Large spinel-twinned Copper

Item Description

An amazingly sculptural large crystallized floater copper specimen from the famous White Pine Mine of Copper Country. The piece is composed entirely of spinel-twinned crystals with a nice patina. The upper part looks the skeleton of striking fossil fish with an eye socket in the head, very elongated backbone with vertebrae and bony spiked tail. The lower portion looks like another fossil fish with a large bony skull and dramatic dosal and tail fins! Molten copper was deposited along bedding planes of the Nonesuch Shale and that is why specimens from this mine are typically flat. Few large ones, though, have this kind of aesthetics! This outstanding piece looks great from either side. Valued at $1000-1250.