Baryte (fine large locality specimen)

Item Description

The Maine Mine in France is located north of the town of Autun, France and is well-known for its beautiful golden Baryte specimens. I'm told that most of the pieces you see in collections came out in the 1970s-1980s and are not commonly seen on the market today. This piece is one of the biggest examples we've ever seen from the locality, and it's in surprisingly fine condition, as the majority of the crystals are undamaged. Each crystal shows fine form with steeped "chisel"-shaped terminations that show reflective luster and a muted golden hue. The largest crystal measures 4.2 cm long. A truly impressive and hefty (it weighs 2,337 grams = just over 5 pounds!) specimen that will display wonderfully. If you're a fan of worldwide Barytes or classic French localities, this is a fantastic big example of this now elusive material.
Valued $3,500.
From the collection of Gary and Terry Butts of Livermore, Colorado. This husband and wife collecting duo were childhood sweethearts, and have been together since they began dating as teenagers growing up in East Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950s. Both of them had an early interest in the hobby thanks to the fact that Terry's parents had a keen interest in lapidary, which sparked an interest in rocks for both of them. Gary and Terry were featured in an article in the Des Moines Register on Feb 4, 1962 (see photo in this listing) highlighting their interest and prowess in the hobby as youngsters. Gary traveled to various localities around the US as a teenager with his father (who worked in the tin industry), to personally collect specimens. He then attended the School of Mines in Golden, Colorado and graduated in 1967 with a degree in extractive metallurgical engineering. We went to work for Duval Corp at the Esperanza Mine south of Tucson, Arizona and then work for Cyprus Mines, Hazen Research, Pincock, Allen & Holt and the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute. His final job was in the mineral and environmental division of Intertek Testing Services of London, which owned the Canadian mineral testing company, Bonder Clegg. Gary's various jobs allowed him to travel the world and build his collection by buying a lot of specimens in person when they were coming out of the ground. Additionally, Terry's uncle was a miner in Creede, Colorado and later owned a rock shop which supplied Gary with specimens from the area. The specimens in this auction represent what Gary and Terry considered the "cream of the crop" of their collection.