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Knut Eldjarn
Joined: 07 Feb 2019
Posts: 2


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Posted: Feb 03, 2025 12:00 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Thanks for posting all the excellent pictures. It as a great comfort for those who are prevented from attending this year. Just a question - why are you blanking so many price tags? I would think the dealers would like to be contacted by potential buyers (I have already mailed one with prices displayed). It is a bit like browsing shops in third world countries with no prices. It works as a turn off for potential buyers...
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Feb 03, 2025 15:14 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Knut Eldjarn wrote: | Thanks for posting all the excellent pictures. It as a great comfort for those who are prevented from attending this year. Just a question - why are you blanking so many price tags? I would think the dealers would like to be contacted by potential buyers (I have already mailed one with prices displayed). It is a bit like browsing shops in third world countries with no prices. It works as a turn off for potential buyers... |
Knut - I ask two questions of the dealers before I photograph anything - 1, is it ok to photograph and 2, do you mind if the prices are shown.
Typically, the answer to question 1 is - Yes! - but definitely not always. Some dealers just don't want specimens - especially their best ones - posted to the internet.
which ties into the next question -
and the answer to question 2 is mostly "yes I mind if the prices are shown please block them out".
I am not sure as to the main reason but I'm sure it has to deal with internet sales. The overhead difference between selling in a room at Min City and selling on the internet is quite large - the internet being MUCH cheaper. So, buyers may see one price in the room and then a different one on an internet posting.
Otherwise, I would guess that it's just the dealer's preference and I respect it without asking why.
Thanks for the kind comments,
bob
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Knut Eldjarn
Joined: 07 Feb 2019
Posts: 2


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Posted: Feb 03, 2025 15:30 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Thanks for the clarification - as expected. There may be another reason for wanting to block the prices : the dealers sources for the specimens. Many suppliers (miners, field collectors, wholesalers) do not understand the mark-up needed to cover the cost of bringing such specimens to Tucson. The dealers do not want to disclose the end-user prices which may be many times what they paid for the specimens. Still a pity for collectors following on-line reports from mineral shows. But again thanks for all posts and photos. Keep ém coming!
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alfredo
Site Admin

Joined: 30 Jan 2008
Posts: 1003



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Posted: Feb 03, 2025 16:44 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Not letting producers know what final retail prices are may well be the reason for dealers wanting prices to be blocked out on show reports, but it is a rather silly and useless exercise, because nowadays "Third World" miners are very well aware what the retail prices of their specimens are. They all have access to the internet and look at the i-rocks website, among others. The ones who can't afford to own a computer at home, and have no internet at home, are paying 30 cents to use a computer at an internet café, or else they're just cruising the www on their phones. This has caused a skyrocketing of prices at the source mines. Last time I was in Bolivia, a miner wanted the price of a jeep for his thumbnail phosphophyllite, and he did end up getting a us$ 5-figure price for it, although not enough for the jeep he wanted. And Jordi has told similar stories in the past about buying from miners in Romania.
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Feb 04, 2025 22:31 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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In the room of Barnett Fine Minerals there's a shelf of huge calcites taken from the Sweetwater Mine in Missouri. These are somewhat similar to those of Brushy Creek recovered a number of years ago.
Mineral: | Calcite |
Locality: | Sweetwater Mine, Ellington, Viburnum Trend District, Reynolds County, Missouri, USA |  |
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Feb 04, 2025 22:40 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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This portion of a shelf in the room of Unique Minerals really caught my eye - there's a lustrous electric blue azurite from Milpillas and a terrific legrandite with a cut legrandite - but look at the size of that Brochantite from Milpillas. Incredible! (and sorry i cut the tippy top off in the photo)
Mineral: | Seen in the Unique Minerals room |
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Feb 05, 2025 21:34 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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I had the pleasure of meeting George and Jennifer Quist in their booth in the tent just north of B2B Minerals. They hold a number of claims in and around the famous Doris Family Amazonite/Smokey Quartz claim. They have been producing some excellent specimens of Goethite, Microcline, Smokey Quartz and now add in Fluorite. One major specimen of fluorite is shown below. This needs to be in one of our major museums.
Mineral: | George and Jennifer Quist holding an incredible fluorite from Lake George |
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Mineral: | Fluorite |
Locality: | Lake George, Park County, Colorado, USA |  |
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A museum piece if ever there was one. |
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Mineral: | Seen in the Quist booth |
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Mineral: | Seen in the Quist booth |
Locality: | Colorado, USA |  |
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Mineral: | Seen in the Quist booth |
Locality: | Lake George, Park County, Colorado, USA |  |
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Feb 05, 2025 21:41 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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I was finally able to get over to the booth of R&SH Minerals who specialize in minerals of Madan Bulgaria. If you look back in this thread, there is a photo of the group sitting on the floor unpacking their specimens.
There were a few of those wonderful gemmy green sphalerites available and I was able to talk Sara into holding one for a photo.
Mineral: | Sara Sirakova holding an excellent gem sphalerite |
Locality: | Krushev dol Mine, Madan mining area, Rhodope Mountains, Smolyan Oblast, Bulgaria |  |
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If you can get past Sara's beautiful smile the sphalerite is in the lower portion of the photo |
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Herwig
Joined: 04 Jan 2016
Posts: 28
Location: Hasselt


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Posted: Feb 07, 2025 10:49 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Mineral City, Building E, Space 14, has lots of new finds collected by long term mineral dealer and avid mineral collector Chris Lehmann.
Among the many new things he is offering this year, were nice, lustrous epidote crystals from Warren Creek,
Mineral: | Epidote & Titanite |
Locality: | Warren Creek, Mono County, California, USA |  |
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Dimensions: | about 5cm |
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Blocky, lustrous, deep dark green crystals of epidote, associated with light brown titanite crystals |
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Herwig
Joined: 04 Jan 2016
Posts: 28
Location: Hasselt


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Posted: Feb 07, 2025 11:00 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Another new find was made by Chris on a prospect owned by one of his friends.
Lustrous, honey colored dodecahedrons of grossular, associated with dark green "booklets" of clinochlore crystals.
Some of the clinochlores even formed nice rosettes, comparable to the famous alpine hematite roses.
Mineral: | Grossular & Clinochlore |
Locality: | VH Prospect, Mono County, California, USA |  |
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Dimensions: | about 6cm |
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Lustrous, honey colored dodecahedrons of grossular, associated with dark green "booklets" of clinochlore crystals |
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Herwig
Joined: 04 Jan 2016
Posts: 28
Location: Hasselt


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Posted: Feb 07, 2025 11:25 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Chris also had a new find of bertrandite crystals from California.The crystals were small, but quite nice through the loupe.
(sorry, no photo)
Finally, Chris also had a flat of phosphates from Folgosinho, Portugal.
Some of these phosphates are quite rare, like the serrabrancaite, the benyacarite and the isokite, to name but a few...
Again, these are microminerals, but that is as big as they get. :-)
Contrary to the other specimens Chris is offering, there is no discount on these phosphates. But considering the fact that for example the serrabrancaites from Folgosinho are world class for the species: https://www.mindat.org/locentry-1097752.html
you can't go wrong with such modest prices!
Mineral: | (rare) phosphates |
Locality: | Folgosinho, Gouveia, Guarda District, Centro Region, Portugal |  |
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Dimensions: | micromounts |
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The flat of (rare) phosphates from Folgosinho, Portugal. About 14 different ones, some of which I had never heard before... |
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Feb 07, 2025 23:17 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Patrick and Amanda Arkfeld of Arkfeld Minerals - located in the E building - are displaying a large group of the rare mineral Laurentthomasite. These surfaced in the market maybe 4-5 years ago.
The gemmy thumbnail sized specimens show clear pleochroism - yellow/green in one direction and blue 90deg rotated. See photos.
Mineral: | Laurentthomasite |
Locality: | Beravina, Ambaro, Tsaraitso, Betroka District, Anosy Region, Madagascar |  |
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Mineral: | Laurentthomasite |
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Mineral: | Laurentthomasite |
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Feb 07, 2025 23:34 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Last year Nexus Minerals made its debut as a novel way for collectors to sell to other collectors. The business is run by Mary Fong-Walker and the concept is for collectors selling specimens to rent a display case from her plus a modest advertising fee. The selling collector then places his minerals for sale in the case with a non-negotiable price - then Nexus takes it from there.
A buyer selects a specimen and requests one of the Nexus employees to access it. If the buyer wishes to purchase it, he pays for it at the front desk (including sales tax). A commission is taken and at the end of the show the net proceeds and remaining specimens are returned to the seller.
An interesting concept. The Nexus Building is located two blocks west of Oracle Road making it a considerable walk from Min City - just like the "G-Spot" G-building.
Mineral: | Nexus Minerals |
Locality: | Arizona, USA |  |
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Mineral: | inside Nexus Minerals |
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Mineral: | inside Nexus Minerals |
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Feb 07, 2025 23:48 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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Friday night Feb 7 was the Mineral City open house hosted by the dealers. Great Mexican food and a very large selection of beers were available, and the wonderful wintertime Tucson weather totally cooperated.
Last year's entertainment was via a Pink Floyd tribute band and this year it was an excellent Santana tribute band. You can view a short clip of the band's performance at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ1lYuahFwI
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 614
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Feb 08, 2025 20:54 Post subject: Re: It's Tucson Time Again - 2025 |
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The French dealership of Escaut Minerals - sharing a room at the D building in Min City with Mineral'ys - exhibited a number of new finds.
1 - bright ruby from Burma (Myanmar)
2 - colorful Barite on Fluorite from China
3 - deep purple/blue fluorite also from China
details given below.
Mineral: | Corundum (variety ruby) |
Locality: | Mogok Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mandalay Region (Mandalay Division), Myanmar (Burma) |  |
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Mineral: | Corundum (variety ruby) |
Locality: | Mogok Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mandalay Region (Mandalay Division), Myanmar (Burma) |  |
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Mineral: | Baryte on Fluorite |
Locality: | Xiefang Mine, Ruijin, Ganzhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, China |  |
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891 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Baryte on Fluorite |
Locality: | Xiefang Mine, Ruijin, Ganzhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, China |  |
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Mineral: | Baryte on Fluorite |
Locality: | Xiefang Mine, Ruijin, Ganzhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, China |  |
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889 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Baryte on Fluorite |
Locality: | Xiefang Mine, Ruijin, Ganzhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, China |  |
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Rear view of specimen showing anhydrite(?) growth |
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Mineral: | Fluorite |
Locality: | Baxiyayike Diopside occurrence, Baxiyayike, Baicheng, Akesu Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China |  |
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Mineral: | Fluorite |
Locality: | Baxiyayike Diopside occurrence, Baxiyayike, Baicheng, Akesu Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China |  |
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889 Time(s) |

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