So you’ve inherited a mineral collection, or purchased one in an estate sale, or been collecting on and off for years and the time to downsize has come – From either one box of rocks to a room full with added machines, everything from rock saws to grinders and polishers and funny things hanging off the door, and rocks hidden behind the golf clubs! Where to begin?
In some cases you’ll have a fair grasp of what’s going on, and either parcel the collection out online, or open some sort of store – If that’s you, you already know what to do, and this short article is only good for reading on the bog!
If you fall into the other category, feel free to drop us an email for some advice – We’ll either introduce you to the right people, or give you some guidance. info@crystalline.co.za
The first thing you’re going to want to do, assuming everything is in boxes, is open them up in daylight. Not with the bad kitchen light, not in the middle of the night – Pick a sunny afternoon, hoist as many of the boxes outside as you can and start snapping pictures. Your buyers aren’t always looking at an individual specimen and will want an overview of everything – It makes it easier for them to evaluate the collection over images and decide if it is in their budget, or a time commitment they can make (with regards to viewing in person). If the mineral specimens and rocks are in cabinets, then take pictures in the cabinets – No need to remove them.
From there you need to have some idea of what your “bottom dollar” is on the collection – Not to start from a low point, however it’s worthwhile being committed to negotiating and closing the deal, especially if you need the space back! If there are specimens with sentimental value, by all means, keep them. Take them out of the boxes and don’t show those to any prospective buyers!
This is assuming you have an idea of what you want for the collection, or some knowledge of what is in the collection. If you don’t, things get a little trickier. You’re welcome to email us and organize a viewing, or if we aren’t in your area yet we will connect you to trusted collectors telephonically or over email. Getting someone to look at the collection before you make any commitments is often a good idea, and it can both help you evaluate if you want to sell and leave the hobby, or restart and refocus your collection in our community.
Be aware, not all collections are great – And you may have gotten bad advice previously. Things like rose quartz and lumps of sodalite are more of interest as garden decorations and don’t hold much value. Submitting “ID requests” on the forum, or on our discord server, is a good place to start too, as is googling anything on old labels. You’re looking for things like “Kalahari Manganese Fields” or “Tsumeb” – Usually words that perk up the ears of any prospective buyer.
The most important thing is getting the images right – And circulating them not through an individual, but through a platform. We offer this, for the mineral collecting community, however you also have access to things like Gumtree and Facebook marketplace! As a note, if you go that route, you do need to set a price on the collection, even if it is somewhat negotiable. Starting too high will scare off potential buyers!
As to our own accolades, we have evaluated several collections over the years, as well as extensive involvement in museum audits in South Africa. Feel free to get in touch!