Rock Collection (Dr. A. E. Foote)

[Scattershot]

Hi there.  Recently when I was cleaning out my Grandpa's garage I found this strange wooden box and had no idea what it was.  I opened it up to find a wonderful rock collection. Each rock is labeled and numbered.  I've only been able to attach 4 pictures, but will be happy to send more to anybody who thinks they can help me. There are 3 shelves of rocks with a label under each rock.  Some specimens are just rocks setting in the tray, while some are in small round boxes, while others yet are in small glass tubes.  The labels are all the same:

At the top left corner there is the following: Dana (#)    The number varies.
Next in large bold letters is the name of the specimen.  To the right of that is the periodic table abbreviation for it.
Next is what I believe is the geometric shape of the specimen.  (Isometric, Tetryhedral, Rhomohedral, Orthorombic, Monoclinic, etc.)
Next is what I believe to be where the specimen was found.  For example, "Knowlton Mine, Greenland Township, Ontonagon Co., Michigan"  OR "Cianciana, Sicily" OR "Kimberly Mines, South Africa"
Next is a small line, "________"
Finally is the following, "Dr. A. E. Foote,       Philadelphia."

I looked up Dr. A. E. Foote and found out that he lived from 1846-1895 and was one of America's most famous early mineral dealers.  He was born in Hamilton, Madison County, New York.

Now I just really want to know what a collection like this is worth.  Obviously the box is not in great shape as there is a large crack across the top.  On the first shelf there appears to have been a very acidic rock that ate away the walls of it's small space and damaged 5-7 other slots.  While only 2 rocks were lost, 10 labels were lost and the shelf is now damaged. Nonetheless I feel like this collection has to hold some kind of value as I know it is very old and I've never seen anything else like it anywhere. My grandpa hadn't touched it since he was a kid and even then it was old according to him.  I would love to know if this holds any value and also who would be interested in an item like this. I just don't know where to even take it!!!  Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. 

[mariok54]

Hi,
You could have a couple of things there. One, a box of samples actually owned by Dr Foote for his own personal collection, perhaps when he was an Academic and collector. Alternatively, it could have been one a set that he sold once he'd set up his business. If there is a market out there for his personal effects, then one problem that I see, is that unless there is some water-tight provenance, how can anyone prove that those rocks are from his collection and not replaced over the years? This could be a tricky one. What do others think?

[waywardangler]

http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/w-m-warren-mathews-foote/complete-mineral-catalog-hci/1-complete-mineral-catalog-hci.shtml

It appears that Foote Mineral Company sold oak chests with different configurations depending on how much one ordered from them. The oak chests described in the book referenced in the link were iron-bound oak chests with the shelves holding separate white pasteboard for each speciman. This was later than 1895 so I do not know if the chest in your picture is earlier or later than the chests referenced in the Foote book. The appearance of the chest looks more recent than 1895 to me.

I do not know if there is a market for old mineral specimens or not. I would assume there is. There is an example of a Barite specimen that traded hands in 1978 that was valued at 110 pounds and it had a A.E.Foote label. "Barite Dalmellington mine, Frizington, West Cumberland - crystals to 3.5 inches
Ex AE Foote dealership, Jefferies collection at Harvard University, sold to Ralph Sutcliffe, then to Dick Barstow.  Exchanged with Dick on march 29th 1978, then valued at £110, for campylite and sphalerite specimens. Peter Ward collection."   http://www.campylite.com/barite.html

If this single specimen is an indication of what your minerals could be worth, it would be prudent to get the collection appraised by an expert in mineral specimens.

[mart]

Where they were found also plays into the value of these as each would be distinctive to the area. Some areas are more valuable than others. Talk to museums in your area. They should be able to tell you of a qualified appraiser for your collection.