Munich 2005
Munich 2005 is now over and, as has been the case for years, it had a large number of dealers, minerals on offer and visitors. From all four corners of the world dealers brought the rarest and best that could be found in their countries, and then there were all the collectors who came hoping to find their dream specimen on one of the stands - at a good price too, of course! This really is a fiesta for the senses and nobody that really likes minerals should miss the chance to attend the show at least once and see the huge number of 'rocks'. This year the weather was also great, temperatures were pleasant, the days sunny, and the overall combination of fine weather with the great feel of the show made for a wonderful time. We think that everyone found this to be a good year, better than the last few, and that, for better or worse, both dealers and collectors ended up well pleased. One thing we cannot fail to comment on was something we heard from most visitors: that the prices on too many stands were far too high and out of reach for normal people. Exceptional things are always very expensive (that is why they are exceptional) and minerals are no exception to this rule, but we feel that in the case of minerals that are not exceptional, just good, the prices should have only four figures, not five or six. These high prices cause dismay and dishearten many collectors who, and we must not forget this, are the basis of this little world. We had many conversations on this issue with many dealers and collectors during Munich, and everyone had their own opinion but we feel that in general people had the impression that it makes sense for everyone that we work together to hold prices down, especially for specimens that are just good, not exceptional. |
As we said, the weather was really good.
On Tuesday, 25 October, one could walk about in light clothes down any of the
streets of the villages near the show. The trees still had their leaves on, although
these were changing color, so it was nothing like the cold, gray days we have
had other years. The last photo shows me on the phone - there is never a moment
of peace for Fabre Minerals, not even before the show starts!
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The first two photos show the start of the
show, with everything to come once one has entered the impressively large show.
In the lower left photo you can see Joan Viñals, from the University of
Barcelona in front of our stand. Joan published the new mineral species Cobaltarthurite,
and from time to time he does chemical composition analysis for us on specimens
where we are not sure quiet what they are. On the right you can see one of the
many talks that go on in parallel with the show, and that make it even more interesting
for visitors.
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This was our stand and we hope it was attractive.
On the right you can see Joaquím Callén, the indefatigable photographer
from the Grupo Mineralógico Catalán (G.M.C.),
who was taking photos of some of the new material we had at the show. |
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