Rheinisches Mineralien-Kontor

Rheinisches Mineralien-Kontor — trading today under the name Dr. F. Krantz and the website krantz-online.de — is a German family business that has specialised in the trade of minerals, fossils and rocks since 1833. According to its own company history, the business was founded by August Krantz in Freiberg, Saxony, on 14 December 1833, initially serving collectors and the newly established mineralogical and geological institutes of European universities with teaching specimens. The firm moved to Berlin in 1837 and later adopted the name Dr. F. Krantz, Rheinisches Mineralien-Kontor. It has survived numerous relocations and two world wars and is today run by the fifth generation of the Krantz family. The company operates as a specialist mail-order and retail house for geology and earth-science supplies. Its catalogue spans mineral and fossil specimens, rock and teaching collections, field equipment such as hammers, chisels, magnifiers, UV lamps and display mounts, as well as presentation materials like acrylic bases and specimen boxes. Alongside physical goods, Krantz is active as a publisher of geological literature, including the book series "Wanderungen in die Erdgeschichte" (Walks through Earth History) and "Streifzüge durch die Erdgeschichte" (Forays through Earth History), regional geological guides, excursion and study workbooks, and antiquarian titles. Its customer base historically centred on universities, museums, schools and scientific institutes, and it continues to supply educational and collector markets. The website presents the firm under the tagline "Krantz seit 1833" and organises its offering into categories such as offers, exhibition, field, workshop, stones, teaching materials and books. Prices are quoted in euros including VAT, indicating a German-based operation selling to private and institutional buyers. Because the business is family-owned and privately held, detailed financial information is not publicly disclosed. Its long continuity — nearly two centuries in a niche trade — makes it one of the older specialist natural-history suppliers in Germany, and its publishing arm keeps it connected to the geotourism and amateur geology communities as well as to academic earth sciences.

The history of Rheinisches Mineralien-Kontor begins with August Krantz, who, according to the company's own account, opened a mineral business in Freiberg, Saxony, on 14 December 1833. A small yellowed notebook with Italian language exercises, bearing the inscription "Anfang des Mineralien Geschäftes von Krantz in Freiberg, den 14. Decr. 1833" ("Beginning of the mineral business of Krantz in Freiberg, 14 December 1833"), is preserved by the firm as a founding document. Among the first customers were Krantz's former teacher in geognosy, Professor Reich, and the well-known mineralogist Professor Breithaupt. August Krantz had trained as a pharmacist and was expected to take over his father's pharmacy, but the rich mineral localities of neighbouring Saxony proved more attractive. He built his own collection and established contacts with collectors and scientists who came from around the world to visit the region's ore mines. From these exchanges and connections the idea of a mineral trading business emerged. The timing was favourable: the first independent mineralogical and geological institutes were being founded at universities and colleges, creating demand for good teaching specimens. Krantz maintained business relationships with collectors and institutes throughout Europe and could supply specimens even from distant regions. In 1837, only a few years after founding, Krantz moved the business to Berlin. The firm continued to grow as a supplier of minerals and fossils to scientific and educational customers, and over time it became known under the name Dr. F. Krantz, Rheinisches Mineralien-Kontor. The company's own history notes that it survived numerous relocations and two world wars, and that it remains a family enterprise now led by the fifth generation. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries the business broadened from specimen trading into a full-range geology supplier and publisher. Its catalogue today includes field and laboratory equipment, display and storage materials, teaching collections, and an extensive list of geological books. Among its publishing activities are the series "Wanderungen in die Erdgeschichte" and "Streifzüge durch die Erdgeschichte," which cover regional geology, geotopes and geotourism — for example a 2025 volume on the Geopark GrenzWelten and guides to regions such as the Altmühltal and Fichtelgebirge. The firm also sells antiquarian geological literature. Operating from Germany and selling in euros, Krantz serves private collectors, schools, universities, museums and amateur geologists, and it maintains an online shop alongside its traditional mail-order and specialist retail business. Its long continuity — nearly two centuries in a narrow natural-history niche — is central to its identity, expressed in the website tagline "Krantz seit 1833."

• 2025

  Publication of "Wanderungen in die Erdgeschichte" volume 45 on the Geopark GrenzWelten.

• 1837

  The business moves to Berlin.

• 1833

  August Krantz founds a mineral business in Freiberg, Saxony, on 14 December.

Specialist, heritage-rich supplier of minerals, fossils, geology equipment and geological literature for collectors, educators and institutions.

• STARBOND instant adhesive

• Exquisite slip-lid boxes, black

• 10x folding magnifier, Ø 18 mm, 3-lens, metal

• UV set: LED flashlight (longwave) with battery

• Forgecraft children's pick hammer XS, approx. 580 g

• Clear acrylic base

• Transparent sliding stands

• Mounting putty (1 metre)

• Jousi boxes, "Finnenkästchen"

• Rudolph: "Welche Versteinerungen finde ich an Meer und Strand"

• Rudolph: "Strandsteine (von Nord- und Ostsee)"

• Rudolph: "Naturführer Sylt"

• Rudolph / Kankel: "Fossilien auf Rügen"

• "Wanderungen in die Erdgeschichte" series

• "Streifzüge durch die Erdgeschichte" series

1. 1Mineralien, Fossilien & Geologiebedarf | Krantz seit 1833krantz-online.de
2. 2Über uns | Krantz seit 1833krantz-online.de
3. 3Wanderungen in die Erdgeschichte | Krantz seit 1833krantz-online.de
4. 4Streifzüge durch die Erdgeschichte | Krantz seit 1833krantz-online.de
5. 5Rheinisches Mineralien-Kontorwikidata.org