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Tucson Fossil Show Guide 2020


Troodon

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Here is a quick guide to the key fossil venues of the 2020 Tucson Fossil Show.  A list of vendors are in the links I've attached.  

 

Tucson Hotel City Center  Venue: official dates Feb 1 -15

Details and dealers/displays

https://www.mineralshowslld.com/tucson

 

One of the better venues for fossils in general, a few of good Shark and Dino dealers are present.  Dealers start getting there early some will open as early as the 27th since most are in private rooms.  Most by the 29th.  The Main ballroom opens on the 30th where you find Displays and the Black Hills Institute.  Pete Larsen is typically there and has had no problem answering questions. 

Parking is very limited so get there early, they do have remote parking, a short walk.  It's within walking distance to the Day's Inn venue.     Big venue for minerals and meteorites.

This is the last year at this venue will post later whats going on for 2021 lots of changes expected

 

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Days Inn (formerly the Ramada) venue - official show dates Feb 1 to 15

An AAPS show guide will come out shortly giving more detail.. Will attach link.

https://xpopress.com/show/profile/25/fossil-mineral-alley

 

In my opinion the best venue for fossils especially Invertebrates, Dino and Shark.  Lots of high end European dealers.  Parking is reasonable

Please note dealers get there early so expect some to be open on on Jan 28 and leave early so quite a few are not there the last week.  European dealers stay to the end and party cannot beat the weather.

 

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22nd Street Show venue:  Official Dates Jan 30 to Feb 15  (no early access like the other venues)

https://www.22ndstreetshow.com/

 

Used to be one of the better shows its turned into a parking nightmare and contains mostly trinket and junk dealers.  Having said that there are several key fossils dealers present and unfortunately a MUST visit.  Just be prepared to fight parking and do LOTS of walking and complaining.  They keep making this show bigger at the expense of parking.  $5 to park.  Get there before it opens to ease the pain and do not plan to come back after you leave.  A short drive south from the two venues just mentioned before.

 

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Already erecting the mile long venue tents

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Co-op venue Official dates January 31 to Feb 16

https://xpopress.com/show/profile/44/mineral-fossil-co-op

 

A couple of dealers are there year around but others are there just for the show.   Best to wait to do the other venues first then hit this one.  Have an interesting variety of items, fossils, minerals, sandstone and has had a nice dinosaur showcase of museum grade skeletons.. See what this year brings.

 

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Kino Show  Official :Jan 30 to Feb 30

https://xpopress.com/show/profile/41/kino-gem-mineral-show

 

Huge show separate from downtown.   Cool place to visit has everything..and fossils.  Big Moroccan tent dealers are located here.  Watch out for the fakes.

 

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Main Street Venue  Feb 2 to 16

https://xpopress.com/show/profile/43/main-avenue-fossil-mineral-show

 

Interesting venue.. mineral/fossil dealers in tents and nice Moroccan fossils in building and a small museum.  Across the street is a cool group of Moroccan Tent dealers.  Again watch out for fakes they abound, negotiate heavily with these dealers.  

 

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Overall guide for all the shows.  Most venues other than the pure Gem one have fossils...  50 shows and venues.  It takes up the city plus

 

https://xpopress.com/showcase/profile/1/tucson-gem-mineral-fossil-showcase

 

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We will be there Again this year In Room 222 Hotel Tucson City Centre. We open Monday 27th and close Monday 10th February. open 9.30 to 6 everyday. selling the best range of British fossils at show. Hope to see you all there. :-) 

 

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5 minutes ago, fossils-uk said:

We will be there Again this year In Room 222 Hotel Tucson City Centre. We open Monday 27th and close Monday 10th February. open 9.30 to 6 everyday. selling the best range of British fossils at show. Hope to see you all there. :-) 

 

Early bird and I can vouch that you do have some excellent British invertebrate and vertebrate material.

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Bummer!!! I will be in AZ til the Jan 20th then back on Feb 13th :( Maybe I can get down there on Feb 14th?? Never made it to the show before.  Have hit the pre-show stuff at Quartsite before.

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33 minutes ago, HamptonsDoc said:

Very curious about where the HTCC show will be in 2021...

its at a resort near the foothills,  they told me just forgot.  Since Zinn sold the shows the two, Days Inn and HTCC are independent.  Parking is not a huge issue at HTCC since the vacant lot they used is gone.

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George Winters:

The 2020 edition of the guide will be available at the following locations starting on Monday January 27th, at The "Welcome to Tucson" tables in the Tucson International Airport. On the 30th at The Tucson 22nd Street Show, The Hotel Tucson City Center, The Days Inn (Mineral and Fossil Alley), The Mineral Fossil Marketplace, the Mineral Fossil Co-op, The Granada Gallery, the Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show, and the 13th Tucson Gem and Mineral Society Show, as well as the rooms of many of the AAPS Business Members during the shows.

2020-AAPS-Guide-lg.thumb.jpg.449236e22a02e8374ffe7894193b72e1.jpg

 

 

pdf download

https://www.aaps.net/pdf/2020-AAPS-fossil-guide-lo-res-with-bleed.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0G3a-kN00eVrgXVoGbEvikABuZHc9g_Dww3E7WYr_wISqsK-hZQzd5Vd8

 

 

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Another great booklet is this one.  Its available at all the major fossil venues.  Contains dealer listings and venue maps to make getting around easy and finding dealers a snap.  Great booklet and a must for first time show visitors. 

 

Shuttles are available between fossil venues and routes are shown.

 

Does not include the 22nd street show which is a separate show.

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Can be read online:

https://issuu.com/prismagraphic2/docs/167999_xp_proof

 

 

I usually keep past ones as a reminder of venues and dealers that are gone.  I liked past covers better ...20200112_143626.thumb.jpg.494e10045e4d673920d5c45402dee989.jpg

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A couple of updates after my visit

 

The Days Inn has recently changed ownership and are now the owners at this venue.  No sense that this will impact the show this year or next.  Time will tell...

 

The Arizona Mineral and Fossil show currently at the Tucson City Center will be moving in 2021 about 40 miles north to the Hilton Conquistador located in the Oro Valley.   A number of the fossil dealers I spoke to today said they are not moving and are looking to see if they can say or go elsewhere.  Problem being there is no show promoter for this venue.   Stay tuned this can get messy..   Canada Fossils has already indicated they will be moving to the Pueblo Venue next to interstate 10.  Heard rumbles that the Black Hills Institute will be moving to the Market Place Venue

 

In the Beginning Fossils who traditionally has been at the 22nd St show is also moving to the Market Place Venue but this year.   Most fossil dealers are fed up with the 22nd St show.  Its a trinket show will see if more follow next year.

 

@HamptonsDoc

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Wow, lots of changes are coming...and they don't sound good!  I think dealers going to the new Hilton venue in Oro Valley will definitely loose business since its so far away form the other shows.  Makes sense for the HTCC crowd to find other places in Tucson proper.  Pueblo or Kino wouldn't be bad if they can stick together.  The market place is small... not too much room there to move to.  22nd Street is terrible.... its so big and you have to walk through literal miles of garbage to find the fossil dealers.  If it weren't for the few key dealers (In the Beginning, Dinosaurs of America, etc) I think most fossil collectors would skip it.  I also hate how you're kicked out at exactly 6pm when they close.  I love wandering through the Days Inn and HTCC early morning and evening and still finding great deals and making friends with dealers.  The 10-6 hours of 22nd street is very limiting.

 

What has become of the old Vagabond property?  Isn't the building still standing?  I heard that previously they wanted to make it a nursing home but couldn't because of lack of handicapped accessibility... would be nice if dealers could get together and buy the property and form something similar to the co-op.  Maybe its time we invest and open our own venue!

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1 minute ago, HamptonsDoc said:

The market place is small... not too much room there to move to. 

Thats what I thought but Stu indicated that they have gotten additional parking and are renovating and ganging trailers together to accommodate lots of dealers with plenty of room.  Will check it out tomorrow.   Not sure what is going on with the Vagabond.

 

 

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22 hours ago, HamptonsDoc said:

Wow, lots of changes are coming...and they don't sound good!  I think dealers going to the new Hilton venue in Oro Valley will definitely loose business since its so far away form the other shows.  Makes sense for the HTCC crowd to find other places in Tucson proper.  Pueblo or Kino wouldn't be bad if they can stick together.  The market place is small... not too much room there to move to.  22nd Street is terrible.... its so big and you have to walk through literal miles of garbage to find the fossil dealers.  If it weren't for the few key dealers (In the Beginning, Dinosaurs of America, etc) I think most fossil collectors would skip it.  I also hate how you're kicked out at exactly 6pm when they close.  I love wandering through the Days Inn and HTCC early morning and evening and still finding great deals and making friends with dealers.  The 10-6 hours of 22nd street is very limiting.

 

What has become of the old Vagabond property?  Isn't the building still standing?  I heard that previously they wanted to make it a nursing home but couldn't because of lack of handicapped accessibility... would be nice if dealers could get together and buy the property and form something similar to the co-op.  Maybe its time we invest and open our own venue!

 

I started going to the shows in the late 80's.  Back then, just about everything fossil was along the I-10 strip from the Desert Inn to the Discovery Inn.  The Desert Inn was across the road from what is now the Days Inn.  People would go to dinner sometime after 4pm and be back by 7 and some opened their doors again for business for a couple of hours.  This was long before there was a show at the HTCC.  A few years later, the Desert Inn closed and was flattened and the shows started moving around.  There were still fossils "on the strip" but some dealers moved to the Executive Inn and then the Ramada had a show.  The Ramada became the Vagabond after that.  

 

Anyway, the thing about the 22nd Street show or the HTCC ballroom is that dealers have to be in there from 10am to 6 pm and they're in their booths before that.  That's a long day.  I know because I've helped friends at those shows.  By 6pm a dealer is tired and hungry and ready to go sit somewhere and relax.  There's always someone who shows up at 555 and wants to talk for a while and maybe buy something.    

 

The reason things shut down is because of security.  That's when the security people are in charge and they don't want anyone in there who is not a dealer in that space after 6pm, especially since the dealers themselves have to get going.  Even when a lot of dealers got individual rooms, most still shut down for dinner and didn't open again until the next day. 

 

Jess  

 

 

 

 

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