============================================================ Pyromorphite, 3 cm, from <strong>the</strong> Hardshell m<strong>in</strong>e, Patagonia, Santa Cruz County, Arizona. Tr<strong>in</strong>ity M<strong>in</strong>erals specimen; John Veevaert photo. Pyromorphite, 4 cm, from <strong>the</strong> Brookdale m<strong>in</strong>e, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Tr<strong>in</strong>ity M<strong>in</strong>erals specimen; John Veevaert photo. 16 ============================================================ www.M<strong>in</strong>eralogical<strong>Record</strong>.com ©2012 <strong>The</strong> M<strong>in</strong>eralogical <strong>Record</strong>, Inc.
============================================================ Cool M<strong>in</strong>eral Shows for Hot Times In general, spr<strong>in</strong>g and summer are slow times on <strong>the</strong> m<strong>in</strong>eral-show circuit, although Marty Z<strong>in</strong>n does help us to get through <strong>the</strong> lull with his spr<strong>in</strong>g Denver show (April 20-22 this year), his West Coast show <strong>in</strong> Santa Ana, California (May 11-13), and of course his big East Coast show <strong>in</strong> Spr<strong>in</strong>gfield, Massachusetts (August 10-12). For many years now, <strong>the</strong> very important show which completely takes over <strong>the</strong> exm<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g town of Ste.-Marie-aux-M<strong>in</strong>es, Alsace, France, has been a big draw for m<strong>in</strong>eral people who travel to (or are already <strong>in</strong>) Europe <strong>in</strong> late June/early July. My own experience has shown that hot new m<strong>in</strong>eral f<strong>in</strong>ds, especially from Africa, often debut at this show, such that specimens may be picked up <strong>in</strong> Ste.-Marie months before <strong>the</strong> same materials surface, generally at higher prices, <strong>in</strong> Munich, Denver or Tucson. This year, of course, <strong>the</strong> show will go on aga<strong>in</strong>, although it will no longer be run by Michel Schwab, its longtime organizer and promoter. M. Schwab decided to move his show to nearby Colmar (itself a lovely old town, with w<strong>in</strong>emak<strong>in</strong>g, not m<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g history, central to its personality), but <strong>the</strong> mayor of Ste.-Marie, Claude Abel, not want<strong>in</strong>g to lose <strong>the</strong> yearly event, organized a new show <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> hallowed old place. And so for a while it looked as if <strong>the</strong>re would be two shows runn<strong>in</strong>g simultaneously with<strong>in</strong> an hour’s drive of each o<strong>the</strong>r— and that, politics quite aside, would have made for much fun for visitors. But Schwab’s show at Colmar failed to attract enough dealers, and has now been cancelled, leav<strong>in</strong>g only <strong>the</strong> “new” show at Ste.-Marie. Now <strong>the</strong> logistics are simplified: a visitor need only drive his (<strong>in</strong>dispensible) rental car from, say, Strasbourg or Frankfurt to Ste.-Marie, <strong>the</strong>re to battle for park<strong>in</strong>g spots (it’s a tradition) along <strong>the</strong> narrow, hilly, beautiful old streets <strong>the</strong>re<strong>in</strong>. But <strong>the</strong> park<strong>in</strong>g hassle is trivial: for its <strong>in</strong>comparable sett<strong>in</strong>g, not to mention its potential for offer<strong>in</strong>g specimen coups, Ste.-Marie-aux-M<strong>in</strong>es rema<strong>in</strong>s one of <strong>the</strong> foremost must-visit places—if not this year, <strong>the</strong>n next, or some year—if you are a serious m<strong>in</strong>eral collector. <strong>The</strong> 2012 show will run from June 21 to June 24; <strong>the</strong> address of its website is www.sa<strong>in</strong>te-marie-m<strong>in</strong>eral.com. In <strong>the</strong> last couple of issues of <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>eralogical <strong>Record</strong> you may have noticed <strong>the</strong> ads for <strong>The</strong> First Annual <strong>New</strong> York City Metro Show, to be held at <strong>the</strong> Meadowlands Expo Center <strong>in</strong> Secaucus, <strong>New</strong> Jersey (4 miles from midtown Manhattan via <strong>the</strong> L<strong>in</strong>coln Tunnel) on May 10-13, 2012. This enterprise by Lowell Carhart’s Eons Expo is a serious attempt to set up—at last—a major m<strong>in</strong>eral show <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>New</strong> York City area, and surely it warrants a visit by anyone f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g him/herself <strong>in</strong> that area <strong>in</strong> mid-May. Among <strong>the</strong> nearly 100 dealers on hand will be several high-enders <strong>in</strong> a plush area (with w<strong>in</strong>e bar and police guard) called <strong>the</strong> “F<strong>in</strong>e M<strong>in</strong>eral & Gem Gallery”; Thursday May 10 is reserved for wholesale buyers; <strong>the</strong> Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and <strong>the</strong> University of Arizona M<strong>in</strong>eral Museum will exhibit some of <strong>the</strong>ir f<strong>in</strong>est specimens apropos <strong>the</strong> show <strong>the</strong>me of Mexican m<strong>in</strong>erals; and three speakers (I am one of <strong>the</strong>m) will hold forth on Mexicanm<strong>in</strong>erals topics. It’s worth support<strong>in</strong>g, however we can, this effort to set up an annual show <strong>in</strong> an area where, as Lowell’s ad says, “15 million people live with<strong>in</strong> an hour” of <strong>the</strong> site. <strong>The</strong> Spr<strong>in</strong>gfield, Massachusetts show <strong>in</strong> August is a f<strong>in</strong>e th<strong>in</strong>g, but, to its east, <strong>the</strong> 17 ============================================================ www.M<strong>in</strong>eralogical<strong>Record</strong>.com ©2012 <strong>The</strong> M<strong>in</strong>eralogical <strong>Record</strong>, Inc.
Change language