The hobby of fluorescent mineral collecting can still be considered a very new hobby.  Ultraviolet lamps were not on the commercial market until the late 30′s and the UV lamps of yester year are a far cry to what they are today.  Shortwave UV lamps were also very costly so only the most serious of hobbyist or professional prospector would invest in a lamp.  It was not until the early 80′s where collecting of fluorescent minerals really became a “mainstream” hobby.  Most of the fluorescent minerals available at that time came from New Jersey but thats not to say there were pockets of individuals making new finds all the time in their part of the world.  We could call the 80′s the pioneer days of fluorescent mineral collecting.

Come the 90′s and the internet things really changed when people from around the world could share information of their finds and exchange and sell  the rocks they have found.  UV lamp production had also increased allowing for many more hobbyists to explore and find new locations.  At this point hundreds of different species of fluorescent minerals had been identified much to the collectors delight.

So exactly what are fluorescent minerals worth?  In today’s market fluorescent minerals from New Jersey, Greenland, and Australia bring in the most money.  I’ve seen a simple piece sell for as little as 10 dollars and collections sold for close to a 100,000!  But key factors are of course location and rarity as well as how many colors are in a single rock.  The more colors in a display specimen the higher the price.  But as a collector you can expect to buy and sell specimens from  a small one color for  10 to multi color specimen for  500 range.  Specimens from Greenland and Franklin New Jersey bring in the highest price and are the most desired.  These specimens have only increased in value over the years because mining in New Jersey has stopped decades ago and small mining in Greenland has all but stopped with a sea of red tape.  And never mind a trip to Greenland is not exactly easy!

Fluorescent minerals like art can also be priced by the eye of the beholder.  One dealer may sell a specimen for 50 but yet another dealer sell for 100 and sell it in a day.  Remember the fluorescent mineral hobby is just really beginning and your collection will without question increase in value!  Simple economics of supply and demand.