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GeneralBuying vs Finding
25th Oct 2014 00:33 UTCAnonymous User
Don't know if this has come up before but what are peoples opinions on buying minerals vs going out and finding them yourselves? Do you prefer to pay top dollar for that heaven sent specimen? Or are you more prone to the feeling of joy you get when you look for that new piece for your collection?
25th Oct 2014 02:00 UTCKeith A. Peregrine
It's really a personal preference.
Cheers,
Keith
25th Oct 2014 02:09 UTCAnonymous User
25th Oct 2014 02:50 UTCAlex Earl 🌟 Expert
I would have to agree, it is more of a preference, some people have an all personally collected collection, or they have a collection where all specimens are purchased with no personally collected specimens.
25th Oct 2014 03:08 UTCAnonymous User
25th Oct 2014 05:35 UTCsteven garza
Some very good point have been made, for both type specimens; however, as a collector - prospector - dealer, I have both, for several reasons; added, I wish to explain why, sometimes, a non-specific locality is the ONLY thing you'll EVER get, for some specimens, &, may be a necessary evil for you, if you truly wish certain specimens.
!st, my reasons for having both:
A) As others have mentioned, because you aren't likely to ever go to the locations, for distance, accessibility, cost, lack of permission, or site no longer exists.
B) the specimen/site/original collector, has a history, either mineralogically or personal connection (a friend's trade/gift/sales).
C) Need a comparison sample/bedding identifier/deposition type identifier for when I do visit the site; I have often used such samples, to guide my prospecting, usually finding what many others have failed to find.
Now, my reasons for obtaining specimens with poorly/deliberately obtuse locations on the labels:
A) If I can get to the general location, I like the challenge of, without much info, finding the locality, using my skills, alone; but, getting to that general location is the vital 1st step.
B) If a specimen is good enough, for various reasons, I'm willing to buy such pieces, so I may, later, find the location, simply by eventually running into another piece, at a show; I've had MANY "finds of a lifetime", do so & have never regretted this practice. This is one o the reasons my knowledge base about many specimen types & locations is so broad.
Finally, the main reason I a many other dealers are deliberately obscure on their labels, &, why you'll never get more than what's on that label:
Plain & simple - secrecy! All to often, a person will make a find, at a location that's VERY small & extremely unique, to the surrounding environment, that giving the exact location means the QUICK overcollecting & death of that locality. Heavy collecting can also mean the end of ALL collecting, by the land owner/quarry manager. Also, it may be in a locality that other have passed, FREQUENTLY, & you were the only one observant enough to make your find; giving an exact location means unwanted competition, for your own find! Yes, that info is extremely desired, but, sometimes, it just can't be given. Example: I may 7 locations in New England for matrix gold & 5 for silver, all minable, which I'm likely to take to my grave, before posting them on this forum; same with many other mineral finds, nearly everywhere I've ever collected, that remain unique/unknown to others. Until I KNOW my time is short, they just will be talked about, VERY non-descriptly; when that time comes, if I've no one to pass that info to who I want to know this info, THEN, I will post it.
Your friend, Steve
25th Oct 2014 06:21 UTCAnonymous User
You make excellent counter points, particularly the last point about collectors/dealers keeping their spot a secret. I can definately respect that and I have made a few exceptions, but other specimens that I have purchased, either in bulk or individually, just aren't considered rare enough or appealing enough to keep. The majority of the specimens outside of the 4-5 exceptions are species that can be found by driving half a day or so.
The exceptions:
-Realgar from Eastern Europe (still working on pinpointing an exact location)
-Cinnabar from Western China
-Ruby from Pakistan (honestly it's being kept because I'll never visit Pakistan, not because it's particularly impressive)
-Diamond from South Africa
The rest are more or less common, albeit nice specimens. But I just feel I'd rather collect those species myself. The most exciting thing to me is showing up to a location, digging away and finding that one piece that just blows your mind. Thank you for your feedback!
25th Oct 2014 08:09 UTCKyle Beucke 🌟
Kyle
25th Oct 2014 09:30 UTCJason Bennett
It's a sad world where greed takes over and site have to be kept secret, but I agree, a necessary evil to at least preserve the locality for others in the future.
Jolyon/Steven - Perhaps we need MinWILL to leave behind these legacies :P
Jason
25th Oct 2014 13:21 UTCEd Clopton 🌟 Expert
I enjoy field collecting, too, but specimens with long collector histories have to be purchased or otherwise acquired rather than field-collected.
25th Oct 2014 13:41 UTCDavid Baldwin
I also agree with keeping certain information a secret, such as specific types of rocks where I find specimens or exact locations of mineral bearing faults, but they are still there for all to see and discover for themselves. It takes a long time to learn to recognise features which may indicate potential finds, and if you've taken the time and made the effort to learn, then good for you. At the end of the day, there's nothing stopping anyone else doing the same and discovering exactly the same locations as you have. I think the fact that individuals can have their own 'secret' locations is a good thing and no, the information shouldn't be shared, ever, even as a legacy. Let others discover them for themselves, that's all part of the fun.
25th Oct 2014 14:14 UTCHomerbre
25th Oct 2014 15:47 UTCBob Harman
As written this thread should be better discussed as something like "Is your collection focused to what you can self collect or is it non-focused or a general collection where you have to acquire examples by purchase or trade" Then, to me, the thread might be of more interest. CHEERS…..BOB
25th Oct 2014 21:04 UTCAnonymous User
In retrospect that would've been the better topic, but I don't post often and I was just gauging everyone's thoughts and opinions. I guess I should say the majority of my collection is self collection.
Tirrell
25th Oct 2014 21:19 UTCEd Clopton 🌟 Expert
25th Oct 2014 22:08 UTCJohn Wilda (2)
26th Oct 2014 01:43 UTCDennis McCoy
26th Oct 2014 07:13 UTCRock Currier Expert
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