While the cold weather, ice, and snow in the Midwest may limit outdoor fossil hunting opportunities, the determined collector can still find new material to fight off the winter blues. It’s called retail therapy.
To that end, I journey to the Tucson Show. It is actually many overlapping events running for several weeks in January and February. Vendors from around the world descend on Tucson to sell fossils, minerals, gemstones, jewelry, shells, and so much more. They set up shop in hotel rooms, warehouses, vacant lots, and the convention center. Hundreds of vendors, countless tons of rock, acres of tables covered with specimens. It’s a challenge just to see it all.
For fossils, I focus on the Arizona Mineral and Fossil Show, which is held at several venues along Interstate 10 (www.mzexpos.com/arizona). You can enter a room that is literally filled with only Russian trilobites, hundreds of them, leaving the shopper with the wonderful problem of how to decide.
Russian trilobites.
Or a booth may be filled with only fossil fish from Wyoming, or Arizona petrified wood, or East Coast shark teeth, or Western dinosaur material. Even outside, you’ll find spectacular specimens, like giant fossil ferns from Wyoming and stunning iridescent Canadian ammonites the size of large hubcaps.
Large Canadian ammonite.
Large Moroccan ammonite.
Huge raptor dinosaur skeleton from Utah.
Giant fern fossil from Wyoming.
Plates of fish fossils from Wyoming.
The same unbelievable array of material is, of course, available to those who seek minerals and jewelry and…… For example, check out the decorative amethyst and citrine cathedrals from South America. There are booths that have only those, hundreds of them from which to choose.
Amethyst and citrine cathedrals from South America.
And what’s not to like about mountains on the horizon, a sunny sky, and 75 degrees in January? Plus all the geological features Arizona has to offer, such as Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, giant granite boulders in Prescott, and the cliffs and spires of Red Rocks in Sedona.
Petrified logs at Petrified Forest National Park.
Colorful “tepees” in Painted Dessert National Park.
Grand Canyon National Park.
Eroded spires of red rock in Sedona, Arizona.
So if you need a break from the Midwest winter, consider a trip to the Southwest. And if you go to the Tucson Show, perhaps I can offer suggestions on dealers who might have the fossil you seek.
Don
Don Bissett
A long-time member of the Dry Dredgers, I’ve been collecting fossils ever since moving to Cincinnati in 1975 to work at P&G. I was introduced to fossil collecting by Bruce Gibson, another Dry Dredger and co-worker at P&G. Shortly after that, I met Dredger Dan Cooper. Both of them taught me a lot about the hobby. Ever since, I’ve been hooked on fossils.
My primary focus is collecting trilobites and echinoderms, though I often find myself accumulating a much wider assortment of fossils. Beyond the collecting hobby, I’ve also had the opportunity to work with professional paleontologists – extremely rewarding experiences. Some of those have been described in Dry Dredger Bulletin articles, MAPS (Mid-American Paleontology Society) articles, and technical publications. I plan to share more about collecting and professional interactions in my blog posts.
Latest posts by Don Bissett (see all)
- Massie Shale Calymene - January 4, 2021
- Mississippian starfish - November 13, 2020
- Walcott-Rust Starfish - October 25, 2020
- Spathacalymene - September 20, 2020
- Penn Dixie Dig with the Experts 2018 - May 27, 2018
Where are the Russian trilobites?
While there are several dealers at the Tucson Show selling Russian trilobites, the two primary ones are St. Petersburg Paleo (rooms 122/124 at Ramada Limited which is west of I-10 off St. Mary’s Road) and Nord Fossil (rooms 305-306 at Hotel Tucson City Center which is east of I-10 off St. Mary’s Road). Enjoy.