Shipping Hazards

Mineral Matters #926

Considering the state that some packages arrive in, I am amazed that the contents don’t get totally destroyed sometimes.

Tasuku, a Japanese mineral collector who has a YouTube channel, recently posted a video about a package containing two wulfenite specimens.

Tasuku purchased two extremely unusual wulfenite specimens from a dealer in Morocco for a total of approximately 200,000 Yen (about 2,000 Australian dollars or about 1,280 US dollars).

Standard wulfenite usually forms thin, plate-like (tabular) crystals. Specimen 1 was described as looking like a “five-story pagoda” with tabular crystals stacked vertically on top of each other. Specimen 2 was shaped like a long stick or rod, which is highly irregular for this mineral.

The Disaster (Specimen 1)

Upon opening the package (which used reused food cartons), Tasuku discovered that the “pagoda” specimen had broken during shipping. The unique stack of crystals had completely detached from the rock matrix. He was devastated, noting that the value was likely halved.

The Success (Specimen 2)

He anxiously opened the second box, and fortunately, the “rod-shaped” wulfenite was safe. It features a distinct wulfenite crystal tip that extends downwards like a pillar, with beautiful lustre.

The Resolution

Tasuku contacted the dealer regarding the broken specimen and they agreed on a 50% refund. He decided to repair the broken specimen himself using epoxy resin. He successfully reattached the crystals and is happy to keep it in his collection despite the damage.

Conclusion
Tasuku warns viewers that wulfenite is extremely fragile (Mohs hardness 2.5–3) and prone to shipping damage, but he is ultimately satisfied with adding these interesting pieces to his collection.