FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Eduardoo]

Hi all:

Thanks to an IBM convention I will be in San Francisco during those days, and of course I'll be visiting the mineral show.

I am exited since this will be my first show ever. I will appreciate your useful tips and advices.

Is the San Francisco mineral show a good place to shop? Are prices ok? Is it better to buy the first day or wait to the last day for purchases?

Thanks,

Eduardo.

[Jesse Fisher]

The San Francisco Fine Mineral Show (actually in San Rafael) is a relatively new show, this being its second year. It is not a large show, on the order of Tucson, Denver, Ste. Marie Aux Mines, or Munich, so you will not see the diversity of items and prices that you will find at a major show. There will, however, be a goodly number of dealers there, and most likely some very good minerals to be had. Whether one makes purchases immediately or waits for the final day depends on whether getting the best minerals possible or getting the deal minerals possible is your objective. You should keep in mind that most of the dealers at this show will be Americans, who as a rule, will be less open to bargaining than will dealers from places like China, Pakistan, Morocco, India, etc. It never hurts to ask, however.

[Eduardoo]

Thanks Jesse.


Is it ok to pay with credit card for minerals or is cash mandatory.

Regards,

Eduardo.

[Joan Kureczka]

Hi Eduardo -- Most dealers at this show will be set up to take credit cards.

[robynahawk]

I will be attending this show for the first time also....not my first show but first time at this show!

Will anyone else from the list be attending or exhibiting?

Robyn

[Joan Kureczka]

Jesse and I will be sharing space with Leonard Himes and will have the first of this year's production from the Rogerley at hand.

[Eduardoo]

Well, not really a show report, since I am simply not qualified for that. I don't know enough yet to appreciate what is important.

But there is something I want to comment about. Having been a numismatic most of my life, it was a pleasant surprise the mood of the show. Everyone was so nice, kind and helpful.

The coins world is a jungle, it seems that coin collecting brings out the worst of everyone. It is a save yourself kind of attitude.

In contrast, here I found a very friendly environment. Every exhibitor was willing to spend time with me, explaining things and answering my begginer's questions, whether or not a sale was going to be made.

In one ocassion I tried to pay for my purchases with AMEX, which the dealer was not set up to accept. Well, a dealer from another room came in and offered his machine for the transaction. He simply asked for my home phone number "just in case the transaction fails, so he can contact me and work things out"!!! You have to come from the numismatics world to truly appreciate how unusual and nice this behavior is.

So this is my show report, a nice one. I ended up expending and learning a lot. I also made a lot of friends.

Regards,

Eduardo.

[Jordi Fabre]

Eduardo,

I unified your last post with the original thread ("San Francisco July 9-11 Show") in order to keep it coherent.

Is so nice read a posts as your last one in order to refresh our memory about how we delighted us when we started the magic of the minerals and the pleasant atmosphere around...

Please keep coming!

[Jesse Fisher]

Hello Eduardo,

I am glad to hear you are enjoying the show. It is a small one compared to the major shows like Tucson, Munich, Ste. Marie, and others, and definitely has a relaxed feel to it.

I think the mineral collecting hobby is far smaller than coin collecting, and while the top specimens can be quite expensive, they are likely far less so than the rarest and most desirable coins. This does not mean that there aren't aggressive and competitive collectors nor dealers who will take advantage of someone with money to spend and little knowledge of what specimens are actually be worth. Perhaps the fact that more money is at stake in coin collecting brings out the worst in some people. The mineral collecting community is generally a relaxed and friendly bunch, and shows like this one can have as much to do with socializing with friends as buying and selling.

Cheers,
Jesse

[Eduardoo]

Hi Jesse:

Let me know in which room you are. I will try to find some time tomorrow to visit the show again.

Regards,

Eduardo


Edited: Of course dealers want to get the most money from the sale and the costumer seeks the best bargain, that is our job :-). But even that can be done with a smile.

A 20% discount seemed to be the norm in this show. There where a few occasions where a larger discount was available.

[Jesse Fisher]

Eduardo,

I think most dealers price their specimens so they can give a 20 percent discount and still get the price they want. The value of the discount to the customer is mostly psychological.

I am in room 203 with Leonard Himes.

Cheers,
Jesse

[Eduardoo]

[alfredo]

In a few years I'll be looking forward to your book on Ecuador's minerals!

[robynahawk]

I know that this is late but I thought that I would share my show report for this stunning show...

...there is a complete photo album on my Facebook Page - just go to Facebook and search my name...

...and the Fine Mineral Show has a "group" page on Facebook - you can see photos from Dave Waisman, Bryan Swoboda and myself.

This really was a gorgeous show and the venue was delightful!

Robyn Hawk