My VGMS show cases and other stuff (PIC HVY!)

Thanks for sharing all the great photo's. I really like that case that shows the cabochons and parent rock samples.

Is your united states case an example of rock from every state?

Chuck

Very cool tour Lowell! Man, I remember putting up and taking down all those cases and blue skirts so well. *L*

I cannot believe anyone would cut rare sweet potato t-eggs crosswise. What the h*ll is wrong with that guy anyway *L*. Your supposed to always cut them lengthwise so you can see the sweet potato shape. Otherwise, it's just a plain looking old round t-egg section. Sheesh!......Mel

Thanks all for the kind comments. I do really need to get a better fitting liner for the cases, but I like the black (and it's cheap.)

Jo,
One of my favorite parts of this hobby is coming across great people who are easy to talk to, and when dealing, aren't trying to take your last penny. The dealers Tom and Steven Wolfe fit that description. I didn't even know about this material and a mutual friend working the booth pointed it out, showed how beautiful it was, then turned it over to show the $6 price tag. I bought my daughter a green heart on top of the material for my wife.

Mel,
Taking down that stripping is a pain in the arse. It hasn't changed a bit. But the whole show is worth it. Last year the 50th Girl Scout jamboree was held at the larger facilities and we got a ton of them to come over to the show. This year a lot of them returned. We sold out of over 670 dollar grab bags before the end of Sunday. Our spinning wheel is pretty desolate now as well.
And we're cohosting the California Federation show at the end of May/beginning of June. Phew!

As for cutting the t-eggs, the owners are pretty knowledgeable but their focus in on money and not specimen preservation. Sometimes they don't know exactly what they have and sometimes they are just looking at moving the product. I cringe when I see beautiful nodules slabbed. With the sweet potato, I believe they only cut one to show the star pattern, but it loses so much of its beauty that way.
Still, cutting up agate more than necessary makes me shiver. I reminds me of people who pulled the handpainted flower illustrations out of books from the late 1800's because they were more valuable separated from the book than kept in it. Now many of those untouched books have spiked because so many have been defaced.

Chuck,
No about the 50 states. That would be killer, but I'm missing too many back east, and does Hawaii even have agate? I had to cut down from what I originally brought because I didn't want to have it too crowded, so a couple pieces had to go.

Brian,
Yeah, I lucked into an estate sale for $1 a pound. I call it my once in a life time sale. Myself and two others split about 400 pounds of the material. Most had little color, but some pieces look to have promise.

Thanks again all for looking,

Lowell