COLLECTING
CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE THEM
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It is easy to begin a mineral collection. You can start by
collecting specimens yourself in the road cuts, quarries and country side of
your home area. As your interest and collection grows, you will
want to add minerals from other areas. Many
exotic minerals are found in remote areas and you can buy them from other collectors
and dealers.
The
picture below features some Cerrusite crystals on Barite
from Morocco.
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Unlike collecting mass produced items like stamps, coins and sports cards, minerals come one of a kind. From specimens costing as little as 50 cents to the Proctor Tourmaline Queen which cost a million dollars, no one will have exactly the same specimens you do.
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A
great way to add to a collection is by the internet. There are
dozens of mineral web sites from around the world and all types of
minerals in all price ranges are available. You will find a list
of some of the better dealer web sites on the links page. The
beautiful Fluorite below was purchased on the internet
from Trinity Minerals.
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Almost every city has a Rock and Mineral Club which sponsors a show with dealers selling specimens from around world. Many larger metropolitan areas have more than one a year and the two largest shows are in Tucson in February and Denver in September.
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Minerals can also be a great investment. Minerals are unique to the areas they are found and many specimens are worth a lot of money. A theme collection of minerals collected from mines and areas played out and abandoned long ago only appreciates in value every year. Mineral collecting is the worlds fastest growing hobby but nature still takes millions of years to form crystals and minerals. Specimens from the classic mines and collecting areas are in large demand but short supply. On the specimens page you will find some examples. |
