Hi Everyone,
Welcome to this year's Tucson Show report! While at the show, I submitted a fairly consistent daily log of my activities to the McRocks.com message board (Click Here for Report). I've tweaked those original reports just a bit and have compiled them here with complimenting photos taken during the show. This year, Gloria and I were honored to feature the specimen collection of Bunker Hill Mine owner Bob Hopper. The Bunker Hill Mine is located in Kellogg, Idaho and has the distinction of producing the World's finest pyromorphite specimens. Specimens of Bunker Hill Mine pyromorphite were first introduced en masse at the 1982 Tucson show by Harvey Gordon. Our offering at this year's show is the single largest offering since that historic event.
1/28/08 7:18 a.m.
Hi Everyone,
It's a bit after 7 a.m. here in Tucson, Arizona. I wanted to take a minute to say hello! It's been real busy as you can likely imagine. I've got my room stripped, my cases have arrived and my stock is here. I've got some things out, but today will be an intense day of arranging and setting up the shelves. The stock looks great, lots of bright green, orange, yellow, etc., ... you've got to love a mineral like pyromorphite! Pretty!
I'm on my way to breakfast next, but I'll soon be back at it. Lots of people are starting to arrive with more showing up each day. One of the best rocks I've seen so far was a killer large, say 8 x 8 x 8 inch, Rogerley Mine fluorite (ukminingventures.com). It had cubic shaped crystals to about 3 inches and the day time fluorescence was just killer!
I've only been in one room thus far, Scott Kleine's of Great Basin Minerals. Being one of the first rooms to open, he's been packed. Lots of Round Mountain golds, Miekel Mine barites, California linarites, and killer fresnoites on analcime, etc. Scott really has a nice room with lots to see.
1/29/08 10:21 p.m.
Hi Everyone,
Yesterday was a wonderfully warm t-shirt day. Today will be more of the same. Lots more folks are starting to arrive and things are getting more and more busy. I had the chance to visit with my friend Joe Dorris (pinnacle5minerals.com) and he has the best amazonite and smoky quartz Colorado pieces I think I've ever seen. I was thrilled! True World Class specimens!
My room is more or less completed. My displays are in and while I've still some labeling and pricing to do, it ain't no big a thing!
We've already been out to Lil' Abner's twice... love those ribs!!
Dave Wilbur just stopped in, tomorrow he'll be coming back to film our room for this year's, What's Hot In Tucson DVD with Bryan Swoboda. He was thrilled with the display, which only made me happier yet!
We open tomorrow morning after the filming and then it'll be insane!! Wish us luck! All the very best, take care!
1/31/08 11:58 p.m.
Hi Everyone,
Whew, what a day! It's a bit before midnight and it's getting late quick! I opened the day with the filming, which seemed to go well. Though we'll know soon enough, fingers crossed for a positive review! It was fun and a wonderful new chapter! Afterwards, I straightened up the room and then at 10:00 a.m., I opened the door. Over the course of the day it was a fun rush of folks all gawking at the new goodies. The Bunker Hill Mine collection we have is really generating a buzz. The folks from the Mineralogical Record and Lapis magazines both came in to take reports and John Veevaert stopped by, adding us to his 2008 Tucson Show Report.
As you can imagine, it's been crazy fun!
While strapped to the room, I did get to see one absolutely incredible specimen, this an azurite from a new find south of the border in Mexico. It was an absolutely stunning, fabulously monstrous crazy thing approximately an inch thick by two inches wide and a bit more than that long, flashy dark black-blue with electric blue highlights. The faces were absolutely superbly mirror bright and in my hand, without a doubt, I knew I was holding one of the finest azurite specimens ever recovered from the entire North American continent. Words cannot convey the incredible feelings I had as I cupped my hands, cradling this precious beauty... ya, this is what it's all about!!
Wow, just thinking about it... Wow!
A lot more people are showing up and more and more dealers are moving in. This show here at the Inn Suites (mzexpos.com/arizona.htm) opens officially this Saturday, I've always liked showing up early so as to have a mellow, unhurried set-up, plus, this way I get to see the whole thing come to life!
Another killer specimen was brought into the room by my smiling friend Adam. Adam collects in Colorado and has been finding some incredible pegmatite minerals. From one narrow exceptional peg, he brought in a killer slab about 28 inches long by 10 inches wide, a naturally peeled plate which had separated from the roof of the pocket, which was entirely covered from end to end with crystals, blocky feldspars, dark richly colored smoky quartz's to 4 inches long and sharp dark color-zoned fluorite's to just over an inch... impressive! I can't think of a nicer guy to have such a prize, I can't wait to see his other goodies when they get set out!
