SpecimenLog Notebook, Spreadsheet, or App? Keeping Your Mineral Collection From Slipping Away
For many collectors, the excitement of acquiring a new specimen at a mineral show is often followed by a persistent chal...
2026-08
SpecimenLog 
SpecimenLog Beyond the Sticky Label: The Specimen Fields Worth Recording
In the world of mineral collecting, a specimen is often only as valuable as the information attached to it. A common cha...
SpecimenLog The Receipt You Didn’t Keep: Recording Acquisition Details Before Memory Fades
At a busy mineral show, the excitement of the hunt often moves faster than our memories. After spending an afternoon nav...
SpecimenLog One Photo Isn’t Enough: A Checklist for Documenting a Specimen
In mineral collecting, a photograph is often the most vital secondary link between a physical specimen and its digital r...
SpecimenLog “Which Box Did I Put That In?” A System for Not Losing Track
As a mineral collection expands, it eventually outgrows the initial display cabinet or shelf where it began. Once a coll...
SpecimenLog One Specimen, Many Categories: Why Tags Beat Folders
In mineral collecting, a single specimen often belongs to several meaningful groupings simultaneously. A specific piece ...
SpecimenLog Show Up With a Plan: Why a Wishlist Beats Wandering the Aisles
Walking onto the floor of a major mineral show without a clear plan often leads to two frustrating outcomes. The first i...
SpecimenLog Sharing a Specimen Without Sharing Your Home Address
For collectors who enjoy sharing their recent finds online, two distinct challenges often arise. First, a photograph pos...
SpecimenLog How Much Did You Actually Spend This Year?
In the process of building a mineral collection, it is easy to become focused on the individual acquisition. Whether it ...
SpecimenLog New Phone, Old Collection: Making Sure Nothing Gets Left Behind
A fundamental principle of record-keeping—whether digital or physical—is that any critical collection of data needs a co...