Howlite (polished)

Item Description

Here we have a classic and good-sized specimen of the uncommon calcium borosilicate, Howlite. The species was named in honor of Professor Henry How of King's College, Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1936. Some of the best and most well-known examples are those from Tick Canyon in Los Angeles County, California (in between Santa Clarita and Palmdale). The pieces typically form as massive nodules, and this piece is an impressive full cabinet sized piece featuring semi-spherical nodules of an off-white hue which has been polished on the front face to show off the quality. These are not nearly as common on the market as they used to be, and pieces this size are certainly desirable (especially in this condition) for any fan of minerals of California.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 2365. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information