FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Roy Starkey]

A question that is starting to come up more and more often in conversations is “What should I do with my collection?” Today’s mineral collecting community is increasingly grey-haired and perhaps dominated by people who began collecting in the 1960s and 1970s. As such, this population of collectors and collections represents a considerable and potentially important mineralogical resource. The same is probably equally true for fossil collections.

In a special event hosted by The Russell Society, and chaired by Roy Starkey, we will present an overview of the key factors to be considered, some of the constraints and hurdles to be overcome, as well as opportunities and threats which may confront us.

We owe it to the specimens, and to those who came before us from whom we have benefited so much, to ensure that our collections are handled in a suitably responsible and satisfactory manner, and that important pieces are curated and preserved together with as much curatorial data and specimen history as possible.

Is your collection properly labelled and organised such that someone coming to it ‘cold’ would be able to understand what is what, and to be confident in dispersing it appropriately?

Do you have a catalogue? If so, is it on paper or in electronic form? If electronic, is it regularly backed-up and in a format likely to be machine readable in the future?

Does someone else know how to access it, where to find passwords etc.?

Do your family members understand the importance (and perhaps financial value) of your collection?

Do they know who to contact and what to do in the event of your unexpected demise?

Should the collection go to a museum or university (either in its entirety or segments of it)?

Is the best route to return the specimens to the collecting fraternity via a sale or auction, or would sale to a dealer a better option?

We’ll be addressing these questions, and a whole lot more, in discussion with a panel of experts from the Natural History Museum (London), National Museum Wales, National Museums Northern Ireland, BGS, The Geological Curators’ Group, National Museum of Ireland and National Museums Scotland.

Please make a note of the date and join us for what is perhaps a unique opportunity to assess and to learn what you need to do to put your mineral (or fossil) collection in order whilst there is still time.

We can accommodate a maximum of 100 participants. If you are not a member of The Russell Society and would like to join us, please email talks(at)russellsoc(dot)org and, subject to capacity, we’ll send you the Zoom link a couple of days prior to the talk.

It is planned to record the discussion and make it available as a resource for the future.

Roy Starkey

[bob kerr]

A famous quote:

"When I pass on, I hope my wife doesn't sell my collection for what I told her I paid for it"

bob

[Riccardo Modanesi]

Ok, this "virtual" meeting on Zoom is very interesting! Is it at 8 pm British time or Central European time?
Thank you so much and greetings from Italy by Riccardo.

[James Catmur]

I think it will be at 8PM Brexit Summer Time (BST), so 9PM CET, but the Zoom normally opens 30 minutes before the talk, so 19:30 BST

[James Catmur]

Tonight's meeting, I will attend

James

[Riccardo Modanesi]

OK, I'm here, please send me the links for the Zoom meeting! Greetings from Italy by Riccardo.

[Riccardo Modanesi]

I'm here, ready to participate to the meeting!

[Richard Arseneau]

Email sent requesting access a while ago. If you are over capacity could you please post a link to the recording here when it is over? Thanks.

[James Catmur]

I will see what I can do. It was very interesting and made me think about what I have and have not done with my collection.

Provenance came out as an issue. When I made a gift from my family archive to a museum we went as far as to show that my great, great grandmother had been in the right place to have met the artist in Austalia in 1853 and thus his art had ended up in the family archive!

[James Catmur]

From Roy Starkey.

As promised I have now made the recording available online here https://youtu.be/D9ERmWinRWk

and also posted a short summary article on Mindat here https://www.mindat.org/article.php/4711/What+should+we+do+with+our+%5Bmineral%5D+collections%3F

Please do join the debate and spread the word to friends and colleagues who may be interested - and MAKE A PLAN

[Roy Starkey]

Thanks James - appreciated.
Best wishes
Roy

[James Catmur]

No problem Roy (as an admin I can post links once I have checked are 'safe')

[James Catmur]

I have spent the weekend updating my database, my 'what to do with the collection' instructions and some photos. At the moment the photos tend to only be of the better specimens and then there is a draw photo (with no IDs). But everything has a label and the database (which is the more accurate record) has got a bit better.