Calcite w/ phantoms (RARE old Colorado!) Kay Robertson Coll.

Item Description

VERY RARE old large calcite from this obscure Gunnison County mine! An impressive 360-degree cluster of large sharp jagged scalenohedrons has a nestled "valley" on one side with drusy quartz clusters. The translucent tan crystals have satin lustre faces. Hard to see in normal light, the UV shots reveal the striking sharp interior phantoms to the crystals. Some of the terminations are cleaved, but this remains a RARE and very significant large calcite form this locale. The broken base reveals ore sections of galena and golden chalcopyrite. This small Pb-Zn-Cu-Ag mine, the largest in the district, was discovered in 1902 and possibly produced into the 1930s. See the 1937 USGS Bulletin 884, pp. 125-129. Ex Kay Robertson Collection # 1049 and acquired from The Bradleys in the 1950s. Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017). VERY RARE, perhaps unique Colorado calcite from this mine. A MUST for the species or Colorado collector! There are NO photos of any species in the locality Photo Gallery. Calcite was the chief gangue mineral.