Anglesite (classic locality)

Item Description

The famous Monteponi Mine is one of the great old lead mines in Europe, beloved for its world-class specimens of minerals like Phosgenite, Smithsonite and Anglesite. This is a beautiful example of these classic and now hard to find specimens. This full-sized miniature features a predominant, very sharp, highly lustrous, GEM quality, virtually colorless orthorhombic prism of Anglesite, along with some additional (yet incomplete) crystals on Galena matrix from this renowned locality on Sardinia. If you look closely, you can see some interesting and rare "phantom" zoning inside the main Anglesite, which is certainly noteworthy, as I haven't seen many with this phenomenon from Monteponi. These are truly iconic specimens, and certainly among the top examples of the species from any European locality. It's also important to note that a lot of Anglesite crystals from this locality are white and opaque, so to find a piece with crystals that are gemmy in areas is a big deal. If you collect secondary ore minerals, lead minerals or you just like Anglesite as a species, this is one that would make a great addition to your collection. Very good condition all around, no major damage to the main crystal, just some very minor imperfections. The 2014 article in the Mineralogical Record details this amazing locality, and specimens like this are not common on the market. Valued $1,750.
From the collection of Richard ("Rich") A. Kosnar (1946-2007), the well-known mineral collector and dealer from Colorado, and the namesake for the rare zirconium phosphate species, Kosnarite. Rich loved classic minerals from Europe, and actually named his company Mineral Classics for this reason.