Chalcopyrite (fine old classic) (ex Al Kidwell Collection)

Item Description

The famous old Georg Mine in the Wied Iron Spar District of Germany produced some beautiful crystallized mineral specimens many years ago (the mined closed in 1965), but they are virtually unseen on the market today. Some of the most recognized Chalcopyrite specimens from any German locality came from this old iron mine. This piece is a wonderful cabinet sized display specimen filled with excellent razor-sharp, highly lustrous, metallic, brassy-golden colored dispenoidal crystals with modifying scalenohedral faces measuring up to 1.3 cm sitting on Quartz-bearing host rock matrix. Most of the crystals are in amazingly good condition, though there are some contacted crystals on the piece. For the size, presentation and overall quality, this is certainly one of the best examples of this material that we've had to offer in the auctions in quite some time. Based upon similar specimens we've handled, this piece probably dates somewhere around the 1930s, though it could be from earlier. A very worthwhile specimen of this classic and hard to find material. Priced at $1,500 in our inventory. From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert (Al) Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974.