Fish Fossils, Meteorites & Marathon Show Days — Tucson 2026

🌵 Day 4 — Saturday, 31 January 2026

Heavy backpacks, fish fossils & the Sonoran hot dog

Coffee. Greek yoghurt. Banana.

Fuel for what I knew would be a long day.

I Ubered to Mineral City with a very friendly driver who chatted the whole way — always nice to start the day with good energy.

First stop was Paul’s space. Finally, everything had arrived from South Africa and he was fully set up. The stand looked great and he was clearly ready for a bumper show. It’s always good seeing familiar faces up and running.

From there I headed to the RMGM Tucson Mineral & Fossil Show to visit my fish fossil supplier… only to discover I’d arrived way too early. Wrong time. Classic.

No problem — I kept walking and ended up at Madagascar Imports. They had beautiful polished stones and some ammonites, but what caught my attention was coprolite and some lovely petrified wood branches. I bought about 6 kg worth.

By this point my backpack was already making its presence known.

Next up was Superb Minerals — and they absolutely live up to their name. Stunning high-end pieces. Museum-quality material. But this year I wasn’t focusing on big-ticket showpieces, so I moved along.

Just down the road at the Mineral & Fossil Marketplace, I struck gold — or rather, fish.

I met a vendor from outside Kemmerer, Wyoming, where they operate their own quarry for fish fossils. The quality was excellent, but what really interested me were smaller and slightly incomplete fossil plates marked “Keystone.”

If you don’t know — “Keystone” at Tucson means 50% off. “Double keystone”? That means you’re paying 25% of the marked price.

Now that gets interesting.

We chatted for quite a while about their mining operations and preparation work. Their prep expert even offered to keep some incomplete specimens aside for me until 2027 when they resume digging in June. This is why I always say: talk to the vendors. When they understand what you need — and you understand what they do — magic happens.

By now my bag felt like it was filled with bricks, so I dropped by Paul to stash some purchases before heading back to RMGM.

🐟 Marsh Flies & Big Fossil Plates

The Tynsky family stall was next — they always have exceptional fish fossils. Last year I bought 10 Marsh Fly fossils.

This year? I was early.

I managed to secure 50 beautifully detailed Marsh Fly fossils, plus a great selection of fish plates. I also made the decision to invest in two larger plates — one featuring a single large fish. Sometimes you just have to go bigger.

They even gave me information cards about the fossil area and species — a nice bonus.

More parcels collected. More trips back to Paul’s space.

🌭 Lunch of Champions

By then I was starving. So off I went to El Güero Canelo, home of the famous Sonoran hot dog.

If you’ve never had one — it’s a bacon-wrapped hot dog in a soft bolillo roll, topped with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, mayo and mustard.

Messy. Delicious. Worth it.

🔦 UV Lights & Spanish Pyrite

After lunch it was time to properly explore Mineral City — the higher-end mineral hub of Tucson. Not my buying focus this year, but it’s always inspiring to see what’s out there.

At a stand called Way Too Cool, I picked up a shortwave UV torch for the business. Very practical purchase.

Then I ran into a familiar Spanish vendor — Piritas de Navajún. Their pyrite specimens are exquisite. Prices were definitely higher than 2025, but the quality was exceptional. I bought two flats and got a handy cleaning tip: window cleaner keeps pyrites looking sharp.

Back to Paul’s again to drop everything off.

📦 Box Hunting & Beer

Before heading home I stopped at Denver Box to buy mineral flats for repacking. Then it was back to the Airbnb — via Safeway for a light supper and a couple of Dos Equis beers.

That evening I sat outside with a beer, reflecting.

• Bulk shopping mostly done.

• Some interesting surprises found.

• Still a few key items to secure.

• Two major shows still ahead.

I was exhausted from walking. Watched a movie and went to bed early.

🌄 Monday, 2 February 2026 - Unique finds & mammoth stories

I woke up later than usual — my body had finally adjusted to Tucson time.

Coffee first.

With the bulk buying done, this week was about finding something unique.

I walked to the Days Inn again.

First stop: Utah Dump Diggers. They own fossil claims and had reasonably priced Brontotherium bone. I bought several pieces.

Then I passed the Woolly Rhino vendor again… and yes, I bought more.

🐘 Mammoths & Montana

I met Miles Martin — “Miles of Alaska.” A fascinating character who hunts mammoth tusks and teeth among many other adventures. He told stories while I searched through tusk pieces and stabilised mammoth tooth slices to bring home.

From there I purchased Dominican amber from an older private collection — all carefully labelled and identified. I spent ages with a magnifier examining inclusions. It never gets old.

Then I met a young fossil hunter from Montana and bought Oreodont jaws with teeth and a small Perissodactyl “Running Rhino” partial jaw. We spoke about fossil hunting, Montana life, and the farmer mentality of helping each other if you work hard.

Those conversations are one of the best parts of Tucson.

🛒 Walmart Logistics Mode

Then reality kicked in.

Time for shipping supplies.

Uber to Walmart Superstore:

• Bubble wrap

• Tape

• Shipping boxes

• A scale (to keep weights under control)

Walmart is enormous. I also grabbed groceries for the rest of my stay.

Back home. Laundry at the local laundromat. Starbucks coffee while waiting.

Then more packing.

I worked late, carefully building the final shipping boxes.

Tuesday would be a big day — I had scheduled a visit to one of the largest shows of all:

The Kino Show.

And that’s where the next chapter begins…