1999 Tucson Show
My first Tucson experience was in 1996. Like any first-time visitor to the show, I was amazed and overwhelmed at the vastness and variety of minerals available at the main show and all the satellite motel shows.
On my second trip here in 1998 I was a bit wiser with respect to the best way to "experience" Tucson. So this year I suppose I earned the status of "show veteran."
I'm not going to attempt a detailed overview on the shows; for that, The Mineralogical Record and Rocks and Minerals will do nicely. What I will share are a few general observations, and a few images of regional dealers (mostly from Texas) and regional specimens (mostly from Oklahoma.)
Observation number one: The best mineral specimens are at the Convention Center (main show), the Executive Inn and the Inn Suites. Minerals can be found at several other locations, but the three above are the heart and soul of the show for the mineral enthusiast.
Obseration number two: The good deals are where you find them; and when you find them, buy! Last year, for example, my favorite "finds" were the reddish quartz and celestite geodes from Madagascar at reasonable prices and the green fluorite from China. This year the quartz was gone, but the fluorite was still around at good prices -- if you looked hard enough!
Observation number three: Timing is everything. The satellite shows start around the first of February. Any truly outstanding new finds and/or killer bargains are likely to be snapped up long before the main show begins a week and a half later. On the other hand, many of the motel dealers (esp. dealers from overseas) are willing to deeply discount their material as the end of the shows approaches. I've come to believe the best plan for the SERIOUS mineral collector is to arrive around February 1, shop for the early bargains, take a week to vacation in the region, and then return for the main show and the closeout discounts.
Observation number four: If you fly here and decide to buy quite a few specimens, be sure to have a plan for getting them home. Last year I purchased a suitcase for transporting my newfound treasures home; this year a duffle bag will carry most of my specimens, while UPS will pick up the slack.
Bulletin: It's the day after I arrived home and my duffle bag has not arrived. Southwest Airlines has apparently "lost" my luggage, containing hundreds of dollars worth of specimens. I'll keep you updated on how this turns out!
Observation number five: Shop a little before you buy, unless you come across a deal too good to be true. In many cases that $50 specimen you found at dealer A can be purchased at dealer B for $15, while dealer C has an identical specimen for $150. A price variation ratio of 10:1 is not uncommon. If you're the kind of person who likes to boast about how LITTLE you paid for a specimen, buy the $15 one. If you like to brag about how MUCH you paid for the specimen, buy the $150 specimen. It's your money and your ego.
Observation number six: Despite the hundreds of mineral dealers and the millions of specimens available, it can be difficult to find a particular specimen from a particular locality. For example, I saw only a dozen or so specimens from the Tri-State district of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. Twenty years ago those specimens would have numbered in the thousands at Tucson; ten years ago, in the hundreds. I saw exactly four rose rocks and a dozen or two Salt Plains selenites at the show this year.
Finally, on to the images. Click on the photo description to see the image:
People I see regularly at Tucson (mostly Texans!)
Al Tlush (Carousel Minerals) and Bob Eveleth (New Mexico Tech)
Art Smith (Houston) looks over specimens for sale by Don Slater (Dallas)
Harold Pryor (Houston) checks out motel dealers
Terry and Marie Huizing (Rocks and Minerals magazine)
Jay and Bill Lawrence (Rocksmiths, Houston)
Joel Bartsch (center, Houston Museum)
Meredith York (Arkansas Mineral Properties)
Sam Koster (Columbia Trading Company)
Dalton Prince (Houston, Collector's Choice)
Dalton getting ready to crack a geode
Jeanne (Jeanne's Rock Shop, Houston)
The Rock Barrell (Dallas)
David Shannon (David Shannon Minerals)Impressive specimens
Three-tube amethyst
Amethyst cluster
Golden barite
Large quartz points
Blue beauty
Calcite
Gem-quality minerals
Native gold
Manganocalcites ready to sell
Spanish pyrite
Red quartz from Russia
Rhodochrosite from you-know-where
Several nice specimens
Tourmaline to die for
Classy wavellite
Wulfenite 1
Wulfenite 2Specimens from Oklahoma (including Tri-State)
Tri-State calcite cluster
Tri-State galena
Salt Plains selenite 1
Salt Plains selenite 2
Salt Plains selenite 3
Barite rose rockMiscellaneopus photos
Tucson Convention Center floor from upstairs
View from the second floor of the Executive Inn
