cabby
freely admits to licking rocks
Wishing rocks weren’t so heavy…
Member since June 2024
Posts: 836
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Old stock
Jun 27, 2024 7:47:17 GMT -5
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Post by cabby on Jun 27, 2024 7:47:17 GMT -5
I read the thread about old stock, which clarified the term. What is the term for things that are still available but the size/pattern/quality has changed? I know that howardite gets mentioned a lot, but anything else of obvious note to watch for? I’ve only found a few receipts in the insta-horde so far, from the early 80s. As far as I am aware the majority of it has been sitting on the shelves since the late 70s to mid 80s. Labeling system is far from great (bag of turquoise rough had labels inside for Evan’s, robin egg, and misc, and I have no clue which is which!). Would love any suggestions of what things from this era I should be looking into further. I only have about 20% of the “collection” so far and no one is really sure WHAT is in there until I clean and sort everything!
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 27, 2024 7:56:11 GMT -5
As far as I'm aware, older stock, even if still available, is still called old stock. EX: I just bought a slab of readily available tiger iron, but it was old stock and has a pattern you just rarely find anymore. I wouldn't blink at calling 70s and 80s stock, "old stock". Surely, the quality must be better on some, if not most, of it.
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cabby
freely admits to licking rocks
Wishing rocks weren’t so heavy…
Member since June 2024
Posts: 836
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Old stock
Jun 27, 2024 8:07:06 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by cabby on Jun 27, 2024 8:07:06 GMT -5
I am assuming that some of the more readily available things such as malachite, tiger eye (13#?! Really?! And not a single worked piece found so far?!), and Brazilian agates haven’t changed enough to matter. Should I just assume that anything with a more specific locality (eg graveyard plume agate) is something to research? Honestly, it’s both exciting and exhausting to learn about the existence of things when I find labels… gets overwhelming pretty quickly. The original owner definitely liked buying more than using!
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 27, 2024 8:34:52 GMT -5
I am assuming that some of the more readily available things such as malachite, tiger eye (13#?! Really?! And not a single worked piece found so far?!), and Brazilian agates haven’t changed enough to matter. Should I just assume that anything with a more specific locality (eg graveyard plume agate) is something to research? Honestly, it’s both exciting and exhausting to learn about the existence of things when I find labels… gets overwhelming pretty quickly. The original owner definitely liked buying more than using! I think we are all guilty of hoarding collecting.
I see what you're saying. For more common stuff, it would be hard to call it old stock if it is no different than what you get today. I guess, over time and experience, you'll just get a feel for the ones that are better old stock. I know it gets confusing.
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cabby
freely admits to licking rocks
Wishing rocks weren’t so heavy…
Member since June 2024
Posts: 836
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Post by cabby on Jun 27, 2024 8:47:29 GMT -5
I haven’t seen any tiger iron yet (I think, could just be one of the many things so caked in sawdust that I have no clue what it might be). There’s a few labeled specimens that probably came from shows, but the majority seems to have been mail ordered. He was a bit of a homebody so I only really expect to find things easily purchased from catalogues. Attached pic is from cleaning the box of “jade”. At least that box had a label, and wasn’t just “misc rough”! But man do I have a lot of learning to do! Had no idea that larvikite even exists until I tried to figure out what the heck this not-jade is.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 27, 2024 8:51:42 GMT -5
LOL!
Feel free to post stuff in the ID section.
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cabby
freely admits to licking rocks
Wishing rocks weren’t so heavy…
Member since June 2024
Posts: 836
Member is Online
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Post by cabby on Jun 27, 2024 8:57:38 GMT -5
uhhhh that might be a bit much considering how few labels I have! Sneak peak of the “collection”. I have about 20% of the lapidary stuff so far. 13 of those plastic bins, 8 of the green metal bin, and around a dozen misc boxes and buckets. Around 3/4 of that is rough, the rest is misc things like grindstones and extra pulleys. Supposedly pretty much all of the other 80% to come is rocks. I have a loooong journey ahead of me!
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 27, 2024 8:59:54 GMT -5
uhhhh that might be a bit much considering how few labels I have! Sneak peak of the “collection”. I have about 20% of the lapidary stuff so far. 13 of those plastic bins, 8 of the green metal bin, and around a dozen misc boxes and buckets. Around 3/4 of that is rough, the rest is misc things like grindstones and extra pulleys. Supposedly pretty much all of the other 80% to come is rocks. I have a loooong journey ahead of me! We love seeing old collections like this. You never know what treasure you will find.
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Post by rmf on Jun 27, 2024 9:23:10 GMT -5
As far as I'm aware, older stock, even if still available, is still called old stock. EX: I just bought a slab of readily available tiger iron, but it was old stock and has a pattern you just rarely find anymore. I wouldn't blink at calling 70s and 80s stock, "old stock". Surely, the quality must be better on some, if not most, of it. Does that mean I am "old stock"? I have been cutting since 1972. Old stock is a marketing term. usually it means what the seller wants it to mean. however when I hear it I assume it was some of the first/better stuff (better pattern, less cracks, hard to come by). however they are rocks, that means they are all old stock. IMO
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realrockhound
Cave Dweller
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
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Post by realrockhound on Jun 27, 2024 10:22:58 GMT -5
My personal take on “old stock” is the original deposit dug, that in most cases was completely dug out from that deposit. Often times people will find a similar deposit of the material in the same vicinity. It’s all essentially the same stuff, however it’s a new location resembling similar characteristics. Thus being new stock.
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