Erythrosiderite (incredibly rare) (ex David Burgess Collection)

Item Description

From the type locality for this incredibly rare hydrated potassium iron halide, here we have an interesting old time representation of the species with a label dating back to 1926. The piece is a 7.7 cm long glass vial that is filled with rich yellow-orange colored Erythrosiderite crystals free of matrix. The cork in the top of the vial is actually sealed with wax, to protect the Erythrosiderite which is completely frozen inside. The species is rather deliquescent and can absorb moisture from the air and eventually completely dissolve, so they have to be protected. A really cool "time capsule" representation of a species that is virtually unseen on the market. From the worldwide collection of David Burgess (1951-2016). David was a prolific species collector from Newington, Connecticut, and the namesake for the extremely rare cobalt arsenate species Burgessite, which he discovered.