John Betts - Fine Minerals, New York, NY
Dealers of Fine Minerals and Natural Crystal Clusters since 1989.

Sell your old mineral collection - We buy rock collections, we buy gem-mineral collections, we buy mineral collections

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What do you do with an old mineral collection?

Perhaps you are moving to a smaller home and can't keep all of you collection...
Or you inherited an old mineral collection and don't know what to do with all the heavy, dust covered boxes...
Or you are getting on in years and your children and grandchildren don't show any interest in your collection...

Sell your old mineral collection

You should consider selling your mineral collection.

We regularly purchase old mineral collections. We buy gem-mineral collections, we buy mineral collections. If your collection is located in the eastern U.S. we will travel to see the collection in person, and assess it's value. If a deal can be agreed to, you will receive immediate payment and we will box up the collection and take it with us.

We are only interested in buying high-quality, expensive minerals.

We are looking for clean, lustrous, undamaged, crystallized mineral specimens that are properly identified with labels. High quality does NOT mean large.

If your minerals are not top quality, then we are not interested in buying them and you should sell them in an Ebay auction where the bidders set the value.

We also purchase collections through the mail. You simply ship the collection, one box at a time, through the mail. As each box arrives we will call you to discuss the price for the contents. If we come to an agreed price, a check will be mailed that day and you can prepare another box of minerals to be shipped.

In the case of large, significant specimens that are valued over $1000, you should contact us via email (jhbnyc@aol.com) with photos, description, and asking price. If we are interested,  and accept your price, it will be pending inspection of the specimens.

(Remember to keep all the original labels or catalog with the collection - these greatly add to the value of the minerals. It is highly recommended that you take the time to catalog the contents of the collection. This will make it much easier to assess the collection's value. But it is understandable if you just want to sell it quickly, without much effort.)

Note: locality of origin does affect the value of a mineral. Locality is about half the value of good specimens. For example, a tourmaline from California may be worth $300, the same crystals from Brazil may be worth only $150, and the same crystals from Connecticut may be worth $750. Without a label of origin, the lowest price must be assumed.

Some items in the collection will be worthless as retail inventory. In this case, we arrange to donate the items to a local mineral museum in your name, so that you can get a tax deduction.

When selling your mineral collection, be prepared to answer these questions:

• Where are you located?

• How many mineral specimens?

• What size specimens (in general)?

• How much space does the collection take up in your home?

• Are they all labeled?

• If they are not labeled at this time, do you have a catalog or database identifying each mineral?

• Are they on display, loose, boxed or mounted?

• Any historic specimens or with provenance?

• What dealers have you been buying from?

• What is the average price you paid?

• Do you have a price in mind for the whole collection?

• If we reach an acceptable price, can I box the collection and take it with me, or do I have to make a second trip after you shop the collection around?

Are you ready to sell your mineral collection?

STEP 1. Send me am email answering all the above questions to jhbnyc@aol.com. NOTE: In the first email please do not send photos as an email attachment. For security purposes we NEVER open unsolicited file attachments.

STEP 2. After it is determine your collection is the type of minerals we want, you will be emailed instructions for sending photos of the collection. This usually involves posting images of the minerals to a public site like Flickr or Facebook, then sending a link to the images (if they are not too large you will be given permission to email them directly). Group images are sufficient, though detail images are helpful. Good exposure is most important.

STEP 3. I usually respond quickly with questions to determine interest in your minerals.

STEP 4. If we agree to proceed, I visit your home to inspect the minerals in person. If you plan on inviting other dealers to make offers, I prefer to be the last to visit so that you will be in a position to accept my offer -- eliminating the need for a second visit to your home to pick-up the collection.

ALTERNATE METHOD: If you live too far away for me to visit, you mail your specimens to my office. When mailing minerals, be sure to include in the package your telephone number (many people forget!) and return address. Be careful to protect the minerals against damage by wrapping each one individually. Damaged crystals are the number one cause of low/reduced resale value of mineral specimens. Upon receipt of the package I will assess whether the minerals meet my requirements and will call you to negotiate a purchase price for the minerals. If we can agree on an acceptable purchase price, I will mail a check or send PayPal payment that day. If we cannot agree, I will mail them back at my expense.

Or visit me at my next show.

 My article The Minerals of New York City is now available online. 

© John Betts - Fine Minerals, New York , NY - All Rights Reserved.
a division of allminerals.com, dealer of Fine Minerals since 1989.  

The minerals illustrated on this site were purchased from collectors or wholesale suppliers for resale purposes. The owner of this site did not collect the minerals and collectors should not assume access is permitted to the property based on inclusion in this site. Please contact the property owner to obtain legal permission before entering private property.