Post by rockpickerforever on May 1, 2018 10:59:47 GMT -5
A forewarning - Sorry for so many pics, but I feel they are necessary to give you the full flavor of this event. Besides, I think most everyone here lives for photos. Feel free to change the channel now, before it is too late, lol.
Saturday was a gorgeous day in San Diego, one could not have asked for better weather. We got to Balboa Park around 8:30 am. We had been told to get there early to secure a parking space, as there were other functions going on that same day. Turns out, there was no parking problem, the others must have been doing their thing in other parts of the park. It was a little overcast in the morning, giving way to sunny skies long before noon. Not sure how many times we have gone to this event, but I have photos of it from 2012, so at least 7 years. Have picked up a lot of goodies over the years, both rocks and lapidary equipment.
Please note: I have put starting bids for a lot of the items, but I have no idea how much they all ultimately sold for. I was too busy running around checking my bids to keep track of other stuff! I only know what I paid for things.
Without further ado, here's some pics.
Setting up. I always try to take photos before the hoards come, lol.
Didn't take any pics later on, but by 2:00 pm, this area was pretty full of people shopping for bargains.
The command center, where one would get a name tag, register to bid and get a yellow bracelet to ID them as a bidder.
Giant ficus tree provides shade and dingle berries to sit on, yuck.
Just the start of the equipment. More came in over the next hour or two.
14" Highland Park saw, starting bid $80
Just one of several cabbing units
A couple more cabbing units center left
HP flat lap
Two Poly arbors, starting at $5 ea.
Diamond wheel unit, $30 to start.
A lot of rough and specimens, these are fossils. Starting bid $5.
Tables starting to fill up with goodies
Still setting up, bidding has not started yet.
Yes, that is a Covington tumbler, starting bid $5. People make donations of such throughout the year, the club puts them on the auction block.
Buckets of medium to large sized rocks for slabbing or tumbling. I didn't bid on any rock buckets this year.
This is the way to buy slabs! You never know what you'll find inside!
We picked up this dop transfer jig for faceting ($7). Collecting supplies for when I have the time to get into that.
Faceting rough. I have enough for now.
Some real stones, some synthetic.
Lortone QT12 barrel
A bidding war ensued, but this came home with us for $18. (Photo taken before I cleaned it up)
As did the transfer jig, $7.
And now for the ugly rock contest. Three categories: Ugly, Mimic and Embellished. Price to enter, $1 each.
You have to name them, too, which can make all the difference between winning and losing.
Our three entries. Ugly - Malignant. Should maybe have called it tumorous, I think some people did not get it.
Mimic - Duck bill
And Embellished - Freckles
I was a little disappointed that someone had either dropped it, or dropped something on top of it, breaking off the upper left side of the mouth.
Turned it into a harelip. (No one said anything to me about it afterwards, maybe figured I wouldn't notice?) Oh well, just a rock...
Raffle prize cabinets early on
These cabinets were both stuffed by the time the raffle was held.
We usually do pretty well at the raffle, as we buy a bunch of tickets. Won the Amethyst Cathedral one year. Only had one winning ticket this year, the prize a carved stone coaster set (and it only cost us $80 to win it, lol.) But all the money raised goes to the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society, so I don't mind.
Here are a few of the vendors selling stuff.
$16 a pound for old glass, whodathunk?
Slabs, lots of them!
I did not look through this box, out of my price range! Did not even want to know what I was missing.
These are the millefiori slabs I posted earlier for James. I should have bought one of each color.
An interesting desert rose I bought from one of the vendors.
Have plans for this for next years ugly rock contest, embellished division.
Rocks I bought. Price paid written on bags.
Slab bags
Peanut obsidian.
Hornitos poppy.
This one is marking "pudding." Very patriotic looking.
I'm thinking Bull Canyon Consensus is Horse Canyon on this. Images on Google look right. Anyone, please correct me on anything if I am wrong.
I know that this is a butt load of photos, but believe it or not, I did not post all that I took. If you care to see more, please visit my Flickr album of the show: flic.kr/s/aHsmiFsaow
That's about it. Thanks for looking! Jean