Pyromorphite on Quartz
stock #24.1-431
Mercur Mine, Bad Ems, Nassau
Rhineland-Palatinate,
Germany
3.4 x 2.3 x 1.7 CM (thumbnail)
price: $200
A choice, bright green thumbnail specimen from this famed, classic locality. The condition is excellent, no damage to note and the Pyro crystals are clustered in sheaf-like masses. The habit is unusual for a Bad Ems Pyromorphite, the contrast with the matrix makes it stand out well.
Fluorite - Bavaria German classic locale
stock #AX-35-064
Marienschacht Mine, Wolsendorf, Upper Palatinate
Bavaria,
Germany
8.1 x 5 x 2.6 CM (cabinet)
price: $200
Translucent mass of small crystals in stepped clusters with almost no matrix at all. The green color and luster are both bright. This is an older specimen from the WG Levinson collection, however without his label, though a later label from Skylar Alverson is included. This dates the specimen to the very early years of this mine as Levison was most active in trading minerals from 1897-1910. With backlighting the entire specimen glows well, it is in quite good condition from this old and now fully closed locality where nothing will ever again be produced.
Leonite - Vintage German
stock #20.1-740
Neuhof-Ellers, Neuhof, Fuida, Kassel Region
Hesse,
Germany
2.7 x 1.9 x 1.6 CM (thumbnail)
price: $160
A classic old style thumbnail that comes with vintage label and the glass tube type thumbnail container in common use over 100 years ago. Leonite is a fairly rare Hydrated Potassium Magnesium Sulfate first described in 1896. Crystals on this small piece are up to 1.3 CM and are a good example of the specie. These may be pseudomorphs after Picromerite since many specimens from German localities are. Nice vintage specimen of a specie not often seen on the market.
Mimetite - classic German locale
stock #23.1-665
Haus Badden Mine, Sehringen, Badenweiler, Friburg
Baden-Wurttemberg,
Germany
6 x 4.5 x 3.1 CM (small cabinet/ large miniature)
price: $165
Tiny but perfect orange balls of Mimetite on a darker matrix from this ancient Lead mine. The Haus Badden mine is known for some fine rare lead secondaries as well as some more common yet esthetic species. This specimen is from an old find, there was a newer find of Mimetite by collectors in 2009 that were yellow color, these are a much deeper orange.
Small but well-formed scalenohedral crystals with good pink-red color form a druse on matrix. I have never seen another Rhodochrosite from this locality but it is listed as a specie found there by Mindat, though there are no photos of examples. The mines in this site are quite sizable and produce Barite as well as Lead and Zinc. Several Manganese minerals are noted as well. We can not find any published examples from this mine and only two examples from all of Arnsberg are on Mindat, so it is safe to say it is a fairly rare occurrence. A nice thumbnail and a good addition to a German collection or a Rhodochrosite suite.
A mix of bright green Variscite and powder blue Wavellite from the Ronneburg Uranium mines. The Wavellite is mostly blue but some is colorless and a few areas are actually clear, transparent balls. The Variscite is translucent on close exam and has several different green hues. This locality is not well-known to many collectors outside Europe but it is an incredible zone for fascinating and complex mineralogy, rare species and interesting associations. This specimen is quite good sized, colorful and is well covered on both sides with these Phosphate minerals. Under magnification the spheres, are unusually lustrous. Ex Vrzal collection.
Pyromorphite - unusual German locality
stock #0177-JM-3326
Krandorf, Schwarzenfeld, Schwandorf
Bavaria,
Germany
9.2 x 5 x 5 CM (cabinet)
price: $520
Pre Tucson
A large and very rich Pyromorphite ex John H. Marshall collection. There are two generations of Pyromorphite, the older is a lighter green, the more recent is noticeably darker with somewhat smaller crystals. Bright and striking overall, a choice Bavarian specimen from a locality we almost never see in the USA. There are several small vugs on the edges that also hold crystals that are a bit larger than those on the top areas. Some bruising is here but not really noticeable by naked eye. John was a serious Pyromorphite collector who worked for overt 60 years to get the best possible specimen from every significant Pyro locality. This was his best Krandorf.
A fine and esthetic old German Galena ex John H. Marshall and also Ernie Schlichter. The region of Bad Ems has at least 6 old mines most of which were prolific producers of fine Lead secondary minerals, most classically Pyromorphites. Oddly, good Galena specimens are quite rare, it was after all the main ore. The habit of these crystals is a good match to a few specimens known from the Mercur and the Neuhoffnung mines, but we do not have confirmation as to the exact mine. Never the less the specimen is in great condition as seen the crystals the cube modified by octahedron, have great patina and reach 2.3 CM in size.
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