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.
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.
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!"
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.