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1820 Oracle Wholesale Show “Wholesale Only” show! They require a business license, a state resale tax number and/or a business card. 2007 - New location down the street about six blocks from the old Main Avenue venue. Top Gem owner, Mike New, has teamed up with Howard Schlansker Minerals to build this new warehouse complex. Top Gem has 5,500 sq. ft. and Howard has 12,500 sq.ft. of display space. On the south side of the main building are the satellite dealer rental units. Thirteen garage like spaces for dealer storage and/or sales. Very impressive and very convenient with adequate off street parking. This is a warehouse show where the owners travel to the source to buy large quantities of specimens (like the Rocksmiths before they retired)! Up until 2007 their property was located beside the Executive Inn but now it is down the street in a completely new warehouse complex. Some good deals can be found here! In years past, Top Gem had about an equal number of minerals priced by the whole flat and those flats with individually ("key stone") priced mineral specimens. In recent years, they seem to have drifted away from whole flat pricing in favor of the individual priced specimens (higher profit margins for Top Gem - lower ones for the buyer!). This change has improved the over all quality of mineral specimens offered by Top Gem but at a rather steep increase in overall cost to the buyer. Flat pricing afforded the buyer the chance to buy more for less and the ability to pick up the better quality specimens on a piece by piece basis. They still sell cheaper thumbnail like specimens by the whole flat that would appeal to children. |
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2007
 It is always a "feeding frenzy" during the first few hour. |
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2007
 More room to move around but the "stacks" are still very crowded. The
crowd around the table of flats in the left center of this picture were
hand picking miniature (3'x3' or smaller) crystal specimens from Yao
Gan Xian - Hunan Prov. China. Prices ranged mostly in the $5 to
just under $20 per specimen - most being in the $10-$12 area. You
could find some very sweet specimens here but you had to use your
elbows and dig through the flats as fast as possible considering the
crowd.
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2007
 Same wonderful Mexican food as in the past. |
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2007
 Same Mariachi band . . . Really wakes you up when they start yelling! |
SATELLITE DEALER COMPLEX |
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RED METAL MINERALS 109 N. Steel St., Ontonagon, MI 49953 906-884-6618 redmetal@charter.net |
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2007
 Red Metal Minerals
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2007 - The small tent on the right in the background is still hosting TOP GEM materials but their old building has been taken over by the French mineral dealer (Minrama) who is also located in the bigger tent to the right behind the smaller Top Gem tent. This dealer even took over Top Gem's old warehouse adjacent to their Minrama tent. Top Gem still has their old tent (foreground) to sell bulk Mexican out of. Top Gem's prices are still lower than the motel prices but they are starting to loose their price advantage at this years show.
Minrama is using this pricing pitch this year in their big tent and in the old Top Gem warehouse above. Most of the specimens have a "overpriced" retail pricing sticker on them. You may be able to find an acceptable deal here since they will let you cherry pick specimens to make up a flat. Bottom line - spend some time here and see what you can find but bring a flash light as the tent is rather dark and it's tough getting a real good look at some of the minerals in back. Smaller specimens seem a better deal than the two per flat variety. |
OLD TOP GEM LOCATION NEXT TO THE Executive Inn |
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[2006]
The main entrance/stairs up to the old Top Gem Warehouse. (2006 picture) |
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[2006]
The open day rush is not to be believed - "feeding/buying frenzy" |
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[2006]
Hurry up and find that "perfect" specimen. . . |
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[2006]
The buffet line is being prepared for the free Noon, Mexican Fiesta served on opening day. |
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[2006]
I really don't know what I was eating other than it was all "wonderful"! |
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[2006]
The music wasn't bad either. . . [notice the large halite specimens from California on the table in the foreground.] |
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[2004]
 After the rush of the opening day... |
[2004]
 Where is everyone?. . . . |
