Pyrargyrite with Acanthite - classic
stock #20-FC-030-(9124)
Freiberg District, Mittlesachsen
Saxony,
Germany
3 x 2.4 x 1.9 CM (thumbnail)
price: $580
Early summer 2021
A lustrous but dark cluster of well-formed textbook crystals of Pyrargyrite associated with some Acanthite on a little Quartz matrix. Under strong lighting or with magnification the ruby-red reflections and highlights are seen and there are some translucent areas as well. This is a complex piece in that nearly every side has some attractive crystals and it is hard to pick a "best view". An older specimen from a very classic locality where silver was mined since the 1300's.
Cerussite - fine classic German
stock #0030-JM-180
Freiberg District, Mittlesachsen
Saxony,
Germany
8.3 x 7.8 x 4.3 CM (cabinet)
price: $900
Early summer 2021
A fine old Cerussite cluster with crystals to over 3 CM in a nearly pure cluster. A few thin shards of matrix host dozens of silky luster prisms in very good condition. Ex John Marshall collection with his label, he obtained this in Jan of 1972 from Ron Bentley after Bentley had purchased the stock of the famed Shortmann's minerals. The Schortmann Brothers handled many excellent European classics after the war from several important collections. This piece has a Moritz Lechner (Vienna, Austria) Number 7557 which puts this into the collection well before 1903. Lechner's collection was built mostly in the late 1800's and was one of the best at that time in the region. Lechner was wealthy enough to purchase several important earlier collections, some dating back to the early 1700's. This specimen is unusual and does not look like most other Freiburg Cerussites; it is especially well-crystalized and looks rather like more recent examples from Lower Saxony. We have no exact mine attribution but no matter the exact source this is an excellent vintage German Cerussite.
Silver - classic German locale
stock #20.FC-026-(9123)
Freiberg District, Mittlesachsen
Saxony,
Germany
4.6 x 3.3 x 1.6 CM (miniature)
price: $2300
Early summer 2021
A complex tangle of Silver wires and ropy masses rises from a pure Silver matrix composed of smaller wires. An old piece from the classic Freiberg district, this is an especially fine example of several wire forms and has a great overall esthetic. A vintage Deyrolles (Paris) label is included, however the specimen age is not known (Freiberg produced Silver since the 12th century, the last mine closed over a half century ago). In fine condition and with a mix of patina, most is a dark silver-black but there are zones of brighter golden luster which gives great contrast.
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