Tucson Gem and Mineral Show - February 2-17, 2008

All photographs are copyright 2008. However, if you would like a copy of any photograph
below, I have higher quality digital images available. Please email me.

As most of you may know, the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is the largest of its kind in the world. The show may also be one of the oldest, just recently celebrating its 50th anniversary. The show started way back in 1955 with the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society (TGMS) holding its first show in the auditorium of the Helen Keeling Elementary School.  The TGMS show today is a
4-day event held in the Tucson Convention Center. This show is affectionately known as the “Main” show. Over the years, the term “Tucson Show” has come to mean the entire collection of all the satellite shows which have grown around the TGMS Main show since the 1960s. Today the Tucson Show has over 30 satellite shows with countless numbers of hotel rooms, tents and booths filled with dealers. Needless to say, the Tucson Show is quite an experience, and one needs about 2 weeks to get most of it in.

I have been attending the Tucson Show every year since 1985 (and have a collection of all the show posters to prove it!). This year was a little strange for me, since I almost missed the Main show for the first time since 1985 due to a terrible case of the flu. However, I did make it down for a couple of hours on Sunday, the last day of the show (thanks to Debbie!). As you will see from the photographs I took at the Main show, I am really glad that I did not miss it! With the theme of this years Main show being “Minerals of the USA”, the display cases were phenomenal, perhaps the best ever! This years show also featured, for the first time, a case specifically designed to display fluorescent minerals within the brightly lit Main Hall of the Convention Center. This case turned out to be just as spectacular as the white light specimen cases. A real testimony to how beautiful a fluorescent mineral display can be if done properly. Information about how this case came about is provided further down the web page.

For those people who could not make the show this year, I hope you enjoy the photographs. I wish I had been feeling better to stay longer and take more photographs of the cases, and the fluorescent mineral specimens. I hope to continue posting Tucson Show photographs on my website each year, especially concentrating on any significant fluorescent mineral exhibits like the one you will see below. 
 

For anyone interested in reading more about the history of the Tucson Show, the Mineralogical Record printed a special 183 page supplement entitled “50-Year History of the Tucson Show”, written by Bob Jones (2004). Bob Jones had attended 42 of the first 50 shows!! The supplement is a great read, and is loaded with fantastic historical photographs of people and mineral specimens. The supplement cost $20.00 and can be purchased through the Mineralogical Record website. 

InnSuites Hotel Show

The InnSuites Hotel show is one of the best shows for fine mineral specimens, as well as some meteorites and fossils. This show location is one of several put together by show promoter Marty Zinn (Martin Zinn Expositions, L.L.C.). This is the show that I sold at for the last 8 years. For several reasons, I decided last year to retire from doing this show. Since Marty Zinn had to close a location last year, this year’s InnSuites show featured dealers on both the first and second floors of the hotel. With approximately 300 dealers, this show is a must see while in Tucson!

Here is a view of one of several courtyards
within the InnSuites Hotel. Dealers were
located on the first two floors.

Mark Leger, Dave Wellbrock and Dr. Kerry Cooper relaxing a bit during the show.

Inside one of the ballrooms at the InnSuites Hotel,
the Black Hills Institute set up a display of fossils
and dinosaur bones.

Here is the head of a Triceratops outside one of
the ballrooms. I was going to buy it, but Debbie
didn’t think it would match our living room decor!!

Stegosaurus at the Black Hills Institute booth.

This is a real neat coffee table made from a large polished slab of banded iron formation, glass and carved wood.

Westward Look Show

The Westward Look Show is held at the Westward Look Resort, north of downtown Tucson. The show is 4 days long. This show was started 7 years ago by several dealers who specialize in high end crystalline specimens. This year there were 25 dealers selling at this show. Some of the dealers share a room, so it is a relatively small show. However, as you can see from the photographs, the specimens available for sale here are incredible, and well worth viewing.

Here is a photograph of the show poster used
 to advertise the show.

A specimen of pyromorphite from the Bunker
Hill Mine in Kellogg, Idaho. This was a
Wayne Thompson specimen.

A specimen of rhodochrosite from the Sweet
Home Mine, Alma District, Park County, Colorado.
This was a Wayne Thompson specimen.

One of the display cases in the room of Rob
Lavinsky of The Arkenstone.

One of the display cases in the room of Les
Presmyk of De Natura. Les specializes in
Arizona specimens.

A specimen of cavansite from the Poonah
District, Maharashtra, India. This was a
Mineral Decor specimen.

TGMS Main Show

The TGMS Main Show is a 4 day show held at the Tucson Convention Center. This show was started in 1955 and is the anchor for all the satellite shows making up the Tucson Show Experience. The TGMS picks a theme for each years show. A beautiful poster, representing the theme of the show, is available for sale. The show poster idea started in the early 1980s. This years theme was “Minerals of the USA”. The Main show also features a very large number of display cases. This year the display cases were grouped into three types. The first was a group of cases which featured 45 mineral localities. This group of cases were organized under the heading “American Mineral Treasures”, and represented the theme of this years show. The organizers of this years show endeavored to include the very best specimens they could to represent each classic locality. The specimens included in these cases were displayed by both museums and private collectors and/or dealers. These localities, and the specimens placed in them are featured in the new book “American Mineral Treasures”, edited by Gloria Staebler and Wendell Wilson. The second group of display cases were “Special Exhibits”. These cases featured mineral specimens from museums. The third group of display cases were “Guest Exhibits”. These cases featured mineral specimens from private collectors and/or dealers. Some displays were for competition, some not. Needless to say, with a theme like “Minerals of the USA”, and a group of cases under the heading “American Mineral Treasures”, the display cases were filled with some of the most incredible specimens that I have ever seen! 

For more information on this spectacular book “American Mineral Treasures”,
edited by Gloria Staebler and Wendell Wilson, you can visit the Mineralogical Record website. 

Here is a look at this years show poster, featuring an emerald specimen from the North American Emerald Mine, Alexander County, NC. A limited supply of these posters are signed by the photographers. Since the signed posters usually sell out, they increase in value as the years go by.

Here is a look at a portion of the Convention Center Main Hall. This photograph was taken from the upstairs lobby area prior to me entering the show. More dealers are located in the Arena area adjacent to the Main Hall.

Amazonite and Smoky Quartz from
Pikes Peak, Colorado.

Benitoite from the Benitoite Gem Mine,
San Benito County, California

Here is a photograph for my friend Gerry, an avid Elmwood collector. Calcite, fluorite and barite from the Elmwood Mine, Smith County, Tennessee.

California Gold!! Need I say more?

Pyromorphite from the Bunker Hill Mine,
Kellogg, Idaho.

This case contained some of the classic wulfenite specimens collected at the Red Cloud Mine in
La Paz County, Arizona by Ed Over. I later found
out that there was actually another Red Cloud
case that I must have missed, darn.

Rhodochrosite from the Sweet Home Mine,
Alma District, Park County, Colorado.

Smithsonite from the Magdalena District,
New Mexico.

Tourmaline from the Tourmaline Queen Mine,
Pala, California

Classic white light specimens from the Franklin and Sterling Hill Mines in New Jersey.

Fluorescent Mineral Display Case

As mentioned previously, this years Main show featured a new display case specifically designed to exhibit fluorescent minerals within the brightly lit Main hall. This case was set up next to the Franklin/Sterling Hill “American Mineral Treasure” case, but was actually a “Special Exhibit” case sponsored by the Sterling Hill Mining Museum. The mineral specimens displayed in the case were delivered to Tucson by Mr. Steve Phillips, the Franklin Mineral Museum President. The case design was extremely successful, and the specimens included were world class to say the least. As some of you may remember, it was in 1996 that the Fluorescent Mineral Society (FMS) put together the largest display ever of fluorescent minerals at the TGMS Main show. The TGMS, with permission from the local Tucson Fire Inspector, let the FMS use a large room (affectionately known now as the “Bat Cave”), located between the Main Hall and the Arena. The FMS display was unbelievable, containing 76 display cases with over 1,200 specimens on exhibit!! Heck, there was even a case with specimens from the George V. Polman collection, the first and only time I ever exhibited in public. The public response to this display was incredible, and I strongly believe the hobby has taken a quantum leap in popularity since (note the rise in specimen prices over the past 10 years due to supply and demand). 

Anyway, it was nice to see our hobby so nicely on display at such a prestigious show as Tucson. Unfortunately, there has not really been any major display of fluorescent minerals at the Main show since. One possibility for this may have been TGMS fears of using the “Bat Cave” again due to the Fire Inspector’s concerns about safety in there. Needless to say, I was really excited to see this display this year. I appreciated the case so much, that I wanted to provide a brief history in order to give credit to all those who were responsible for putting it together.
 

Brief History and Credits for the Case.

Over the years, both Peter Megaw (Special/Guest Exhibits Chairman) and Richard Flagg (Exhibit Case Chair) wanted to have an impressive fluorescent mineral display as part of the Main show. For various reasons, this idea did not come to fruition. This year however, with the Franklin and Sterling Hill Mines being represented as part of the “American Mineral Treasures” display cases, Peter really could not see presenting Franklin/Sterling Hill without an impressive fluorescent mineral display. With this idea now as a catalyst, Peter decided to convert one of the two Scott Cases, donated to the TGMS by a local mineral collector, for use to display fluorescent minerals. The Scott Case was 7 feet tall, and appeared to be perfect for this application. Of course, it needed some redesign work since it was originally built as a white light display case. 

While Richard Flagg gets full credit for the work necessary to convert the Scott Case, Dick Bostwick, Tema Hecht, Dr. Earl Verbeek and Don Newsome were all consulted on its redesign. Richard designed the lamp mounts and baffles and installed the ultraviolet lamps. Dick and Tema were available the week before the show to assist in the final detailing of the case, including painting the inside and the shelving brackets. The canopy, which proved to be invaluable, was designed and made by Arizona Cine, whose Floor Manager, Linda Oliver gave constant advice and assistance, even though she was quite busy with a multitude of other things! Arizona Cine is the company that sets up the show (drapes, tables, signs etc.). The canopy was installed by Dick and Richard. Peter convinced the TGMS to buy four UV Systems TripleBright shortwave lamps to be used in the case. In order to get Tucson Fire Inspector approval, Don (UV Systems) had to get the lamps approved by a nationally accredited testing laboratory.

The specimens were chosen by Dick, Tema and Earl, and represented specimens from the Dick Bostwick, Dr. Earl Verbeek and Sterling Hill Mining Museum collections. The labels were written and printed by Earl, and were really done nicely. As I stated earlier, the specimens were world class, and a joy to see! Special thanks to Dick for providing me information on the history of this case. Dick also mentioned that a special “thanks” needs to go out to Richard Flagg. Richard is 85 years young, and over the years has built nearly all the cases used at the show!! With his help and his moral support, Dick knew this project was going to be a success!

My personal thanks and congratulations to all those mentioned above for a job well done! I thoroughly enjoyed the display, and I hope that it becomes a regular addition to the Main Show. I think it will continue to boost the popularity of the fluorescent mineral hobby if it does. Below are some pictures I took of the display case and some of the specimens. Looking back now, I wish I was feeling better, and could have taken the time to photograph every specimen in the case. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photographs I did manage to take.

Here is a photograph of the case taken from the upstairs main lobby. The white light Franklin/Sterling Hill case is located just to the right of the fluorescent mineral case.

A photograph of the case from the front. The
case was 7 feet tall, and was surrounded
by a nice black canopy which really helped to
eliminate the ambient light problem.

Here is a larger photograph of the specimens within the case. The display included such
classics as turneaureites, First Find/Second Find/Third Find/fibrous wollastonites,
margarosanites, barites, radiating willemites, hardystonites, clinohedrites, esperites and of
course, classic Sterling Hill Mine willemite and calcite combinations.

The famous “pyramid” First Find wollastonite,
willemite, bustamite and calcite from the
Franklin Mine.

A nice specimen of Franklin Mine “Polka Dot”
or “Christmas Tree” ore
(willemite and calcite in diopside).

One of just a few known specimens of
“Shuster Park” margarosanite. Also contains
willemite and calcite.

An almost solid example of Franklin Mine
First Find wollastonite with minor willemite
and bustamite.

A classic vein specimen of willemite and calcite
from the Sterling Hill Mine. I would guess that
 the willemite vein is highly phosphorescent.

Yours truly inside the display. 
Photograph by Deborah S. Polman.