FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Kama Ward]

Hi Friends of Minerals!

My uncle was a gem and mineral collector. Maybe there's an off chance someone on this forum knew him- Sam Ward? He lived in Sedona and went to Tucson every year. We went with him once- his last time in Feb '06. He died a couple weeks later, and we inherited his collection (along with several other unrelated collections).

The people on this forum are passionate and knowledgeable. I appreciate that! I know this is not a commercial forum, I'm NOT looking to sell here. I'm looking for unbiased advice on how to sell this collection. I searched the forum with several key words before I joined, but couldn't find answers.

Some of his stuff is valuable and some is garden variety. There's amber, emeralds, tourmaline, opals, fossils etc Then there is his large collection of green petrified wood (cadmium colored from N AZ) he bought it in 1986. He claimed he has the biggest collection in the world.

What are some responsible ways to get this collection to a new home?
Is there are an appropriate place on the forum to ask?
If the forum is not appropriate, where can I go for answers?

Here's what we've done so far:

We sold a couple minor things on ebay. That would take forever with the research needed (we are getting rid of stuff from several estates; it's overwhelming really).

I have taken samples to three local shops. One is interested in buying, but I don't know enough about the person or the collection to be comfortable with that yet.
The shop owner said Heritage auction in Dallas was not ethical (something about an illegally imported T-rex)?

I showed some pics to the local upscale auction house, but they don't deal in minerals. Are there reputable auction houses that deal in gems and minerals?

I'm open to getting a booth at a big show, but I don;t have the knowledge to set prices.

Help me get this collection to people who will really appreciate these items!

Thanks very much for an direction you can give.

Sincerely,
Kama

[Kama Ward]

Pardon me, I meant to say the green petrified wood is Chromium colored green, not cadmium. It was tested at Cal Tech and the Smithsonian lab. Thanks again