SeymourC

17 hours ago, AuricGoldfinger said:

 i had a bottle of blantons single barrel, got it when it was easy to buy and a lot cheaper. Wish i kept it now lol.

I've had a few bottles in my time, drank them all, only regret is that I didn't buy more!

5 hours ago, Stacktastic said:

That sounds interesting & its not somehting that will go out of date any time soon. 
TK Maxx? What sort of things are we talking a bout here, do you have any decent sources. 

TK Maxx and Homesense are the same store, just Homesense only stocks their "Home" section and in greater quantity. I call in whenever I'm in town and browse the home decor section. They often stock geodes and other crystals and sometimes fossils (usually Orthoceras, an ancient squid from morocco), usually below what you'd pay at a dedicated fossil/mineral store.

Other than that I browse ebay (risky, lot of fakes in the world) and some UK based fossil shops that stock good quality specimens at decent prices (https://charmouthfossils.com is a favourite) The Morocco and Madagascar sections have some amazing display pieces. If there's an ornate trilobite on they're good to snap up, a spiny one can fetch hundreds and over a thousand if it's large, detailed and carefully prepared so it stands out of its matrix. Preparing one with a tiny sandblaster to reveal it from its matrix is an amazing markup and fairly simple, if fiddly.

As for Whiskey, if you can get your hands on "Blanton's Single Barrel" you can charge what you want for it to dedicated fans (thirsty for some myself).

The world of fossils and precious minerals can be interesting. I collect them for collections sake, but so often I come across massively underpriced specimens which I could easily flip for double the cost. Keep an eye out in Homesense and TK Maxx in the UK, they often stock underpriced ones, have to get them quick before random browsers inevitably ding them. Markets and car boot sales are another great source. Or if you have the cash, head to morocco and get some froma good source (lots of fakes on stalls there though so research needed)