"Kauri Gum is the fossilised resin or sap of the Kauri Tree. These enormous trees produce vast amounts of sap which congeal into lumps when the tree is injured. The sap hardens into a resin and becomes a form of Copal. (from Wikipedia...the term copal describes resinous substances in an intermediate stage of polymerization and hardening between "gummier" resins and amber.[2])
Kauri Gum comes in many shades and colours, from almost completely clear up to almost black. Dark Red and Green pieces are occasionally located.
Kauri gum will eventually harden to a point where it is fully fossilised and is more accurately described as Amber. Some Kauri Gum found in the Otago in the South Island has been estimated by scientists to be over 175 million years old. Most of the Kauri Gum found on the Gumdiggers Park site is around 100,000 years old." (My 595 gram piece comes from a place not far from the Gumdiggers Park site, and was unearthed about 75 years ago, but I don't know the history of any of the others.)
Back when I did a post called, A Trio of Treasures, https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?tab=mj&blogID=398866872025297364#editor/target=post;postID=2535763994245789979;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=39;src=postname I showed you a 480 gram piece of gum that I had just purchased. I said then that I had bought the piece for a good price, and I had. That piece whetted my appetite for more and since then, I have been watching gum auctions on Trade-Me, NZ's version of eBay. For the most part, I have simply watched as piece after piece of gum came to the end of its auction period and disappeared to whoever was willing to part with the most money. I've been surprised at a few of the winning bids. (I saw a 680 gram piece sell for $611.00!)
During the past two weeks however, there have been two times when no one at all bid over the seller's minimum bid, and two times when only one other person bid. When I saw that happen, I jumped in and bid myself. In this way, I picked up two pieces at the beginning bid, and two more pieces for just a few dollars above the beginning bids. I got wonderful pieces cheap as. The last piece I picked up had a reasonable minimum bid price on it, but no one bid at all, and I wondered if I could get it for even less than the minimum. I I asked the seller to consider a lower amount and was delighted when they took 30% off their previous minimum bid amount. I immediately bought it.
I have heard that in real estate, location, location, location is the key. In gum buying, I think being at the computer at the right time is essential.
I've learned that if you are trying to sell a piece for a good price, setting up your sale so your auction ends at 1 p.m on a Sunday afternoon is a bad idea. Most people are going to be out in the sunshine doing everything except thinking about a little piece of NZ Copal at that time. Monday morning at 11 a.m is another really bad time. So many people are working. However, If you're a older gentlemen who is willing to be at his computer at those times, you can do really well for yourself. (It's really easy to win a bid when there is no competition.)
I look at my collection now and marvel that I was able to get such wonderful pieces. It almost feels as though it was meant to be. Someday the boys will have them as keepsakes from grandpa.
My post today will show you my collection.
Same piece, held up to a light
Kauri Gum comes in many shades and colours, from almost completely clear up to almost black. Dark Red and Green pieces are occasionally located.
Kauri gum will eventually harden to a point where it is fully fossilised and is more accurately described as Amber. Some Kauri Gum found in the Otago in the South Island has been estimated by scientists to be over 175 million years old. Most of the Kauri Gum found on the Gumdiggers Park site is around 100,000 years old." (My 595 gram piece comes from a place not far from the Gumdiggers Park site, and was unearthed about 75 years ago, but I don't know the history of any of the others.)
Back when I did a post called, A Trio of Treasures, https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?tab=mj&blogID=398866872025297364#editor/target=post;postID=2535763994245789979;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=39;src=postname I showed you a 480 gram piece of gum that I had just purchased. I said then that I had bought the piece for a good price, and I had. That piece whetted my appetite for more and since then, I have been watching gum auctions on Trade-Me, NZ's version of eBay. For the most part, I have simply watched as piece after piece of gum came to the end of its auction period and disappeared to whoever was willing to part with the most money. I've been surprised at a few of the winning bids. (I saw a 680 gram piece sell for $611.00!)
During the past two weeks however, there have been two times when no one at all bid over the seller's minimum bid, and two times when only one other person bid. When I saw that happen, I jumped in and bid myself. In this way, I picked up two pieces at the beginning bid, and two more pieces for just a few dollars above the beginning bids. I got wonderful pieces cheap as. The last piece I picked up had a reasonable minimum bid price on it, but no one bid at all, and I wondered if I could get it for even less than the minimum. I I asked the seller to consider a lower amount and was delighted when they took 30% off their previous minimum bid amount. I immediately bought it.
I have heard that in real estate, location, location, location is the key. In gum buying, I think being at the computer at the right time is essential.
I've learned that if you are trying to sell a piece for a good price, setting up your sale so your auction ends at 1 p.m on a Sunday afternoon is a bad idea. Most people are going to be out in the sunshine doing everything except thinking about a little piece of NZ Copal at that time. Monday morning at 11 a.m is another really bad time. So many people are working. However, If you're a older gentlemen who is willing to be at his computer at those times, you can do really well for yourself. (It's really easy to win a bid when there is no competition.)
I look at my collection now and marvel that I was able to get such wonderful pieces. It almost feels as though it was meant to be. Someday the boys will have them as keepsakes from grandpa.
My post today will show you my collection.
My original piece purchased from the second-hand store, shown in sunlight.
480 grams (1.05 lb.)
480 grams (1.05 lb.)
The first piece I bought on Trade-Me. 38 grams. (I showed you this one too, on that other post) This is quite clear and must be old, well on it's way to becoming amber.
A flat piece that has been polished and coated with protectant. 54 grams.
A similar piece from the same seller. (These two I got at the minimum bid.) 61 grams
A gorgeous piece. Copal or 'young amber' 200 grams
Another view of the same piece
And yet another view. I can't believe that only one other person bid and stopped bidding after just a few bids. Amazing.
My newest piece and largest. Just received it today from a seller on Trade-Me, 8-27-18. It weighs 940 grams. (2.07 lbs.) Note that this one has some of the 'occasionally seen' green in it. And it's partially polished.
A view of an impressive, 595 gram (1.31 lbs.) piece. Same thing happened with this one. I may have bid three times.
So here is the collection as of Aug. 27, 2018
The bottle holds gum powder from cleaning up the piece on the top right.
The small, arrow-shaped one in the lower center is one that I bought for $2 at a cafe on our way back from our Coromandel Peninsula holiday earlier this year.
There was a large box of pieces displayed on the cafe counter with a sign over it.
"Kauri Gum, $2 each"
"Hey," I said, "Kauri Gum!" as I picked up the piece you see.
The clerk, standing behind the counter, heard me, put up his hand up and shook it back and forth a little to get my attention. "Not for eat," he said in very halting English.
If you'd like to see lots of pieces, here is an eBay site that sells them. (Most of the prices are horrendous) -djf
