Why should you catalog your mineral collection?
A mineral collection should be treated just like any other valued collection - whether it be art, coins, baseball cards, antiques, or really anything of personal or monetary value one might collect. In our view, minerals are truly nature’s art and should be regarded as such. And as any collector knows, a significant amount of time, energy, and money is invested, often through a lifetime, in curating a collection that represents their personal style and taste. It is truly a labor of love.
How do we ensure these collections and history of minerals are preserved through time? We can achieve this through careful cataloging and preservation of the collection. A thoughtful and organized process helps ensure the collection retains its value and the integrity of the mineral’s history. The most practical benefit of having an organized collection is to easily help you locate a specimen’s information and share it with others. Mineral collectors love to share their prized collections and outside of getting the honor of a personal in-home tour, sharing an online catalog could be the next best thing. Imagine being out with friends and you can pull up your collection right on your phone?
Longer-term, a carefully cataloged collection helps future owners determine the true value of your collection. If you wish to donate or sell your collection, or as sad as it is to think about, your family will someday be in the unfortunate position of handling your collection after your passing. A well-documented catalog along with well cared-for specimens will give an appraiser what they need to properly assess the value. While mineral collections aren’t typically covered by homeowner’s insurance, special policies are available and a well-documented inventory of your collection could be helpful here as well.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you begin your cataloging journey:
From a historical perspective, some attributes that impact a mineral’s value and historical significance include locality information, who mined the mineral and when, any previous owners, and if this mineral has been featured in any publications or competitions. Keep all labels and immediately document any information shared with you from the seller. Lost provenance or locality information can significantly devalue a specimen if the origin and provenance is lost and/or its rarity may be difficult to re-verify. Provenance is a common term in the mineral world and is used to denote past owners and/or any significant events. If you have seen “Ex: Person’s Name” on a label, this indicates the specimen was formerly owned by that individual. The “Ex.” is a carryover from the book collecting world, meaning “Ex Libris” which translates to “from the library of.”
Regarding the specimen itself when cataloging, it is important to identify all minerals present on the specimen (or as many as you can with certainty), record the dimensions and weight of the specimen, as well as make an assessment of the quality including damage, any known treatment or repairs, etc. Photograph the specimen from as many angles as possible and include videos in various lights, showcasing its best features.
So now you’re cataloging online, but what about labels on or with the minerals themselves? It is a personal preference, but it is a best practice to affix a number on the mineral itself. This way, if the label becomes separated from the mineral (or you choose to display it without the label for aesthetic reasons), you can always match the specimen number with the record in your database. If you already have a numbering system in place, some platforms allow you to enter your own personal reference ID in addition to the one created by the system upon entry. If you choose not to go this route, simply adding photos and videos to your catalog also helps to visually match the correct specimen with its database record.
We hope you will find the process of cataloging to be enjoyable, rewarding, and educational. For us, it brings out a renewed sense of joy and appreciation for the minerals we have collected. We highly recommend using mindat.org, the world’s largest open database for minerals, as a reference site; it is extraordinarily helpful in completing locality information and researching all kinds of mineral detail. It is a wonderful place to learn and is a great online resource for mineral collecting.
We will leave you with one final piece of advice: catalog immediately after obtaining the specimen. With everything going on in our busy lives, it’s just far too easy to forget the details.
Happy cataloging,
Cameron
P.S. We have launched our own cataloging website and app called Collect! Head on over to collectmineralclub.com and catalog for free!