What is Perky Box?

Perky Box is a cubic plastic display box specifically designed to showcase thumbnail mineral specimens while protecting them from dust, handling, and damage.

It was invented in 1960 by Willard Joseph “Perky” Perkin, a thumbnail mineral collector and dealer born in California on April 3, 1907.

The original and standard size is 1.25” (approximately 32 x 32 x 32 mm), but today, some collectors refer to larger boxes - such as those measuring 2” or 2.5” per side - as Perky Boxes as well.

Due to its consistent size, the Perky Box also became a standard reference for classifying thumbnail-sized minerals.

The box consists of two parts:

• A bottom part - usually black, which serves as the base. It often contains foam to support the specimen and assist with mounting.
• A hinged lid - made of clear plastic, allowing the specimen to be viewed from all angles. The lid remains attached to the base when opened.

Originally, Perkin created these boxes for his personal collection to enable safe storage and display of his thumbnails. He later made them available to other collectors, leading to widespread adoption among micromounters and thumbnail collectors - especially in the western United States.

By the early 21st century, the term Perky Box had become firmly embedded in the mineral collecting community, referring to these small, clear, hinged-lid acrylic cubes.

Fun fact: In 2014, collector Dr. Alexander Schauss applied for a personalized license plate reading “PERKY” as a tribute. The Arizona DMV initially rejected it as “obscene and offensive”, but Schauss appealed and won - highlighting the Perky Box’s iconic status in the mineral collecting world.

The best place to buy Perky Boxes is PerkyBoxes.com, though they are also available on eBay, Etsy, and Amazon. Retail prices are usually under €1 per box.

In recent years, many contemporary thumbnail collectors have started replacing Perky Boxes with Crystal Showcase Boxes manufactured by Gem Stones of Australia.