Chapmanite (ex Vajdak)

Item Description

Chapmanite is a rare silicate mineral belonging to the nesosilicate group, discovered in 1924, and named in honour of the late Edward John Chapman (1821-1904), a geology professor at the University of Toronto. Chemically, it is an iron antimony silicate, closely related to Bismutoferrite. This piece is from the Type Locality for the species, the Keeley Silver Mine in Ontario. Micro yellow crusts of Chapmanite can be see under magnification. Along with the rarity and the fact that it comes from the type locality, it is accompanied by labels from Josef Vajdak which immediately increase the value in my mind. You can read Joe's biography here: http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=1371