Baryte (excellent uncommon locality specimen)

Item Description

A gorgeous Baryte from the lesser-known Mowbray Mine in Frizington, England featuring an intergrown cluster of color-zoned, thicker tabular crystals ranging from a rich golden-brown to a deep caramel hue in the center. You could almost call this piece a "rose" or even a "butterfly" based upon your viewing angle, but I will say that I've never seen another quite like it from any locality in Frizington, and the habit/style is really different from the typical material. The piece is crystallized on the front and back, and for the most part, it's in very good condition, though there are some contacted areas, so it's not completely pristine. Still, if you collect Barytes or minerals from Cumbria, this is a special and dare I say unique piece with beautiful color, form and quality. Valued $2,500.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 2620. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information