Galena on Sphalerite (classic material) (ex Bill Pinch Collection)

Item Description

A beautiful old time specimen of cubic Galena on classic red "Ruby Jack" Sphalerite from the famous locality at Joplin, Missouri. The Galena crystals have dark grey hue and measure up to 6 mm on edge, and the Sphalerites are the typical modified tetrahedral crystal habit with excellent gemminess in areas when backlit. Interestingly, there is a light dusting of what appears to be a second generation of Sphalerite deposit on select Galena crystals, along with minor Chalcopyrite. Good quality and beautiful from the crystallographic standpoint. Great old classic material from the tri-state region. From the collection of Bill Pinch (1940 - 2017) of Rochester, New York. Bill was one of the most accomplished mineral collectors in the world, along with being a noted amateur mineralogist. He had a tremendous knowledge of rare species, especially minerals of Tsumeb, and famously owned the well-known specimen of Andyrobertsite on the cover of the Mineralogical Record. The halide Pinchite was named in his honor, as well as the Pinch Medal, which is issued by the Mineralogical Association of Canada for contributions to the advancement of mineralogy by members of the collector-dealer (non-professional) community.