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Tucson 2005-
The Faces Behind the Rocks
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One thing can be said about being a mineral dealer for the full 3-weeks at the heart of the largest hotel in the Tucson show each year- By the end of it you feel like you just ran an Adventure Race! Though physically and mentally exhausting, these 21 days are the highlight of my spiritual year. As with most dealers, I see 90% of my friends only a few times a year, mainly at this show. I certainly look back on these times often and laugh, thinking about all the highs and lows. It's like living a full years-worth of emotions in less than a month. As with every year, like many of my other dealer-friends, I felt a tremendous amount of growth and experience gained from this time. This year, I grew into a full room, bought all of my display cases, and had 2 FULL cases of fine Nevada mineral specimens! I had never set up 3 full cases of minerals before, so the challenge was on! John Cornish took on the same and now has his own room, IS #186, almost sharing back walls with me. Read John's Tucson 2005 Show Report The Inn Suites show is growing fast, now with 2 wings of second-floor dealers and a long waiting list for choice first-floor rooms. This year was the busiest I have yet seen! The Inn Suites show is definitely becoming a Tucson landmark for world-wide mineral enthusiasts! Parking is still the best I have ever seen for a mineral show. The 4-acre lot on the north side of the hotel has abundant space. So, without further delay, here is a pictorial testimate to this year's Inn Suites show for my neighbors and I- |
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The beautiful Inn Suites courtyard
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A packed ad board for a busy show.
Yes, John and I are top-center!
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My Set Up-
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Just got in- 23 Jan 05
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The cases come in next
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Time to dive in and clean 600
square feet of glass
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Almost done!
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Here's my world case on the one
side of the room
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Working on my 2 Nevada Bonanza
cases on the other side
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My room was set up and open on
Saturday, January 29th
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My finished showroom, IS #169 |
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My well-lit window display. It
works nicely to promote room sales well after dark.
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It was a BUSY show this year!
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My 2 cases full of fine Nevada
mineral specimens from many diverse localities. Here's Another
Pic
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My world case. Here's Another
Pic
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As mentioned in the latest Mineralogical
Record (China Issue)
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My proud case of SUPERB Meikle
barites
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Fine Faceted Amethysts
from Peterson Mountain, Nevada
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Terminated Murray Stibnites to
15cm
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Sugarcube (Quartz-coated) barites
from the Murray Mine, Nevada
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Longtime friends John and
Claudia Watson kindly gave me this hilarious bottle of wine- "Tucson's
Original Zin"
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A superb, 1.5 POUND crystallized
silver from Austin, Nevada (1880's)
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My friend Yue (Yue's Minerals),
working in her room next door, IS #168
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John Cornish just getting in,
24 Jan- John's
Show Report
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Here he is a couple of days later,
playing with his rocks
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John's finished room, IS #186,
Saturday, 29 Jan
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Mine direct specimens are a guarantee
from John!
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John's fantastic Heulandite
display
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A stellar cabinet specimen!
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Wheelin' and dealin'
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John's pride and joy- A 147 POUND
geode lined with beautiful pseudomorphs of sparkling druse quartz after
apophyllite with a quartz drused calcite rose. WOW!!
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The calcite rose measures about
12cm, with pseudos to 5cm. This is the largest of such a geode in the
world!
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My friend
Scott Wallace, IS #173, Majestic Minerals
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My friends Hershel and Charley Ward (C.B., Fluorescent Minerals, IS #188). Yes, Hershel is a bit camera shy, but I finally got him! |
John Cornish's Tucson 2005 Show Report
