An excellent old Cornish Cerussite with sharp crystals to 2CM long. The crystals are all twinned with most showing a complete sixling habit. These look like six spoked gears when seen on end. The matrix is mostly a vuggy Quartz with micro crystals sparkling on most surfaces. For such a delicate mineral this is in good condition. Hard to know the exact age of this specimen, it has an old collection number on it, the mine was most active in the mid 1800's but there has been collecting activity in more recent years.
Allophane - historic, classic locale
stock #AX-35-050-(2695)
Tavistock, West Devon
Devon,
England
6.5 x 5 x 1.8 CM (cabinet)
price: $380
new year 2021
A very nice, old (1895) English specimen with fine provenance. This is from the famed Wallace Gould Levison collection. His label on the specimen is intact and we will include a photocopy of the page from his collection ledger which indicates he received this from F L Smith on December 7th, 1895. The specimen has blue, green, white and yellow colored Allophane masses. This is every color I know of for Allophane, all on one specimen. Colorful small botryoidal and stalactitic masses best appreciated with good magnification. Allophane is not currently listed by Mindat from Tavistock but it is well-known from the West Devon area. This piece is very high quality. Outstanding historic and colorful UK specimen.
Mimetite var. Campylite
stock #16.1-367
Dry Gill Mine, Caldbeck Fells
Cumberland, Cumbria,
England
4.9 x2.8 x 1.4 CM (miniature)
price: $130
new year 2021
A cute miniature specimen with classic curved crystals of mustard-green Mimetite. The Mimetites contrast well with the matrix and have a good "wet" luster. From the famed Dry Gill locality that was at one time the most important source for the Campylite habit. These are now classics in the mineral world and this is an good value for textbook example of the curved barrel shaped crystals.
An simply outstanding Mendip specimen with a large crystal lined cavity inside a Manganese Oxide mass. The void contains choice Cerussite and Hydrocerussite some in twins and others with reticulated forms, nestled on a sparkling Calcite. This Quarry is famed for the rare Lead minerals that are found here in association with the Manganese deposits in the Carboniferous Limestones. The location is unique and has been the source of at least eight new minerals. That said most of the specimens are not often well crystallized or esthetic. This is an exception as the Lead minerals are well formed and make an attractive display contrasting inside the cavity. The Merehead Quarry now known as the Tor Works Quarry began to be noticed about 80 years ago and is a world class source of many other rare species.
Calcite over/replacing Aragonite
stock #16.1-364
Merehead Quarry (Torr Works), Cranmore
Somerset,
England
9.2 x 7.1 x 5.5 CM (cabinet)
price: $440
new year 2021
A very unusual but also very esthetic specimen from the famed Merehead (Tor Works) Quarry in the Mendips of England. This locale is famed for the rare lead oxychlorides found in the Carboniferous Limestones. With all the attention to these minerals the more common Carbonate species are less well-known. This hosts a cluster of hexagonal Aragonite forms that are fully encased by and mostly replaced by Calcite in crystalline over-growths. The matrix is mostly limestone with a small remnant mass of Manganese oxides that are well-known from this locale. I have not seen anything like this piece which is from the Les Hitchings collection. An unusual and attractive English specimen with a remarkable form.
Fluorite - classic British yellow
stock #19.1-405
Hilton Mine, Scordale, Hilton Escarpment District, Murton, Eden
Cumberland, Cumbria,
England
5.7 x 4 x 3.2 CM (cabinet)
price: $280
new year 2021
A nice cluster of gemmy and sharp Fluorite cubes from the famed Hilton Mine, collected in 1974 by Les Hitchings. The crystals are quite clear, transparent and undamaged. The largest cubes are over 1.2 CM across and have a vivid fluorescence as is typical of much Fluorite from this region. The Hilton Mine was of great importance to mineral collectors as it was the source for lemon-yellow Fluorites which were quite distinct and different from most other British locales. A very nice yet more affordable specimen of this classic material.
Barite (Baryte) - classic British locale
stock #15.1-671
Frizington, West Cumberland Iron Field
Cumberland, Cumbria,
England
4.6 x 1.4 x 1.1 CM (miniature)
price: $120
new year 2021
From the classic locality of Frizington, this Barite is a cluster of prisms in parallel position that together form a single elongated crystal. The color is a light yellow but with backlighting is more green. The luster is silky to glassy and the termination is actually many separate, sharp points in a group. From the Dr. Warren Johannson collection obtained before 1940, a nice example of this form and style. in very good condition, complete all around, a British classic from the famed Cumberland Iron Fields with distinctive inclusions of Hematite.
A fine old English "oakstone" a sliced part of a Barite Stalactite with one face polished. The concentric structure is well-exposed on the polished face, it is quite chantoyant. From the collection of Dr. Warren Johansson, it was a gift to him from Al Shattuck in 1932.
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