Start with a specific place.
A broad district name can hide many individual workings. Mibladen’s recorded history includes named shafts and working areas. A named mine and its wider district are related, but they are not identical pieces of information.
Separate the dates.
The age of a rock, the period of mining and the date a specimen entered a collection are different timelines. Do not turn an acquisition date into a discovery date. Record what the source actually says.
Keep people in the picture.
Miners, dealers, researchers and collectors all contribute to a specimen’s story. Attribute information to the person or document that supplied it. An old working is not an invitation to enter: access permission and professional safety arrangements are separate from historical interest.