Are Riker mounts good for storing or showing specimens?

Riker mounts are fine for short-term showing of flat, sturdy pieces such as slabs, polished slices and teaching sets, and a poor choice for long storage of crystal specimens. The mount presses the object against glass with a bed of cotton, and conservation sources warn against cotton wool near collections [1] and prefer stable foam and washed fabric for padding [2][3]. If the mount holds arrowheads or other artifacts, the law matters more than the box: on BLM land, arrowheads and stone tools may not be removed without a permit [4]. This page explains what suits a Riker mount, what does not, and how to rehouse what you have.

What a Riker mount is

A Riker mount is a shallow box, usually of cardboard, with a glass or clear plastic window in the lid. The box is filled with a layer of cotton batting, and the object is laid on the cotton and held in place by the pressure of the window when the lid closes. Nothing is glued or pinned. The format is common for insects, fossils, slabs and arrowhead displays, and many old collections arrive in them.

The design does two things well: it shows a flat object clearly, and it holds it still for carrying or hanging. It does both by pressing the object against glass and cushioning it with cotton, and those are the features to judge against what you want to put inside.

What suits a Riker mount and what does not

Why cotton is the weak point

NatSCA, the UK natural science collections association, is plain about it: cotton wool and similar materials are bad for collections [1]. It recommends conservation-grade, acid-free boxes and tissue instead, with specimens nestled in a puff of acid-free tissue [1]. Other conservation sources accept cotton in a different form: CCAHA says unsized, unbleached, undyed cotton fabric, washed first, can be used for padding and in exhibition cases [3], and the Northern States Conservation Center recommends "a well-washed cotton fabric separator" between an object and foam [2]. The difference is between loose batting, which sheds fibers and snags, and washed woven fabric, which does not.

The cardboard matters too. The National Park Service notes that acid-free trays "will last longer than acidic trays" [5], and most Riker mounts are not sold as acid-free. A mount that has yellowed or gone brittle is past its life.

Arrowheads in Riker mounts: the law first

Arrowhead and point collections are often framed in Riker mounts, and many reach collectors and dealers that way. Before you buy, frame or sell one, know where it came from.

• BLM land. BLM's own summary says cultural materials may not be removed without a BLM permit, including "arrowheads and other stone tools, grinding stones, beads, baskets, pottery," and that collecting "prehistoric tools and chips or flaking debris made of precious or semiprecious stones is not allowed" [4].
• The federal statute. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act has provisions about arrowheads found on the surface, and they are widely misread. They take surface arrowheads out of ARPA's own criminal penalties (16 U.S.C. 470ee(g)) [6] and civil penalties (470ff) [7]; they do not make picking them up on federal land legal, and agency rules still forbid it [4].
• National forests and parks have their own prohibitions, covered with the penalties on arrowheads and other artifacts.

A Riker mount of points with no record of where and when they were found is a collection you cannot show to be lawful. Keep any paperwork that came with it (a landowner's letter, an old collection label, a dated purchase record) with the mount, and do not add finds of your own from public land. Fossils raise a parallel question; the rules are on collecting fossils on public land.

Rehousing specimens that arrived in Riker mounts

When an old collection arrives in Riker mounts, the mounts themselves are often part of its history. Keep the information; change the housing if the contents need it.

1. Photograph the mount closed and open before you touch anything. The arrangement may be the only record of which label goes with which piece.
2. Copy every label and note, including writing on the back of the mount.
3. Number the pieces and record the numbers against the photograph.
4. Lift each piece off the cotton carefully; fibers may have caught on crystal faces.
5. Rehouse crystal specimens in individual boxes padded with plain polyethylene foam [5] and lined with tissue or washed cotton fabric if delicate [2][3]. Box sizes are on what size box and padding on cushioning.
6. Keep the empty mount with the collection's paperwork if it carries labels or writing, or photograph it and record that you discarded it.
7. Check sulfides and carbonates for damage from their time in the mount, and record what you find.

If you want a flat display that lasts

For slabs and teaching sets that will be shown for years, a shallow display tray or case built from stable materials does the Riker mount's job without the cotton. Line it with washed cotton fabric or plain foam, seat each piece without pressure, and keep the glass from touching anything. Case materials, light and security are covered on display cases. If the set is for teaching, the species to include and to leave out are on building a teaching set.

Where to read the artifact rules in full

If your Riker mount holds anything made by people, the next page to read is arrowheads and other artifacts, which sets out the federal and state rules, the penalties and what to do when you find one.

References

1. Emma Nicholls, Horniman Museum and Gardens, *Care and Use of Geological Collections*, Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA), undated. https://www.natsca.org/sites/default/files/Care%20and%20Use%20of%20Geological%20Collections-%20NatSCA.pdf
2. Northern States Conservation Center, Helen Alten, *Collections Caretaker* e-newsletter (polyethylene foam article), August 28, 2013. https://www.collectioncare.org/pubs/Aug282013.html
3. Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), *Selecting Materials for Storage and Display*, undated. https://sustainableheritagenetwork.org/system/files/atoms/file/Selecting%20Materials%20for%20Storage%20and%20Display_CCAHA.pdf
4. Bureau of Land Management, *Can I Keep This? A guide to collecting on public lands*, BLM/MT/GI-11/007, revised 2021. https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2021-10/Can%20I%20Keep%20This%202021%20-%20508%20Final%20Version.pdf
5. National Park Service, Kathy Hall, *Storage Concerns for Geological Collections*, Conserve O Gram 11/2, April 1998. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/museums/upload/11-02_508.pdf
6. Archaeological Resources Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. 470ee, via OpenJurist, read October 2026. https://openjurist.org/16/usc/470-ee
7. Civil penalties, Archaeological Resources Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. 470ff, GovInfo, read October 22, 2026. https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/16/470ff