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For more than 30 years, Tucson continues to surprise and delight. Though we may struggle to present new and different images each year, it is abundantly clear to us that this Tucson rock, gem, fossil and mineral show evolves each and every year, sometimes making veteran dealers difficult to locate but always surprising us with new venues, new sellers, new material. While it is definitely not a petrified wood collector paradise, it is a complete treat for the rockhound in all of us. And as we canvas the city for several weeks, we always manage to discover a new specimen here and there! During our time here, we will occasionally update this page with some images that aim to describe our adventure here. Stay tuned! |
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The 22nd Street Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show
January 25 - February 11 (10 to 6 daily) Always one of the first to open and the last to close, this venue is huge in 2024. Unfortunately, we did not find one stick or slab of collector-quality wood at this venue this year. One would think (expect?) that among Its one-half mile long set of hard-side tents and 300+ dealers we would find a stick or slab of wood other than the ubiquitous Madagascar and Indonesian pieces, but sigh ... not the case. Nevertheless, it is an interesting venue that showcases the immense variety of interests in rocks, gemstones, fossils and just general rockshop items made from rocks. The show promoter is the most active of all promoters in advertising. Bus benches, billboards, print ads and more all call the rockhounds, from afar and local, to come and view the great variety. |
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Kino Gem and Mineral Show
January 25 – February 11, 2024 (all day)
Big, bigger, and biggest could sum up this show. The rocks are big - some of the largest imaginable amethyst geodes in existence, giant petrified logs and other boulders scooped out into odd-shaped bathtubs and sinks. The tents are big and getting bigger - the smaller "mom and pop" dealers are being replaced by really large importers of rock products from Madagascar, Brazil, Indonesia, Morocco, and similar Third World sources. The parking lots are getting even bigger as the venue seems to attract thousands and thousands of buyers and lookers, especially on the weekends. Unfortunately, the prices also seem to be getting bigger, the result of increased transportation costs being just one of the factors causing increased cost. As an example, check out the photo of a bucket of the so-called "peanut wood" from the Windalia Radiolarite Formation of Western Australia. Sixty dollars a pound for just chunks. Not a single full round limb or log with which to make collector specimens. Another dealer has tons of lapidary rough in large fenced-in lots.
Also please note the gentleman (in the final photo) who has just climbed into the crate to go through the entire lot - we wondered if the rocks set up on the edges were the ones he wanted to buy or the ones he was rejecting! Some people can really "get into" their rock hunting! And the goat? No way we have an explanation for that ... except that goat and geode begin with the same letter ...
Bottom line is that we don't sell petrified wood sinks and bathtubs, so we came away mostly empty-handed!
January 25 – February 11, 2024 (all day)
Big, bigger, and biggest could sum up this show. The rocks are big - some of the largest imaginable amethyst geodes in existence, giant petrified logs and other boulders scooped out into odd-shaped bathtubs and sinks. The tents are big and getting bigger - the smaller "mom and pop" dealers are being replaced by really large importers of rock products from Madagascar, Brazil, Indonesia, Morocco, and similar Third World sources. The parking lots are getting even bigger as the venue seems to attract thousands and thousands of buyers and lookers, especially on the weekends. Unfortunately, the prices also seem to be getting bigger, the result of increased transportation costs being just one of the factors causing increased cost. As an example, check out the photo of a bucket of the so-called "peanut wood" from the Windalia Radiolarite Formation of Western Australia. Sixty dollars a pound for just chunks. Not a single full round limb or log with which to make collector specimens. Another dealer has tons of lapidary rough in large fenced-in lots.
Also please note the gentleman (in the final photo) who has just climbed into the crate to go through the entire lot - we wondered if the rocks set up on the edges were the ones he wanted to buy or the ones he was rejecting! Some people can really "get into" their rock hunting! And the goat? No way we have an explanation for that ... except that goat and geode begin with the same letter ...
Bottom line is that we don't sell petrified wood sinks and bathtubs, so we came away mostly empty-handed!
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Miners Coop Rock Show
Sports Park Tucson (formerly Mike Jacobs Sports Park) 6901 N Casa Grande Hwy, Marana, AZ January 26 – February 11 (9-5 daily) A mostly "mom and pop" tailgate dealer show - entirely outdoors and mostly selling on tables outside their travel trailers. This venue is heaven for lapidary enthusiasts - loads of uncut rough agate and other rocks and tons of already-cut slabs for lapidary projects. Much the material has been collected in the field by the sellers themselves, ensuring good provenance on much of the dealer inventory. Again, not much in the way of display-quality petrified wood specimens, but it is fun to see all of the different possibilities that rocks offer for making spheres, eggs, cabochons, bookends, carvings, and so forth! |
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1820 Oracle Wholesale Show
January 24 – February 11, 2024 Talk about end of an era at this ever-evolving set of shows! This location is under new ownership following the passing of Mike New and the sale of his very popular business. Top Gem had been a fixture of the Tucson wholesale show circuit for several decades. The new occupant of the space has a different business model focused on Internet sales, and while there are still flats of minerals for sale, the space devoted to it and the variety has dramatically dwindled. What used to be an opening day frenzy of mineral dealers looking for the best of Mike New's recent imports (and enjoying a free lunch with musical entertainment) now looks quiet and different. Meanwhile, the smaller shops in the industrial condominiums associated with the 1820 Oracle location continue to offer good prices and large quantities from which to select of their mineral specimens. It's always fun to look and learn. More information and a tribute on Mindat.com following Mike New's passing: https://www.mindat.org/mesg-600184.html |
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