum
Joined: 03 Sep 2012
Posts: 2861
Location: Arkansas
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 12:18 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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Excellent pictures, reports and commentary, Bob.
Thank you again for your diligence.
Sincerely,
Don Lum
_________________ hogwild |
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Jean Sendero
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
Posts: 270
Location: Hudson Heights, Quebec
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 15:19 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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Excellent summary on the shows Bob, Thank you.
I will comment on one of your thoughts regarding the future trend and people/customers/collectors attending these shows.
Because of the pandemic it was the second year that I did not attend Tucson. Over those two years, I was able to satisfy my appetite for Mexican minerals via the internet, dealers contacting me, or Instagram and elsewhere.
However, I feel that at shows, I have the opportunity to see a larger selection allowing me to really compare specimens. Further, the people interactions are essential for me. This is what I miss the most over these two years. True for me but may not be so for others.
So, I have tendency to agree with everything you mentioned but, I will spend the extra cash for the social aspects of the shows and the wider specimen selections.
Cheers
J
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Bob Morgan
Joined: 18 Jan 2018
Posts: 228
Location: Savannah, Georgia
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Posted: Feb 14, 2022 19:20 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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These photos don't capture how startingly rich are the colors in the Spann's display. When the docents were truing the show the night before opening, we around a corner to see the display almost finished. One of the docents exclaimed," it looks like a garden!". And it did look like a bright garden of minerals - very apatite-zing.
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Tobi
Site Admin
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 4112
Location: Germany
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Posted: Feb 15, 2022 03:02 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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bob kerr wrote: | I'll wrap up this show report with the excellent Annaberg case and then add some commentary. | Thank you so much for your report, Bob! Just a side note: This is not an Annaberg case but a case with fluorites from all over Germany (Saxony, Black Forest, Harz, Bavaria etc.).
Thanks again - and please more :-)
Regards
Tobi
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James Catmur
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 1349
Location: Cambridge
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Posted: Feb 15, 2022 09:25 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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Tobi wrote: | Just a side note: This is not an Annaberg case but a case with fluorites from all over Germany (Saxony, Black Forest, Harz, Bavaria etc.).
Thanks again - and please more :-)
Regards
Tobi |
Edited to reflect this. We need a 'Many places' locality as they are not 'unknown', just multiple
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Joseph DOliveira
Joined: 29 Jan 2012
Posts: 304
Location: Hanmer, Ontario
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Posted: Feb 15, 2022 09:54 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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Thank you, Bob, for the great pictures and for bringing some of the flavor of the 2022 Tucson show to us. I think your insights on the evolving show scene and dealer/collector attitudes are quite valid.
As a Canadian dealer, we have experienced some of the more restrictive Covid regulations resulting in complicated travel requirements and the cancellation of most of our mineral shows. As a result of this, I have moved most of my sales to an online platform and I am now seriously considering dropping my attendance at the various shows that I participate in. The ever-increasing venue and accommodation costs have risen steadily over the years and it is challenging to turn a reasonable return for the effort required to attend shows.
Having said that, I look forward to attending the Tucson show in whatever form it takes next year. I miss the camaraderie with the various dealers and collectors and of course seeing the amazing minerals. For my wife and I that is what the Tucson show is really about and we have spent the last few weeks reminiscing about how much we miss being in Tucson this year.
Cheers,
Joseph
_________________ Joseph D'Oliveira
Hanmer, Ontario
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Bob Morgan
Joined: 18 Jan 2018
Posts: 228
Location: Savannah, Georgia
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Posted: Mar 07, 2022 16:36 Post subject: Re: Tucson Shows 2022 |
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I found a couple of other new items in Tucson - less showy but of possible interest to others.
Mineral: | Epidote |
Locality: | Balochistan (Baluchistan), Pakistan | |
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Dimensions: | 5.1 cm across |
Description: |
Jason Roys of Lost Creek Mining had several of these 'bow tie' clusters. |
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Mineral: | Celestine |
Locality: | Ungoza Mountain, Tupkaragan District, Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan | |
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Dimensions: | 4.3 cm across |
Description: |
These ranged from single crystals to spherical clusters. I thought the 'bow tie ' attractive. Several Russian dealers had these in abundance. This came from Rusmineral. |
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Mineral: | Galena |
Locality: | Fletcher Mine, West Fork, Viburnum Trend District, Reynolds County, Missouri, USA | |
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Dimensions: | 5.2 cm long |
Description: |
Raga Minerals had 6 of these strange galenas. I thought they would certainly be twins, being elongated and tabular, but this is a single crystal that had a thin plate of something between the two forks. The surface features are consistent with the single crystal and are the product of etching. |
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