Cryptomelane (RARE old Pennsylvania) Kidwell Coll.

Item Description

Rare, perhaps UNIQUE old cryptomelane from a most obscure Pennsylvania locality in Huntingdon County. The sculptural small cabinet is highlighted by the two matte gray nodules, that jauntily rest atop the ironstone matrix. The large nodule is 4.4 cm across. Cryptomelane is a manganese oxide. The MINDAT locality entry lists cryptomelane as the only species, with no photographic examples. 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. Exceptionally RARE old material, Al acquired the piece in 1957 from the Plummers. A must for the species or locality collector.