Found a box of old stuff today

[RJB]

     I ran into this box of stuff today while at my other property.  Im going to keep one of these specimens, but my kids will get the rest for christmas.  Nice that I can do this for them.  I bought this stuff many years ago and this box never made it to any of my fossil shows.  So glad now. 

 

RB

[Kane]

Nice to rediscover these beauts, Ron! 

[FossilDudeCO]

I would love to see more of your "lost" collections!

[Fossil-Hound]

@RJB all I can say is I really wish I was one of your kids (son) because those Ammonites are gorgeous!  Keep unboxing those boxes! 

[ynot]

And the shed dig keeps producing more and more....

[RJB]

Really folks, most the stuff in my shed is just common stuff with a box here and there that has something nice in it.   Im slowly getting my display cabinets here in the house and cleaned up ready for more fossils, but i do things a bit more slowly nowadays.

 

RB

[JohnBrewer]

Happy to volunteer in tidying Ron @RJB 

[caldigger]

4 hours ago, JohnBrewer said:

Happy to volunteer in tidying Ron @RJB 

 

...but the bus fare!

[FossilDudeCO]

@RJB I have seen pictures of your "common" stuff, I would die to add FRACTIONS of your common stuff to my collection!

[ynot]

On 5/18/2017 at 6:08 AM, RJB said:

Really folks, most the stuff in my shed is just common stuff with a box here and there that has something nice in it. 

 

RB

Sounds just like any other good fossil formation.

[Wrangellian]

"One man's trash is another man's treasure" - on other words, "one man's common stuff is another man's hard-to-get-been-looking-for-one-of-those-for-a-while stuff". I don't presume to know your age but I think the older generations, at least generally, had it good, when there were fewer people collecting and more stuff was available, than today (my generation and younger, who get the leavings, as it were). There are exceptions of course, like when a new productive site gets opened up nearby (or in another country, for those who buy foreign fossils for resale or otherwise).

I could be wrong, and maybe when I see an older person's amazing collection, it could just be that they had an eye for fossils (or minerals or what-have-you) and spent most of their lives amassing that collection, but I still think part of it is that they were there first and most of the good sites are played out and some are now barred from collecting (more and more are).

[RJB]

Youve got a good point Wrangellian, but,,,  I can see that the older generation had it good in the 40's 50's and 60's.   I myself didnt get started till the 1990's.  My biggest problem was that once i found my very first fossil, ( an imprint of a clam),,, that was it.  I was hooked!!!   I quit all my other hobbies and did fossiling %100 at 100 miles per hour.  I ate, breathed and dreamed fossils.   and not that it was a compitition, but i moved more rock than anyone else.  I hiked farther than anyone else and climbed higher than anyone else.  My backpack was heavier than anyone elses.  Its simpy just the way i was.  Couldnt get enough of the excitment of finding that 'one' super good fossil.  Being a painting contractor i had lots of spare time in the wintertime.  I would go out in the pouring rain 5 times a week.  NO lie!  About 50 fossil hunting trips a year, with most of those being day trips though.  When I went out of state, there was no hotels for me, it was camping, rain or shine.  Saved a ton of money that way.  In the fish quarrys I would also camp in.  By the time other folks would show up, i already had several hours in and a pile of fish already.  By the time other folks would leave, i would keep on going till dark and get another pile of fish.  I did this whereever I went and I went to one heck of a lot of places each year.  This is the very condenced version. 

 

RB

[JohnBrewer]

4 hours ago, RJB said:

Youve got a good point Wrangellian, but,,,  I can see that the older generation had it good in the 40's 50's and 60's.   I myself didnt get started till the 1990's.  My biggest problem was that once i found my very first fossil, ( an imprint of a clam),,, that was it.  I was hooked!!!   I quit all my other hobbies and did fossiling %100 at 100 miles per hour.  I ate, breathed and dreamed fossils.   and not that it was a compitition, but i moved more rock than anyone else.  I hiked farther than anyone else and climbed higher than anyone else.  My backpack was heavier than anyone elses.  Its simpy just the way i was.  Couldnt get enough of the excitment of finding that 'one' super good fossil.  Being a painting contractor i had lots of spare time in the wintertime.  I would go out in the pouring rain 5 times a week.  NO lie!  About 50 fossil hunting trips a year, with most of those being day trips though.  When I went out of state, there was no hotels for me, it was camping, rain or shine.  Saved a ton of money that way.  In the fish quarrys I would also camp in.  By the time other folks would show up, i already had several hours in and a pile of fish already.  By the time other folks would leave, i would keep on going till dark and get another pile of fish.  I did this whereever I went and I went to one heck of a lot of places each year.  This is the very condenced version. 

 

RB

Wow that's dedication Ron! 

[JohnBrewer]

17 hours ago, caldigger said:

 

...but the bus fare!

Indeed but some of the booty will cover that! Oh and make up your own expressions Dorren instead of stealing mine 

[RJB]

Hey John:   More of a sickness?   Believe me, my back has paid the price for all that.  I pay for it everyday now.  Still, I go fossil hunting and bring home more rocks.  But I dont do nearly as many fossil hunting trips anymore!  But still, i will keep doing this till I cant.  Now thats gotta be a disease of some sort?

 

RB

[Kane]

1 minute ago, RJB said:

Hey John:   More of a sickness?   Believe me, my back has paid the price for all that.  I pay for it everyday now.  Still, I go fossil hunting and bring home more rocks.  But I dont do nearly as many fossil hunting trips anymore!  But still, i will keep doing this till I cant.  Now thats gotta be a disease of some sort?

 

RB

It has probably kept you young, Ron  

Not enough is said about the health benefits of fossil collecting. The aches and pains might be worse if you had just sat around all these years - and look what you have to show for it: a collection that so many of us would almost kill for!

[RJB]

Kane:  Thanks man.  I think your right. 

 

RB

[Wrangellian]

Aha, so you're just a workaholic fossilholic! But I think that still proves my point - you had to go further and last longer to get such a collection than most of us are willing to do. I met a guy (fossil people here on the Island will know who I mean) who managed to collect 30 000-40 000 fossils, mostly ammonites, in his time. He ended up donating them to the provincial museum. He must have put in the effort you have put in - every spare hour of each day for decades. I guess he started at least 40 or 50 years ago (he's above 80 now, if he's still alive). I figure I would not be able to collect nearly that many by the time I'm 80 even if I put in as much time as he did, because he got in when the getting was good...