Digenite with Pyrite and Quartz
stock #0445-JM-2361
Leonard Mine, Butte, Silver Bow County
Montana,
United States
7.7 x 6.1 x 3.8 CM (cabinet)
price: $540
new year 2021
A choice and classic Butte specimen of Digenite crystals on a contrasting matrix. Normally Digenite is an unattractive sooty black rarity, loved only by serious Sulphide lovers (like us). This specimen is very much nicer, and actually displays well. These crystals are quite good sized, and are well set on a sparkling bright contrasting matrix. The crystals of Digenite are usually rather crude and these are too, but still have a distinct form showing structure. The largest crystal is about 1.5 CM across. Contrasts well with the sharp and bright golden Pyrite. In excellent condition, this is ex John Marshall Collection with his collection card. He obtained this in 1979 from A.L McGuinness and that label is also included.
Chalcocite pseudo after Covellite - Classic USA
stock #13.1-375
Leonard Mine, Butte, Silver Bow County
Montana,
United States
3.4 x 3.3 x 2.2 CM (small miniature/ large thumbnail (toenail))
price: $2400
Fantastic form and a killer pseudomorph. This vintage Butte specimen shows perfectly the form of the original Covellite crystals which are almost fully replaced by Chalcocite. It looks like a tiny bit of Covellite may remain on the backside, but if so it is minor. This is an early specimen with excellent provenance, a tattered Roy Hopping (NYC Mineral dealer vintage 1898) label is included. This was also in the collection of Louis Zara (famed NYC collector, author and publisher of the Mineral Digest. His label is also included. The specimen is in exceptional condition, fully undamaged and attractive from almost any angle. Well-crystallized Covellite is remarkably rare worldwide with only two significant localities, both long closed. It is even less common to see a well-defined pseudomorph with sharp crystals like this.
Digenite is one of the "real mineral collector" species, it is rare in decent crystals and usually sooty black (ie ugly). The world's best Digenites all came from Butte Montana long ago. They are classics and only seen from the breakup of old collections. This specimen is a complex cluster of small crystals and masses along with Enargite in small lustrous crystals and related Sulfides. The Digenite is mostly the sooty black sort which is often a coating of Chalcocite. This is a nice specie sample in good condition and very entertaining to study under magnification. It is not beautiful to most people but it is rare, old and something special for Sulfide lovers.
Enargite -classic Butte, USA
stock #19.1-252
Leonard Mine, Butte, Silver Bow County
Montana,
United States
4.8 x 3.9 x 2.3 CM (miniature)
price: $250
Spring 2020
A Butte, Montana classic, well crystallized miniature. This has a more metallic silvery color than the usual sooty black and the crystal definition is very sharp. What may look like damage in a few crystals in the photos is not damage just the result of multiple faces that are very lustrous, in person the condition is clean. Ex Fred Meissner collection. With old Butte pieces it is especially good to have detail of the exact mine locale. This has more detail in the label than most specimens it is noted as from the 3200 foot level in the Leonard Mine. Sharp crystals up to 2.3 CM long, a choice copper sulphide specimen that is actually attractive and better in person.
Covellite with Pyrite
stock #0195-JM-1294
Leonard Mine, Butte, Silver Bow County
Montana,
United States
5.4 x 4.3 x 3.2 CM (cabinet)
price: $750
Several free standing crystals of Covellite on different sides of the Pyrite matrix are showing dark blue patina. From the remarkable collection of John Marshall who worked at the mine from 1950 to 51. John worked as a miner despite his Harvard education he enjoyed the direct contact and collecting during his lunch breaks. His hand painted mark is on the specimen #1294. The crystals are quite lustrous and in rather good but not perfect condition as is typical for this delicate mineral, far better than average. The Pyrite is in both small octahedrons and other more complex pyritohedrons. The Covellites of Butte have always been prized and are hard to find with any quality and often incredibly costly when they are exceptional A good value.
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