Copper (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

This piece is labeled in Chet's collection catalogue as coming from "Illoba", Hungary, and I can't find a reference for this locality anywhere. I did find a site online that mentioned the village of Illoba in Hungary, but I can't find any information pertaining to mineralogical localities. We're leaving this simply labeled as coming from Hungary. Now the natural reaction would be to label the piece from Rudabánya, but I can't say for certain if that would be accurate for this piece. If anybody out there has some insight as to where this piece might have originated, please feel free to reach out and let us know. With that said, it's an attractive antique specimen of Native Copper loaded with dozens of small, sharp, well-formed crystals with a beautiful patina. The piece is nearly solid Copper with only a little bit of matrix attached at the bottom. A really unusual and attractive (when viewed up close) specimen that would make a great addition to any native element collection. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #16896CL. Chet was born 1947 in started collecting minerals circa 1957. He worked briefly as a drill runner at the famous Sterling Mine, in Ogdensburg, New Jersey and from 1987 to 1990 he helped convert the mine into a public access mining museum. He has held the role of treasurer, vice president and president of the Franklin-Ogdensburg Mineralogical Society (FOMS), and has been a board member and vice president of the Franklin Mineral Museum. The rare copper arsenate, Lemanskiite was named in his honor in 1999.