MICROMOUNTS & PERKY BOXES: MINERAL CITY

 

As I noted in a 2024 posting: If Tucson Show attendees came down to Arizona to see minerals, all sorts of minerals, beautiful minerals from micros to cabinet, no brass bells and other do-dads, but just great minerals, then Mineral City is the place to go.  Located north of downtown along main drag Oracle Road with an address on Lester, Mineral City was like the Phoenix rising from the ashes. The brainchild of Graham Sutton, Mineral City has expanded, in seven short years, from “nothing in an empty lot, to a series of warehouse-like buildings holding, in 2026, over 2000 mineral dealers in 14 different buildings. These buildings are single stories and each with one or two central hallways supporting individual rooms on either side. Dealers may “decorate” as desired with chairs, cases of all sorts, coffee pots, a wine decanter or two, and throw in good conversations. Building D offers The Stope, a mining themed relaxation room complete with wine, coffee, beer, displays and conversation with Chric DeStafano holding down the home of Mineralogical Record. 

Each year an artist is selected to to construct (paint) a mural on the exterior wall of a MinCity building.

 

 As advertisements note: Mineral City is a premier location for collectors focusing on rocks and minerals rather than jewelry or fossils. It took me two days just to wander the hallways and check out the different dealers and revisit acquaintances such as Phillip Persson, a “fine minerals” dealer from the Denver area and Joe Dorris, he of Lake George amazonite fame, from Colorado Springs.

Phillip Persson a "fine and rare" mineral dealer takes five in his MinCity warehouse shop.

 

A hallway with shops in one of the MinCity warehouses.

 

One of the MinCity dealers, maybe Zac Bell, had a beautiful faceted marcasite included calcite from the Elmwood Mine in Tennessee.

Mineral City is also home of two of my favorite “micromounts/perky box” dealers. The team of Petr Sztacho and Jaroslav Hyril are from the Czech Republic, and their hundreds of Perky Boxes have a fine selection of European minerals. I enjoy visiting with them about Czech mines, geography, and kolaches. A couple of buildings away is Shannon family Minerals where Michael Shannon holds court and continues the legacy of his father David Shannon. Shannon has an extra-large space and hence is able to offer a large variety of hand specimens as well as hundreds of perky boxes. Two years ago he purchased the micromount inventory of the well-known dealer from Indiana, Jim Daly (now deceased). Although Shannon has sold thousands of boxes from the Daly collection (mostly mounted by Art Smith), several hundred/thousand remain. In addition, collections from the U.S. western states offer a wide variety of minerals from several mines that fit into the budget of “frugal collectors” like me. Mineral collectors could easily spend all week at Mineral City.

Take your choice of micromounts from Arkansas--10 bucks each.

Micromounts for all at Shannon's.

Numerous boxes of larger hand specimens--many full of microminerals waiting for prep. 

 

 Take your choice Perky Boxes or hand specimens. 

I did manage to leave the shows with a few parky boxes that will allow me to spend many pleasant days sequestered in my office. Descriptions will appear in this Blog at some time in the "future!"

Nickeline:  Nickel arsenide         Cryolite:  Sodium-aluminum fluoride

Akinite:  Lead-copper-bismuth sulfide       Sonoraite:  Hydroxyl iron tellurite

Turquoise: Hydrous Cu & Al phosphate   Sampleite: Hydrated sodium-calcite-copper phosphate

Ullmannite: Nickle-antimony sulfide    Wherryite:  Barium carbonate 

Krohnkite: Hydrated sodium-copper sulfate   Brochantite:   Hydrated copper sulfate

Jacobsite: Manganese iron oxide   Carbonate cyanotrichite: Hydrated Cu-Al carbonate

Juangodoyite: Sodium-copper carbonate  Devilline: Ca-Cu sulfate hydroxide hydrate

Teallite: lead-tin sulfate  Vesignieite: Copper-orthovanadate hydroxide

Chromite:  Iron-chromium oxide  Effenbergerite: Barium-copper silicate

Arsenic: Elemental native arsenic Lueshite:  Potassium-aluminum silicate

Eglestonite: Mercury oxychloride  Tsumcorite: Hydrated lead-zinc-iron arsenate

Lavendulan: Sodium calcium copper chlor-arsenate hydrate

Connellite & Malachite: Hydrous copper chlor-sulfate & Copper carbonate hydroxide

 And I leave you with the symbol of the Arizona desert--sunset with the saguaros.

THE WUNDERWORLD OF ARKENSTONE IN TUCSON

 

An evening on the Tucson rental patio getting ready for a a visit to a venue. 

 Then a friend/thug (unknown which) showed up for a treat. After a stare-down he decided I was not going to move and wandered off. Four days later a bobcat showed up on the patio looking for a snack. 

I just finished two weeks of warm weather excitement, walking, learning, visiting with vendors, buying, exploring and having a really great time at the 2026 version of the Tucson Shows. Imagine 50-60 different mineral venues with each hosting tens to hundreds of vendors (over 4000 sellers). Obviously, I could not visit all, but I certainly tromped around to several hundred. These different venues/shows are scattered around Tucson from along I 10 on the west and south to north of downtown along Oracle St. The major, and closing, event is the four-day Tucson Gem and Mineral Club show on Thursday through Sunday of the second week of February at the Tucson Convention Center.

One of my initial visits each year is The Arkenstone located in the Mineral City area (more on the later) in La Fuente de Piedras building. The Arkenstone, owned by Dr. Rob Lavinsky, is well known to rockhounds and collectors as one of the pioneers of online mineral selling. Today The Arkenstone sells a variety of specimens ranging from fantastic museum and collector (six figures or perhaps higher at POR) minerals down to those at a more reasonable price for an ole plugger like me. Perhaps the Arkenstone is most famous for its numerous online auctions (irocks.com). I also note that Dr. Lavinsky is a well-known philanthropist supporting the rockhound community, including various journals and museums.

I visit The Arkenstone not to buy but to ogle his display specimens (and for sale beauties). His rotating collection displayed at Tucson every year would be every mineral museum’s envy and wish. Below are just a few photos from the 2026 display.

Azurite with malachite, Laos.

 

Spodumene, variety Kunzite, Afghanistan.

 

Calcite, Elmwood, Tennessee, USA.
 

Fluorite, Illinois, USA.

Rutile in quartz, India.

Japan Law Twin quartz, Nepal.

 

Zoisite variety Tanzanite, Tanzania.

 

Malachite, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

 

Spodumene,  Afghanistan.

 

Tourmaline, variety rubellite, Brazil.

 

Beryl, variety aquamarine, Pakistan.

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Stibnite, China.

 

Tourmaline, Brazil.

 

Quartz, variety Opal in sandstone, Australia.

 

Gold on quartz, Placer County, California, USA.

 

 Calcite and pyrite, China.

 A tough day of rockhounding just wears a person out.