Hematite (old classic material)

Item Description

A striking and fine quality specimen of the famous Hematites from the Montreal Mine in Iron County, Wisconsin. There's an obvious reason why this county got its name, mostly due to the presence of so much concentrated (and often high quality) iron ore in the form of beautiful Hematite specimens like this one. The piece is a gorgeous, striated and partially botryoidal groups with dark reddish-grey color on the exterior. It's complete all around and displays well from all angles. Very few of these are available for sale these days, and their value lies in both their visual beauty, their age (most of these old mines closed circa 1960s), and the fact that they resemble the great English Hematites of similar form/style. From the collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired, but among other things, he was the foreman and primary person in charge of recovering specimens at the famous Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado during the late 1970s. He is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. See Dave's photo mining at the Sweet Home on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures". Valued at $1,500 for the size, quality and the fact that they are virtually non-existent on the market today.