This page showcases specimens from an old collection, formerly in the possession of Kenny Gay, a prominent North Carolina collector from Raleigh.  I obtained the collection from him in mid 2008.  He got the collection from a 90+years old lady from Bethel, North Carolina whose deceased father had collected the specimens between 1890 and 1914 (WW1) on walking tours of Europe.  His name was Bailey, but we don't know his first name, only that he was a dentist in Bethel.  His daughter moved to Arizona with his grandaughter shortly after Kenny bought the collection.  She died soon thereafter.  The specimens are predominantly small cabinet sized and represent dozens of classic localities throughout Europe, including the Scandinavian countries and western Russia.  Most specimens still have the old handwritten faded labels to accompany them, however the labels for some pieces were too dilapidated to preserve.   Bailey acquired a few specimens from mineral dealers of his time, such as Ward's Natural Science Establishment and Foote.  Seldom were mine names or very specific locations provided on the old labels, but their more precise localities can be often be conjectured with research and exposure.  Please note that in my listings, I am using the locality names that are given on the labels, knowing that these names often do not correspond to current political nomenclature.  Some of the old identifications are suspect, and some names have completely changed since these labels were written.  I will offer the information on the old label and then offer my own suspicions about the identity or specific locality of the specimen if it is warranted.  The old labels will be sent with each specimen.  Pictures of a particular label can be provided upon request.  Here is an example of what the old labels look like:

 Below you will see a small picture of each mineral specimen with a brief name and location.  Just click on the image to see larger pictures and a more detailed description.  If you have questions or requests,  e-mail me at:   CONTACT US