Crocoite (Kidwell Coll.)

Item Description

A classic and showy old small cabinet crocoite specimen from the famous Adelaide Mine. A 2.7 x 2.5 cm jackstraw nest of classic, lustrous, translucent orange-red crocoite prisms is attractively set on the undulating gossan matrix accented with more scattered crocoites. This old silver mine produced a spectacular, rich crocoite discovery in the early 1970s. See 1972 Mineralogical Record article in Vol. 3, No. 3. This piece is undoubtedly from the find. From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert 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. Al acquired the piece in 1975 from Peter Andersen for $20. Not cheap then. A highly representative specimen from this classic old find.