Fine mineral specimens, from the localities that made them collectable.
Tsumeb and Ojuela, Broken Hill and the Cornish copper mines, Weardale fluorite and the Caldbeck lead secondaries — what each locality produced and how to buy well.
Broadstone Minerals deals in fine mineral specimens worldwide, with particular depth in the classic British localities. This site holds 67 reference pages covering Tsumeb in Namibia, Ojuela in Mexico and Broken Hill in Australia alongside Cornwall, Weardale, the Caldbeck Fells, Derbyshire, the Mendips and Leadhills — the species each produced, what separates a good specimen from a great one, and what to check before you buy.
Specimens for sale
5,785 specimens listed by independent dealers
Browse current stock by species, with prices, localities and a link straight to the dealer. We do not sell specimens — every listing goes to the dealer who does.
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Classic localities, worldwide
The mines and orefields that set the standard for their species, in Namibia, Mexico, Australia and across Britain.
Cornwall
Two centuries of copper and tin mining left Cornwall with a mineral suite few regions anywhere can match, and a …
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Devon
Devon shares Cornwall's geology and much of its mineralogy, with tungsten and scorodite at Hemerdon and a c…
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The Caldbeck Fells
A small area of northern Lakeland that produced some of the most distinctive lead secondaries in Britain: campyl…
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Fluorite
The most collected British mineral, and the one where locality does most of the work in setting a price. CaF2, h…
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Pyromorphite
A lead phosphate that produces some of Britain's most distinctive specimens, including the barrel-shaped ca…
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Cassiterite
The mineral that funded Cornwall. Tin dioxide at hardness 6 to 7 and a density near 7, and at its best forming t…
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Specimen sizes, and what the trade terms mean
Thumbnail, miniature, cabinet: the size categories are dealer conventions rather than standards. Knowing the ran…
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Buying old collection material
Nearly all classic British material is old, and that makes the label part of the value and restoration a normal …
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Handling and storing specimens
Most damage to a collection happens in a drawer, not out in the field. What actually threatens specimens — humid…
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Browse the full reference
Localities
16 pages
Species
25 pages
Collecting
26 pages
- Specimen sizes, and what the trade terms mean
- Buying old collection material
- Handling and storing specimens
- What a fluorite specimen is worth
- How to identify a mineral specimen
- Where to buy mineral specimens
- Is my rock worth anything?
- How to clean a mineral specimen
- Toxic minerals in a collection
- Fluorescent minerals
- Why is my pyrite crumbling?
- Which minerals fade in light
- How to tell if a mineral specimen is repaired
- Is it legal to collect minerals in the UK?
- Smithsonite vs hemimorphite
- What ex coll. means on a mineral label
- How to pack and ship mineral specimens
- How to tell if a crystal is fake or treated
- “I inherited a mineral collection” — what to do first
- Is my mineral radioactive?
- Why is my specimen growing a white crust?
- How to tell pyromorphite from mimetite
- What is a type locality?
- Do I need a UV lamp for mineral collecting?
- What to look for when buying minerals online
- Is it safe to collect on old mine dumps?
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