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Local collector to show part of collection at annual show |
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Wednesday, 01 April 2009 |
 By DANIEL IVERSON
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MORELAND — Jim Duchscher owns a lot of rocks.
From the rocks behind glass display cases to the rocks covering almost every available surface to the rocks along the floor, the Moreland resident owns a lot of rocks.
Duchscher is now preparing to transport a sample of the collection to the Southeast Idaho Annual Gem and Mineral Show — Friday and Saturday at the Bannock County Fairgrounds — where he has displayed and sold rocks for at least a decade.
“It could be a full-time job if I let it,” he said. “But I try to keep it at the hobby level.”
Duchscher is scheduled to set up five tables. With such a large collection to choose from, he said he is selective about which rocks to bring and which to leave behind.
“Rocks are heavy,” he said.
Duchscher began to sell rocks at gem and mineral shows after he retired from a 15-year career as a heavy equipment mechanic for Idaho National Laboratory in 1995. He said at first he didn't even sell enough to cover the $30 fee to set up, but now he does fairly well.
“I've got nothing that sells well,” he said. “But I can sell a little bit of everything.”
Duchscher said he "caught the bug" of rock-hunting from his stepfather in the '70s, and so did his mother, who he said used to consider a day wasted until she cut a few stones for making jewelry with. She continued the hobby through her mid-90s before she passed away.
The family tradition continues somewhat with Duchscher's children, who he said used to accompany him for hunts but now are too busy making a living to pursue rocks too much.
Duchscher's hobby brings him all around Idaho and the western United States, although the amount he travels is beginning to decrease.
"It's just fun to get out of the house," he said.
The closest rock-hunting site Duchscher likes is west of Arco, but others are considerably farther from home, even sending him as far as Arkansas.
"It seems like most of my good places are 500 miles from home," he said.
Duchscher said he knows where to go partly because he reads books and maps and he goes to hunts with rock clubs. The other part comes from instinct.
"After a while, you have an idea of where to look," he said.
Duchscher said the equipment he uses during the hunts, such as chisels, hammers, picks and shovels, can get to be expensive.
"It's hard for a young guy starting out to afford," he said.
But simple hunts require only a bag, a hammer and a four-wheel drive vehicle.
"Easy stuff is picked up on the surface," he said. "But anything good, you have to dig for."
One of Duchscher's favorite things to collect is copralite, which is petrified dinosaur dung. He also values malachite from the former Zaire. But despite these highlights to his collection, he said he doesn't get too attached to any particular items.
"Everything I've got, I like," he said. "If I sell it, I go find something else I like."
Duchscher mostly sells rocks through gem and mineral shows but occasionally sells from his house. Those who are interested in buying may call him at 684-3009 to arrange a time.
"I'm open every time I'm home," he said. "But I try not to be home very often."
Although the slower economy is slowing Duchscher's rock sales as well, he said people are still finding ways to pursue the hobby he also enjoys.
"People still have to live," he said. "And everybody needs a rock."
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Last Updated ( Monday, 06 April 2009 )
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