Chalcocite (fine quality)

Item Description

A fine quality crystallized specimen of the famous Chalcocites from the Flambeau Mine in Wisconsin. These beautiful and excellent specimens came out for only a short time, as the Flambeau Mine only operated from 1993 to 1997, so it's remarkable that so many really choice Chalcocites came out. This piece is a notably eye-catching group featuring thick bladed crystals measuring up to 1.8 cm across, which are intergrown to create a semi-"rose"-shape specimen, free of matrix. The crystals range from an almost reddish-brown hue in color to more iridescent blues and purples, which is typical of the material, as the surface has been said to contain a light coating of Bornite. The piece originally came from Casey Jones, who had exclusive rights to collect specimens at the Flambeau Mine, and made its way to an unnamed individual who helped Casey work his booth at mineral shows in exchange for specimens. No damage I can see, and very eye-catching in person. A choice miniature of these wonderful, and now fairly hard to find Chalcocites from about 30 years ago. Valued $2,500.
Ex George Loud Collection No. 2321 WI.1; 4331 George (born August 16, 1942) is a well-known mineral collector from Washington, DC and South Carolina respectively, and was a patent lawyer by trade for over 50 years. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the U.S., comprising worldwide specimens, and in later years he sold the worldwide specimens to focus on minerals of the United States, specifically locality suites with an emphasis on amazing representation of species while still maintaining fine quality. The specimens remarkably range from micros to all the way up to large cabinets in size. We recently acquired most of his impressive 9000+ piece 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 specimens for their collections.
See: https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/george-loud for more information