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Selling of a life time collection...NOW...some pictures added

KingTotsalot

Official Tot Lot King
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Joined
Mar 18, 2011
Messages
10,421
Location
Mabelvale, south of Little Rock, Arkansas
For the past 11 years, KT has been selling portions of His Royal Mineral Collection. Until this past Sunday, KT had disposed of about 35% of the specimens collected over a 50 year span. Although when His Majesty first started He was emotionally attached to each specimen, but as He was trained in University, He began to take on a more detached attitude, using His Royal Mineral Collection as a ready resource for writing numerous national and International articles, as well as several books, and numerous talks to both hobbyists and professionals. So it was time to sell the remaining collection, and He was contacted by a mineral dealer from Oregon, whose shop burned to the ground this fall, and everything in his shop destroyed. He contacted KT 3 weeks ago, and arrived at the Castle on this past Monday with a 15 foot Uhaul truck. With his assistant, the 3 of us wrapped and packed about 1500 specimens, and 6 display cases. KT is not suffering separation anxiety because He was well paid!

Now KT is involved in setting up a King Cave Room in the former display room. His Majesty enjoyed shopping today for a new Royal Recliner for this room...found one that is electric with more bells and whistles than a steam train engine of yore! And instead of waiting 5-6 weeks for delivery, it will arrive at the Castle this coming Saturday afternoon, delivered and installed!

It has been a busy past few days for KT...the best thing is that the dealer was not interested in the micromounts that KT has been involved with the past 15 years! His Majesty still has a few thousand of those to sell and trade with His Royal Associates of similar interests.

KT got paid well enough that he can buy most any gun He fancies, but being a frugal old King, He shall search for solid inexpensive specimens for camo painting! Had thought about an AR-15, and a lot of folks are camopainting them, but KT is just not into that aspect of survival, believing a Castle bristling with shotguns to be enough to keep the raiders at bay! :D:D
 
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That was some collection KT !

I always thought that fluorescent minerals that glow under longwave and shortwave UV light is really neat, I'm not a big collector but have a few small samples that are neat to look at occasionally.

These are from an online pic, they are not mine, just posting as an example
fluorescent-minerals450.jpg
 
When I first read this I thought you meant silver coin specimens!

I didn't realize the Royal hoard included minerals, and a lot of them!
 
I’m sorry. Specimens? How about some pictures?

No need to be sorry! Selling is a viable alternative to having them go into a dumpster due to no interest from any family member. KT has many 100s of digital pictures of individual specimens, way too many to start posting them in this forum. If you wish, His Majesty will post a few in this thread. ;);)
 
That was some collection KT !

I always thought that fluorescent minerals that glow under longwave and shortwave UV light is really neat, I'm not a big collector but have a few small samples that are neat to look at occasionally.

These are from an online pic, they are not mine, just posting as an example
View attachment 475066

Yes! There were a few fluorescent specimens in the collection, including several spectacular specimens from the classic Franklin, New Jersey location. KT was lucky enough to assemble a rather spectacular collection for the state Geological Survey during His Royal Work years.
 
When I first read this I thought you meant silver coin specimens!

I didn't realize the Royal hoard included minerals, and a lot of them!

Ha ha! Yes, there are still a few other hoards that have not been revealed to the masses. KT's home town is Hot Springs, Arkansas, a very popular health and spa resort, actually an international city based on its many visitors. Before formal postcards began to be popular, late 1890s, there were cards with artistic drawings of well known buildings, spas, and local vistas. With the beginnings of eBay several years ago, KT began to collect post cards from that town...presently about 1300 different in the collection...often bid against a local resident who has a collection of some 2200! Ha ha. KT also collects Roman coins, Arkansas centennial and bicentennial first day covers, and silver halves. One might say KT is a collector...of many things. Ha ha. Now His Majesty values friends much more than things.
 

KT had about 400 books relating to geology, mineralogy, and Arkansas geology, including all the early state survey publications, beginning with the early explorers...1819 to 1835.... Statehood was 1836...first geological surveys beginning in 1857-58, and 1859-1860, then the original first geological surveys from 1888-1900, then beginning in 1930 thru current years. The general books were donated 10 years ago to the earth science department of UA at Little Rock. Just this past week the state publications were donated to a local quarry operation for their geologist's benefit, with a written agreement for right of access by KT should He need any of them. Also, for the miscellaneous rock and mineral hobby, KT has set aside small collections for a couple of good friends.
 
Here are some pictures of a few of the mineral specimens that were in the Royal Collection. Enjoy!

The first pic is of an Anatase crystal from a quarry at Magnet Cove, AR.

Second picture is of Brookite crystal from Magnet Cove. This image won 1st prize at last years Cleveland Micromount Symposium.

Third picture is of a rare mineral DeLindeite, named after one KT's lifelong friends and associates. From Magnet Cove.

The next picture is of a Felsobanyaite sphere from the dump of a barite mine near Magnet Cove.

The last pic is of the mineral Sincosite-Ce, a rare mineral, from the Wilson Springs Vanadium mines east of Hot Springs about 10 miles.
 

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Very nice! I have a hard time understanding the scale though, if I remember correctly you have a pretty slick microscope camera setup, right?
 
I grew up with a rock hound across the street and could hear his diamond saw cutting for long periods of time😐
Anyhow congrats on selling your mineral collection.
 
Very nice! I have a hard time understanding the scale though, if I remember correctly you have a pretty slick microscope camera setup, right?

KT's Royal Microscope is a digital led lit Chinese toy microscope, as described by one of KT's best friends, who is a civil engineer and into photographing tiny crystals with his homemade rig...which he has several 100 dollars invested in! :laughing::laughing: His pictures are better at higher magnification, most of what KT works with is photographed from 15 to 40 magnification. His Majesty has $55 invested in His Set Up! :laughing:

The first pic is 20x, second is 15x, next one is 40x, 4th one is 15x, and last one is 15x. ~ size of crystal picture horizontally at 15x is 1.5 mm, also called FOV..field of view... So the only picture of a tiny mineral is number 3, small enough you will not easily see with a 10x hand lense.
 
I grew up with a rock hound across the street and could hear his diamond saw cutting for long periods of time😐
Anyhow congrats on selling your mineral collection.

Yeah, that can be annoying! That fellow was a lapidary, they cut and polish rocks and gems. And a Royal Thanks! Since one can't take stuff like that with you, KT decided it was better not to leave that burden on the Royal Family of having to dispose of it, because of lack of interest and knowledge, they had no idea of the value.

Incidentally, The new Royal Chair has arrived and KT is enjoying watching college football in the Royal Man Cave presently! Have ordered a new 3 shotgun gun rack to mount on the Wall, once KT camo paints it too! :laughing::laughing:
 
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