Crystallized Gold - classic Russian locale (Barlow Coll.)

Item Description

John Barlow (1914-2004) assembled one of the great US mineral collections (over 5000 pieces) and had a very fine suite of gold specimens. This adorable and sculptural crystallized gold, Barlow # 4345, is from Russia. The rich mellow gold consists of striking hoppered octahedrons and modified spinel-twins. One striking view looks like a fish with a very large eye and upturned tail! Classic and choice Lena River gold with only minor alluvial rounding compared to most, this remains sharply crystallized. 23 grams mass. Vaued at $1500 when it was last sold by Collectors Edge (who had the largest part of the collection on consignment) in 1999-2000 or so. Today, we feel it could be worth $2500 for the quality, form, and size of this crystal for the locale.