~ Early Web Links ~

KD Meteorites offers practical care tips for meteorite collectors, covering how to prevent rust, manage humidity, and safely handle prized specimens. The site also sells a wide range of meteorite products including slices, jewelry, knives, and gemstones, making it a useful stop for both buyers and collectors.

Mine Direct (operated by Intimate Gems) is an online retailer and resource for faceting and cabbing rough gemstones, cut gems, and mineral specimens sourced directly from international mining regions including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, and Tanzania. The site offers an extensive catalog spanning dozens of rare and collector-grade stones like Afghanite, Hackmanite, Kornerupine, and Tanzanite, alongside buying trip adventures, gemstone treatment education, and client cut galleries.

Daniel W. Farrow IV has compiled a comprehensive ludography of games published by the 3M Company, listing titles, themes, years, and box types for their classic bookcase and flat-box game lines. This detailed reference page is part of a larger site cataloging board games from publishers like Avalon Hill, Victory Games, and Metagaming, making it a valuable resource for vintage board game enthusiasts and collectors.

Charles Biel's BNSF Photo Archive is a massive personal collection of railroad photography featuring over 3,600 images of BNSF, Burlington Northern, and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway locomotives and rolling stock. The archive includes a motive power roster, caboose documentation, scenic action shots, and contributor credits, making it a serious resource for railroad photography enthusiasts.

Mike Berro's Book Pics is a personal catalog of his science fiction and fantasy book collection, featuring photographs of manuscripts, uncorrected proofs, antiquarian volumes, and unusual editions organized by author. The site is a treasure trove for book collectors, covering rare and signed editions from authors like Neil Gaiman, Jack Vance, Roger Zelazny, and dozens more.

X-Number World of Calculators is a dedicated hub for vintage calculator collectors, covering mechanical calculators, slide adders, Troncets, and early electronic calculators. It features a collectors list, forum archives, and even hosts a webring connecting fellow enthusiasts of antique calculating machines.

An extensive archive dedicated to 78 RPM records, featuring digitized audio recordings and photographs spanning jazz legends like Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton, early Columbia pressings, and rare international recordings from West Africa, Japan, Portugal, and the Balkans. The collection is a treasure trove for vintage record enthusiasts, offering password-protected access to hundreds of catalogued 78s alongside label scans and historical ephemera.

WildWinds is a massive reference database for ancient coin collectors, covering Roman, Greek, Byzantine, and Celtic numismatics with over 78,000 coins catalogued for attribution and valuation. Maintained by Dane Kurth (Helvetica), it has grown into one of the most reliable online references in the field, drawing over 25,000 visits per day and offering thousands of corrected coin attributions.

Dendritics offers interactive calculators for gemstone carat weight estimation, stone identification by specific gravity, and precious metal value in multiple currencies. Built by webmaster JB of Dendritics Inc., the site was recognized by Yahoo as an 'Incredibly Useful Site' and has served jewelers and gem enthusiasts since the late 1990s.

An exhaustive reference database cataloging every known version and sub-version of Nikon lenses, complete with serial number ranges drawn from service manuals, catalogues, and years of community contributions. Covering everything from fisheye and micro lenses to rangefinder and industrial optics, this is an indispensable tool for Nikon collectors and photographers trying to date or identify their glass.