MINSANITY

On this episode of the Minsanity Podcast, we will talk to well-known mineral show promoter, collector, and philanthropist Martin Zinn III. Mr. Zinn, better known as “Marty”, is a fixture of the mineral collecting world and his mineral shows, which spanned over three decades, nurtured and promoted the hobby to an untold number of people. Growing up in Dallas, TX, Marty was inspired by his mother’s serious interest in minerals, and eventually began collecting on his own. In addition to having built

Episode 6: On this episode of the Minsanity Podcast, we will talk to geology professor, collector, and educator Dr. Geoff Cook. Geoff turned a childhood fascination with minerals into a career as a volcanologist and petrologist, studying the earth and the processes that led to what we see today. After obtaining a PhD in geology from Washington State University, he ended up at the University of California San Diego, where he is currently a teaching professor, inspiring the next generation of

Episode 5: On this episode of the Minsanity Podcast, we will talk to legendary mineraldealers and collectors Don and Gloria Olson. Don and Gloria, both originally from the Midwest United States, have been seriously involved in the mineral collecting community since the 1960’s. Don’s interest in minerals began as an eight-year-old collecting at the famous Himalaya and Little 3 mines in southern California. Gloria, who also began collecting minerals at a young age at quarries in the Midwest USA,

*Recorded in Denver September 2023

Episode 3: On this episode of the Minsanity Podcast, we will talk to mineral photographer, curator, and collector Mark Mauthner of Graz, Austria. Mark grew up in Vancouver, Canada and discovered minerals at an early age, leading to several geology degrees and a career in mineral museum curation at institutions such as the Pacific Museum of Earth & Science in Vancouver and the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Texas. An artistic eye helped lead him into the field of mineral and gemstone

Episode 2: On this episode of the Minsanity Podcast, we will talk to mineral scientist, collector, and curator Dr. John Rakovan. John is known as someone who bridges different aspects of our mineral world, including mineral science, the collector scene, and the curatorial world. After obtaining a PhD in mineralogy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he taught at Miami University in Ohio for many years, advising students and conducting research in the fields of mineralogy and

Episode 1: On this episode of the Minsanity Podcast, we will talk to veteran mineral dealer and all-around good guy Jasun MacAvoy. As the “mineral man” behind well-known eBay seller Mineralman999, Jasun needs little introduction to many collectors. While he has been offering weekly auctions of unique, rare, and aesthetic minerals from around the world for over twenty years on eBay, few people know that he left a career in finance and a decided to follow his childhood passion for minerals full-time

Howdy and welcome to the Minsanity Podcast! I’m your host Phil Persson. Ever wanted to know the real story behind your favorite dealers, collectors, and curators that make up our mineral collecting world? Each episode we bring you fresh, unfiltered and unscripted conversations with some of the biggest movers and shakers in mineral collecting. Tune in for a look into the incredible people that make our mineral world what it is, from elite-level private collectors to down and dirty diggers and