So, I am now back from my Tucson trip. I had not desired to be there during the rock, gem and mineral show ... well best of intentions, they opened the show early! And, it is now two weeks long! eeeeepah!
All I can say is that there were some awesome minerals specimens to be seen but the prices were out of this world! Pieces comparable to what I might have sold or bought 25 years ago for $5, and did, were running in the $695 on up in prices! I was stunned!
And, I saw an Azurite specimen for sale at $65,000 and I have a piece three times larger and gem quality .... I wonder that little puppy is worth under those pricing strategies!
However, mining equipment was not expensive, it was affordable and interesting to examine and discuss. I walked away with a Mercury crock from the northern California diggings. Never even seen one before outside of an assay office!
My mining partner scored a presentation belt buckle from the old AMAX mining company for which he worked for many years in Colorado ...
I walked away from being a mineral dealer in 1992 due to the vast amount of freaks believing that mineral crystals have special "powers". Sold off my stock and never regretted having done so - but now, seeing specimens of lessor value than what I sold at a buck a piece going for three and four figures - argh!!!!! Oh well, if I had kept them I just would have had to move them all over the world with me.
Saw quite a few people I used to know and some even well. No one recognized me. I even stopped a few of them and talked with them ... so much of an impression I guess I make on people. Even my best customer had no twinkle of recognition in his eyes. Sigh. But, it was good to see some faces I recognized.
So, if you are headed to the gem and mineral show this year, just be aware that prices are ghastly!
No comments:
Post a Comment