How Do You Display And Catalog Your Micros?

[Ridgehiker]

Herb

Thank you.

Marco Sr.

Thank you. I really like your displays. Coin holders have some advantages over gem jars like cost and space requirements. But if you want to get at the specimens (to take pictures) you have to take out the staples. It is also easier to position specimens the way you want in the gem jars versus the coin holders. Sometimes I wish I had gone the coin holder route. Other times I'm happy with the gem jars. Both work well for the larger shark, ray, fish etc. micros. However neither will work at all for the true micros where you need slides like you have shown.

Marco Sr.

In general I prefer the gem jars. However, most of my collection predates the Internet. I only became aware of easily available gem jars via EBay. After seeing the aesthetic appeal of your collection, I may switch to more gem jars

Having said this, collecting is a bit quirky. Not sure what is 'practical' ...as I often reflect on the insanity of it all. I have thousands of specimens that I have collected, curated, have neatly displayed or in cabinets and all because....? What ultimate purpose? Collecting stamps, cards, shells, fossils is a weird addiction. Perhaps a healthy addiction but odd when I stand back and look at it all. I'll be long gone before I end up ever actually studying 1% of them.

[MarcoSr]

I'll be long gone before I end up ever actually studying 1% of them.

I'm definitely trying to get as many of my specimens into museums as possible. That hasn't been going very well. When they promise to at least study the material I donate. So far I've had less than a 50% success rate in them studying the specimens that they said they would. I don't want to donate and have the material wind up in a drawer in the basement that never gets looked at. What is left will go to my sons. They have better collections than I do so they don't care at all if I donate things.

Marco Sr.

[Ridgehiker]

I'm definitely trying to get as many of my specimens into museums as possible. That hasn't been going very well. When they promise to at least study the material I donate. So far I've had less than a 50% success rate in them studying the specimens that they said they would. I don't want to donate and have the material wind up in a drawer in the basement that never gets looked at. What is left will go to my sons. They have better collections than I do so they don't care at all if I donate things.

Marco Sr.

Having been in academia, research, etc., I'm jaded. The very last place I donate anything to is large museums, geology departments etc. I know first hand what happens to 99% of donated specimens. We certainly didn't have time or inclination to study someone's prize specimen instead of a hundred other possibilities already sitting in the dungeons.

I donate a specific specimen to a specific researcher that I know is doing active work on the group (not some future possibility) and I will donate a show piece to a small museum for display...they will actually use it. Other material I will give to fellow collectors who share a passion for a certain group of fossils.

When I leave this world, nobody will really care about my conodonts or ostracod collection. Or, if they care it will only be 'that's nice'. Best to give it all away to someone younger who appreciates them.

The reality...I've known many older rock hounds who spent years in the hobby. The joke is that most of what they collected ends up as driveway gravel after a few specimens are cherry picked by some friend the family has asked to go through the estate.

[MarcoSr]

Having been in academia, research, etc., I'm jaded. The very last place I donate anything to is large museums, geology departments etc. I know first hand what happens to 99% of donated specimens. We certainly didn't have time or inclination to study someone's prize specimen instead of a hundred other possibilities already sitting in the dungeons.

I donate a specific specimen to a specific researcher that I know is doing active work on the group (not some future possibility) and I will donate a show piece to a small museum for display...they will actually use it. Other material I will give to fellow collectors who share a passion for a certain group of fossils.

When I leave this world, nobody will really care about my conodonts or ostracod collection. Or, if they care it will only be 'that's nice'. Best to give it all away to someone younger who appreciates them.

The reality...I've known many older rock hounds who spent years in the hobby. The joke is that most of what they collected ends up as driveway gravel after a few specimens are cherry picked by some friend the family has asked to go through the estate.

I really do understand what you are saying. So far I've only donated to museums through researchers who were involved in studying the types of material that I was donating and showed a true interest in studying the material. I also understand that most collectors' prized specimens are of little interest to most museums. Even with interested researchers, who promised they would study the material, less than half followed through to date. Not a good record. In retrospect I have really enjoyed collecting all my specimens. So I guess anything that does get studied and described is an added bonus.

Marco Sr.

[Foram-Mike]

As Celka is out of business I use Kreativika cells Type 13 and 15. The advantage is, that the finds of one sample may fit into one single cell. They sell at about 2-3 USD / cell depending on amount + postage.

http://kreativika.sk/

Note, that this is storage stuff for microfossils 0,05 to 2mm

NOT for your small macrofossils such as shark teeth at 1cm

Michael

Foraminifera.eu Project

www.foraminifera.eu

[Yvie]

You could take pictures of them on different coloured,textured backgrounds then do a montage,blow up on to a canvas print admire daily.