Brought to you by Trevor Boyd - Minerals Expert
What do you think? Should mineral & fossil specimens be kept only in museums? Should there be an open market trading minerals & fossils among private collectors? We always try to offer the best quality items in our Minerals and Fossils auctions, however sometimes we receive comments stating that these items should be in museums and not sold privately. Such a view is perhaps not surprising as we expect items of real beauty such as paintings, pottery or ancient jewellery to be held in museums where people can go to see them. There are two sides to this debate, so keep reading to discover arguments for both sides and form your own opinion.
Museums
Clearly, there are indeed many advantages to rare and valuable items, including minerals and fossils, being kept in museums.
1. Most museums do not charge entry fees, meaning that people from every social background can simply walk in to enjoy these amazing items. Very often this is the only opportunity for individuals to see such items.
2. Museum displays of minerals & fossils can inspire young people especially to enter careers around the geological sciences. Such careers are vital for sustaining many aspects of our societies.
3. Museums can safely store and protect specimens meaning that future generations will have the opportunity to see them and learn from them as well.
Fossil ammonites on display at the Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge, UK
4. Private mineral collections prevent the above opportunities and restrict the access to these specimens to individuals, who generally have either the opportunity or the money to obtain them.
Collections
However, do such arguments mean that there is no need for private mineral or fossil collections? Bearing in mind that the vast majority of mineral and fossil specimens are currently kept in private collections?
1. It could be argued that private collections are important as not everyone has access to museums, which are generally only found in the larger cities. People may therefore need to collect or buy specimens themselves in order to see and enjoy them.
2. The vast majority of museum specimens are actually in storage and are never seen by anyone. They remain safely wrapped in storage boxes and generally only see the light of day when museum staff are carrying out research or an inventory of specimens.
3. Many of the specimens contained in museums have actually been donated by private collectors. An example of this is the collection of Sir Arthur Russell who died in 1964 and who collected a huge range of important, British, European & Worldwide mineral specimens during his lifetime. On his death he bequeathed his huge collection of over 12,000 specimens to British Museum in London. Many of the specimens are now on show in the Natural History Museum in London.
The Mineral Gallery at the Natural History Museum in London
4. If there was no commercial market for mineral & fossil specimens they would probably never be collected at all, and would be lost forever. This is well illustrated with British Isles specimens. The large numbers of mineral collectors in England during the 19th and 20th centuries meant that miners frequently kept specimens which would otherwise have been crushed as ore, to sell to collectors. The majority of these specimens are still in circulation, either in private collections or museums. By contrast, in Ireland there were very few mineral collectors during this period. As a result historical mineral specimens from the very rich Irish mines are now extremely rare as most of the material was simply processed and destroyed.
This is a clearly very emotive subject. Many people enjoy visiting museums and many others love the thrill of collecting minerals and fossil specimens themselves. These are just some aspects of the debate - but whether you're shopping for specimens for your own private collection or for public display, Catawiki's weekly Minerals and Fossils auctions offer an array of excellent specimens. You can also sell specimens to collectors and museums on Catawiki. The first step is to register as a seller here and offer up your minerals, fossils and other exceptional items for auction.