Special Requests are now posted

September 7-9 Report   September 10 Report     September 11 Report

Return to the Denver 2003 Homepage




 
 
 
September 11 

Today was set up day for the main show which starts the 12th.  This is always a great day to visit people you see only a few times a year or less at a leisurely pace.  I spent most of the time there looking at minerals of course and then focusing on some of the display cases being set up.  

   
You may have heard that the Rocksmiths are now out of business.  The closing event is a series of auctions being held in the Garden Terrace at the Merchandise Mart here in Denver.  These two shots above show the various lots being offered and the venue for the auction.  I could not make it for the first night's offerings but you get a sense of what the auction will be like.

One of the first people I saw was Dudley Blauwet of Mountain Minerals.  Dudley recently came into a small hoard of fine specimens of the new mineral Pezzottaite (the new IMA approved name for the cesium rich beryls from Madagascar).  Dudley has been doing some additional research on this locality and the conclusion of the people he's been in touch with is that the deposit is now defunct.  There were a number of specimens recovered while the mine was in operation and stashed away in the villages near the mine but that is likely all there will be.   Dudley is fairly certain of this assessment.  Hence, prices for specimens of this new mineral will remain high due to a limited supply.  Matrix specimens of these were not available from anyone here in Denver. I made a selection of the best 12 specimens Dudley had and will post them later in the show.

   
Here's a shot taken in Dudley's room as he's setting things up.  Not a particularly remarkable photo except for the fact that in the mirrors above one of the siplay cases I totally unintentionally caught the faces of Sandor Fuss (who was in the hall outside Dudley's room) and Kiyoshi Kiikuni who's directly behind Dudley. Pure luck.


   
Directly across from Dudley's room is Carter Rich.  Carter's
seen here putting the final touches on his display.



   
Also across the way from Dudley is Collector's Edge booth.  Here's the backside of
Steve Behling seen getting things together for the grand opening tomorrow.



The next series of images are of the display cases in various stages of being set up.

   
Here's British dealer Ian Bruce admiring one of the already complete cases.


   
Here's Dave Bunk working on a display of fine specimens from Gilman, Colorado.

 
The MAD (Mineral Association of Dallas) had an enormous Tanzanite as its center piece specimen.



   
Bill Smith's case had a remarkable specimen of Proustite from Chile.  The large crystals are over 3 cm in length.



 
 
Perhaps the most impressive case I saw was that of the Houston Museum entitled - "A few Rarities".  
I guess so! Some scary great specimens of rare minerals including the large phosphophyllite, Jermejevite,
and enormous spangolite crystals from Bisbee!!



   
This year Keith Proctor has the premier case location.  I took a couple of pictures - one that has Bill Larson looking in and Keith with his back to the camera.  The center piece in the display is an INCREDIBLE specimen of rhodochrosite from the Sweethome mine.  This thing is a foot across with brilliantly lustrous crystals.


   
I found this case, prepared by Carolyn Manchester, to be quite striking with the Dual Sphere theme.


   
Idaho collector Alan Young had a very fine display of thumbnail specimens from Idaho localities.  The erythrite was very good and Alan says they get even better from there!!




   
This area is the wholesale area and I always visit John Seibel.  I could see him from the distance and snapped a picture.  Then... When I got to his booth he was a sitting duck for the next photo.  There he is folks - fully engaged in the "funnies" section of the Denver Post paper....Enough said.




  

Past Shows & Reports
PLEASE NOTE: The minerals that were offered on these pages are all sold
1999
Munich Show
2000
Sainte Marie Show
Munich Show
2001
Sainte Marie Show
Munich Show
2002
Tucson Show
Sainte Marie Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2003
Tucson Show
Sainte Marie Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2004
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2005
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2006
Tucson Show
Bologna Show
Sainte Marie Show
East Coast Show
Munich Show
2007
Tucson Show
Dallas Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2008
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2009
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show

2010
Tucson Show
San Francisco Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show

Munich Show

2011
Tucson Show
San Francisco Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show

2012
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show 
Munich Show

2013
Tucson Show
Sainte Marie Show
Crystal Days (Poland)
Munich Show  

 

 
Join the mailing list for Trinity Mineral Co. and MineralShows .Com

Subscribe | Unsubscribe


All text, specimen images, graphics & site desgin copyright 1998-2014 - John Veevaert  - trinityminerals.com