My Show & Event Schedule

The Denver News, there is a lot of it!

The 2024 Denver shows have come and gone. It was an usual year because about half of the shows were in new locations. That didn't stop collectors and buyers from finding them, though.

Our Just Minerals & Crystals Event remained at the Gateway Marriott isolated on the east side of Denver, but had the largest turnout of shoppers ever! Thanks to all of you who came for the bargains!

The Colorado Minerals and Fossil Show, formerly at the Crowne Plaza, moved south to the Marriott Tech Center at the south end of Denver on I-25.and had a good steady crowd of attendees and widespread reports of happy vendors.

The Hardrock Summit moved from the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver to Westminster, CO in the northwest metro area at the Westin Hotel. This show features many high-end dealers and the Original Denver Gem and Mineral Show as an included event. Free parking and admission drew large crowds, but high-end collectors were sparse, as has been the situation at many major shows this year.

A new satellite show opened in Westminster's Drury Hotel a few blocks from the Westin featuring about ten dealers and led by the Rocskaholics. The show drew many collectors in search of affordable nice specimens and it did well.

Change will once again be a feature in Denver in 2025 some good, some bad.

The Colorado Minerals and Fossil Show had only a one year contract at its new location and will move to Northglenn, CO, just north of downtown, in a brand new Delta Hotel (also a Marriott property). This location is also on I-25 but only 7 miles east of the Hardrock location. The neighborhood is new and filled with nice restaurants and shopping and will become a major hub for the Denver show.

Our Just Minerals & Crystals Event will move to Thornton, CO at a nice and recently updated Doubletree Hotel (a Hilton property) that is literally across the street from the Delta. The street, 120th Ave, is a the city boundary between Thornton and Northglenn. Due to an unfortunate change in the Hardrock, "Just Minerals' will be forced to open on Labor Day (which in on Sept 1 again in 2025). The first two days, as in the past, will cater to dealers looking for bargains for their shop and internet businesses and collectors as well. In a change though, the show will now extend for four more days, with both wholesale items and retail high quality mineral specimens at discounted prices. Some of our dealers will attend only the first two days because they lack adequate staff to cover there booth at Hardrock as well. Many big names will remain through the weekend. This overlap with Hardrock will give serious collectors another place to shop. Our show will also overlap with the shows in the Delta and Drury hotels and late arrive wholesale and retail buyers an opportunity as well.

The Drury show will continue in place in 2025 but will also expand by adding one floor of dealers working from their rooms in addition to the dealers in this year's small event room. I expect the expansion to fill quickly with vendors who could not find space this year and others leaving where they were this year in search of a less expensive venue.

All of that is good news for collectors and dealers alike.

The bad news is a poor decision by the management of Hardrock. The principal promoter of that show also promotes the fine Munich show in Germany. Like other foreign promoters in the past, he fails to appreciate American culture and holidays. As a result, he has moved Hardrock from being the traditional grand finale on the second weekend in September to the first weekend impacting the Labor Day Holiday. This date change and an increase in the already very high booth rent was objected to by many current Hardrock vendors, but it is moving forward regardless. The Denver "Showcase" will continue through the following week including all of the activity mentioned above and at the Coliseum/Stockyard area, as of latest announcements.

My Show and Event Schedule

I subscribe to the free Roskin Gem News Reports, (gary@roskingemnewsreport.com) that you might also enjoy. A recent version had a nice discussion of the value of "trade shows". It stressed that although there are good things on the internet (and I would add, seen with traveling dealers), there is nothing like attending shows to get the vibe of what is new, what it costs, and who is the source. Socializing is important. Finding the dealer who shares your taste and learning that many booths have similar items, but at widely varying prices, is really important to educated collectors. Attend shows, visit fun cities, and make new mineral friends! The current issue has an article about recent large diamond crystals being found in African mines.

Leonard Himes Dealer in Fine Mineral Specimens

Our shows are finished for 2024.

We invite collectors to visit us in Monument CO by appointment.

Our next shows will be in Tucson in January and February in our rearranged room in Mineral City, Building C

We welcome appointments for showroom visits in Colorado when we are at home.

Please make an appointment in advance. By email or phone is best.

This was the second year of special events at the Gallery, first in Spring and another in Autumn. Think of them as symposia. Cal Graeber will have our room open for this Fall's event.

In addition to lectures and a banquet focused social event, The Crystal Classic room and several others, including Graeber & Himes, are open for shopping between lectures. We always have Southwestern, USA and worldwide specimens priced from $100 to many thousands. Our current displays feature worldwide affordable amethysts & USA and Mexican crystals. If you can't make the event, you can still shop in our room year-round. Just visit the Crystal Classics room across the hall and ask to se our room. The CC staff will handle your purchase.

We remind you that the Tucson Fine Mineral Gallery is open from 10 AM until 4 PM Monday through Friday during the year. Please ask to visit the Graeber & Himes room.