FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Herwig]

Today will be the second day of this most interesting mineral show. Celebrations are in order, for it is the 50th anniversary of this (normally one day) show.

To celebrate the event, the show moved from its usual destination, a local high school, to the more upscale venue of the ICC (the International Conference Centre) in Ghent. The building itself is worth a visit.

The move generated A LOT of SPACE, and that allowed for many more dealers to attend the show (330 meters of tables instead of the regular 150m). One would think that would translate to even more "Schmuck" being offered for sale, but with this club, that is not the case! Their show rules are unique for Belgium and surrounding countries: dealers can NOT sell any gemstones that are mounted in jewelry!!

In other words: there is not a single dealer at their show that is selling jewelry of any kind. The only items offered for sale are things worthy of going into your mineral and/or fossil collection! One would think that the ladies would not be interested in visiting such a show, but guess what: yesterday I spoke with many visitors, and multiple times young women told me they had come from places like Antwerp (100km) and Amsterdam (220kkm) to visit this show, just because there is no jewelry AND consequently there is MUCH MORE collectable material for sale on the tables.

One of the highlights of the show for me yesterday, was the very large booth offering used books and old maps and atlases for VERY democratic prices. Despite the fact it gets harder for me to find mineral books to add to my (1050+ books) library, I was very happy to find about 15 books I did not have yet, and those only set me back 71 euros!!

Old topo maps of Belgium and Germany were selling for 1 and 2 euros a sheet!
Some gigantic world atlases were selling for incredibly low prices as well (and no, I did not buy any of those, most were still there last evening)! Single issues of Lapis, Min Rec, and other magazines, as well as many old Munich Show theme books were available as well.

I'm not a fossil guy (anymore), but it looked like there were lots of interesting items on the dealer's tables. Most of the tables have minerals, from all over the world, but with a focus on Europe of course. One dealer had A LOT OF fluorescent material, some of which I had not seen before. Like the calomel in opal from Nevada (orange under MW UV), the aragonite in limestone from Spain (orange under LW UV), multicolored material (fluorite, calcite, willemite, cerussite, opal) from the Red Cloud Mine (Arizona, all waves (= LW, MW and SW)), chalcedony from Spain (nice green, all waves), and many more!
The same guy also had a very large selection of "systematic minerals", with a focus on rare, well crystallized and well documented (instead of hardly visible powdery smears). And he was not the only one selling lots of different & rare minerals for very acceptable prices.

On the other hand, what is also very typical for this show, are the many club members selling their material ONLY at this show. And so, there were lots of things offered that one does not see very often at regular shows, because the material has not been around anymore for 20+ years! Needless to say there were a lot of happy faces at the show yesterday, at both sides of the tables, and I can assure you, there will be a lot of them today as well!

The show is located close to the train station of Ghent. It's the perfect way to get there: no parking problems at all, and less than 1km of walking along some beautiful art deco buildings and through a nice park. Parking your car was a hassle and expensive yesterday, but will not be today, since parking in Ghent is free on Sundays.

There is a modest entrance fee (5 euro/adult, 3euro/(12 to 17), free (for 11 and under) that includes a raffle ticket (a door price is given away every hour). There is also a nice display of some of the fossil and mineral collections of the club members. And of course, there is the "bar" where one can socialize in style, with a tasty Belgian beer, or a Spanish Cava, or a glass of French wine, together with a very yummy slice of locally made pies (or even a house made hot dog if you prefer). Belgians, like no others, know how to enjoy life, even while being dealers at a mineral show. I even saw a dealer offering a glass of Cava to a young couple he was chatting with, just like that!

So, if you have the possibility of visiting this show today, I can assure you, you will NOT be disappointed! I'll even sweeten the deal: IF you have to cover 300+km one way to get to the show, I'll buy you a drink of your choice at the bar! I sure look forward to meeting you and hope my day will not be thirsty! :-) :-)

Cheers, Herwig

[orlando]

Hello!
If we are talking about exhibitions, then I want to leave a recommendation here)
I highly recommend visiting the exhibition Minerant, it will also be held in Belgium.
I was at the last exhibition and it was an incredible experience)
Minerant is a renowned international trade fair dedicated to minerals and fossils, continuously evolving since its inception in 1974. Organized by the Mineralogical Society of Antwerp, which was founded in 1963 by a passionate group of mineral enthusiasts, the event now attracts hundreds of exhibitors and visitors each year, showcasing a vibrant community of over 400 members, including amateur collectors, students, and professional mineralogists. More exhibitions can be found in the event calendar on globy,com
Date: May 09, 2025 - May 10, 2025 (2 days)
Venue: Bouwcentrum Antwerpen - Antwerp Expo Jan Van Rijswijcklaan 191 2020 Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium.