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Post by holajonathan on Oct 24, 2021 19:54:14 GMT -5
I bought some very nice (and large) Biggs slabs from an older gentleman in Oregon. He bought them decades ago. Many have $2 written on them -- what he paid for them. He wrapped each up one in thin paper and lots of tape, before slipping them all into a USPS flat rate envelope. (He doesn't ship slabs much, apparently) 6 out of 7 arrived broken into pieces. I sent him photos, and he was very nice about it. He offered to refund me 100% and let me keep everything. I told him 50% was more than fair since the broken pieces are mostly large enough to cab. The emotionally weak should not scroll down. Here are 3 of the victims, photographed dry. Absolutely gorgeous when wet. All were about 5" x 3-1/2" before the USPS turned them into preforms.    |
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 24, 2021 20:08:16 GMT -5
I almost didn't look. I am emotionally weak when it comes to what I know can happen to slabs in the mail.
They are awesome, and... you still have some nice pieces left to cab.  (I would call the second and third pictures Deschutes, without a doubt.) |
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Post by Pat on Oct 24, 2021 20:22:21 GMT -5
That’s a shame. … disappointing … better broken now than later, and the preforming has already been started for you. I’ll be interested in how you finish preforming them. It’s a wonderful bunch of Biggs.
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 24, 2021 20:42:56 GMT -5
Very nice of him to offer the full refund...and even nicer of you to allow the 50%! It's a shame they broke...but they will still produce some amazing cabs. |
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 24, 2021 21:03:17 GMT -5
That’s a shame. … disappointing … better broken now than later, and the preforming has already been started for you. I’ll be interested in how you finish preforming them. It’s a wonderful bunch of Biggs. Some broke along fractures, which I consider the USPS doing me a favor. Others broke where there were no apparent fractures.  |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Oct 24, 2021 21:10:36 GMT -5
That's so sad. There are some very usable pieces there, though, so that's a positive. I bet the original slabs were stunning.
It's unfortunate that some of us older folks don't realize how brutal the USPS is on everything they ship now.
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 24, 2021 21:13:08 GMT -5
I almost didn't look. I am emotionally weak when it comes to what I know can happen to slabs in the mail.
They are awesome, and... you still have some nice pieces left to cab. (I would call the second and third pictures Deschutes, without a doubt.) I would have bought the broken pieces for more than I originally paid, so I'm not sad about the economics of the deal. I'm just sad I don't have the complete slabs.  An Ebay tip: find listings with awful photos and thus overlooked by others. This only works for amateur sellers. I avoid rock dealers / rock shops with bad photos since I assume they would make the effort to take good photos if doing so would bring higher prices. But bad photos, a poor listing title, and infrequent seller activity, often indicate someone who simply isn't good at the art of Ebay. It's still a risk, but it is a way to possibly get a good deal on nice rocks. I was only the second bidder on these slabs on a 7 day auction. Starting bid was $50, and I got them for $53. My photos show only 3 of the 7 slabs. The photos were so bad I could barely tell that two of the slabs were Deschutes. I might have paid $50 a piece for the intact Deschutes slabs as they were about 14 square inches a piece. |
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 24, 2021 21:16:03 GMT -5
That's so sad. There are some very usable pieces there, though, so that's a positive. I bet the original slabs were stunning.
It's unfortunate that some of us older folks don't realize how brutal the USPS is on everything they ship now.
Exactly. I only mentioned that the seller is an old timer because I suspect this is related to his naiveté regarding how well you have to package anything these days to keep the USPS from destroying it. It used to not be that way. Whatever has happened at the USPS because of covid has made it much worse. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 24, 2021 21:33:50 GMT -5
I almost didn't look. I am emotionally weak when it comes to what I know can happen to slabs in the mail.
They are awesome, and... you still have some nice pieces left to cab. (I would call the second and third pictures Deschutes, without a doubt.) I would have bought the broken pieces for more than I originally paid, so I'm not sad about the economics of the deal. I'm just sad I don't have the complete slabs. An Ebay tip: find listings with awful photos and thus overlooked by others. This only works for amateur sellers. I avoid rock dealers / rock shops with bad photos since I assume they would make the effort to take good photos if doing so would bring higher prices. But bad photos, a poor listing title, and infrequent seller activity, often indicate someone who simply isn't good at the art of Ebay. It's still a risk, but it is a way to possibly get a good deal on nice rocks. I was only the second bidder on these slabs on a 7 day auction. Starting bid was $50, and I got them for $53. My photos show only 3 of the 7 slabs. The photos were so bad I could barely tell that two of the slabs were Deschutes. I might have paid $50 a piece for the intact Deschutes slabs as they were about 14 square inches a piece.
I've been buying on eBay since it began just about. I used to collect cameos and have a nice collection. I always look for auctions like you described. One time I got an antique carved malachite cameo for 20.00. The woman had terrible pics, etc. When the auction was over she contacted me to tell me that it wasn't what she thought it was. In a nice way, I told her I didn't care and that I won it. I suspect someone contacted her dying to get their hands on it. It's worth about 600.00 and up and is quite rare. I used to buy cabs on eBay before I started cabbing- since about 2000. I've gotten some really sweet deals.
Your 53 was well spent. That Deschutes looks really good. |
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fencejumper
Cave Dweller 
Member since May 2021
Posts: 441
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Post by fencejumper on Oct 24, 2021 22:54:52 GMT -5
Real nice slabs,
The second 2, even broken?
Are rare as hens teeth now a days.
Deschuttes for sure
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Post by stardiamond on Oct 25, 2021 0:17:52 GMT -5
Unless a person collects slabs, the preform yield from the slab is what matters. Sometimes there is a big desert in the slab with some nice areas with patterns. It's a matter of finding some nice shapes to fit in the usable material.
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Post by stephan on Oct 25, 2021 0:18:38 GMT -5
Oh, that’s rough. I can’t bring myself to like the post. Definitely some nice material, even broken. Eager to see what you do with it. I see lots of possibilities.
Definitely seems like usps has gotten rougher in the last few years, and, like you say, even more so since COVID. Sorting machines breaking down? Morale? All I know is that anything I send from now on is getting extra padding. One box I sent to Jason was wrapped in cargo straps. They weren’t happy about it, but it stayed intact.
I’m glad the seller was willing to make it right.
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 25, 2021 9:22:22 GMT -5
Not to high jack your thread, but... Here is that malachite cameo. Hey, at least, it's rock related. |
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 25, 2021 9:26:12 GMT -5
Not to high jack your thread, but... Here is that malachite cameo. Hey, at least, it's rock related. Whoa. I am not a cameo fan or a huge malachite fan, but even I recognize that as something special! |
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 25, 2021 9:27:41 GMT -5
Not to high jack your thread, but... Here is that malachite cameo. Hey, at least, it's rock related. Whoa. I am not a cameo fan or a huge malachite fan, but even I recognize that as something special!
It is. The 3/4 face is pretty rare as are stone cameos. I love how the pattern in the stone flows into the carving.
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 25, 2021 9:29:45 GMT -5
Unless a person collects slabs, the preform yield from the slab is what matters. Sometimes there is a big desert in the slab with some nice areas with patterns. It's a matter of finding some nice shapes to fit in the usable material. You are absolutely correct from a pure cabbing perspective, especially if you intend to sell the cabs. I don't sell cabs and probably never will. Just a hobby for me. If they had not arrived broken, I would have face polished and displayed at least one or two of the slabs. I am not mad at the seller. And I recognize that the amount of cabbing material did not decrease substantially. But it still makes me sad to see such nice material broken in the mail. |
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 25, 2021 9:31:27 GMT -5
Whoa. I am not a cameo fan or a huge malachite fan, but even I recognize that as something special!
It is. The 3/4 face is pretty rare as are stone cameos. I love how the pattern in the stone flows into the carving.
The tilt of the head and neck angle are aligned perfectly with the flowing bands -- no accident, I'm sure. A real work of art. |
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 25, 2021 9:37:40 GMT -5
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 25, 2021 11:13:25 GMT -5
Those are some sweet slabs. But, considering you got them half off, it really is still a great bargain. Lots of cabbing potential.
A half inch slab... well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have any. LOL! They usually wait until I feel like doing a lot of grinding. But, I have been known to split preforms and you could do a double dome. Of course, you'll lose some in the kerf, but it should still be cabbable. I imagine some people are good at large pieces, but I have only braved preforms by hand with the thinnest blade. Then there is that BIG, thick gorgeous Ocean Wave that I sold to a collector because I didn't want to waste it or mess it up.
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Post by stephan on Oct 25, 2021 12:22:44 GMT -5
And finally, the one that arrived unbroken -- 1/2" thick and weighing 300 grams.   What would you do with a 1/2" thick slab? Specimen. Do you have a flat lap? |
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(I would call the second and third pictures Deschutes, without a doubt.)
