Libethenite (fine classic material)

Item Description

Here we have a wonderful cabinet sized display piece of Libethenite, from the type locality (named after the old German name for the locality, Libethen) which lies in Slovakia. Please note that the entry for this locality on mindat.org states that, "Prior to 1919, the locality was in the territory of Hungary, and old labels often reflect that". This piece is filled with cavities lined with dozens of highly lustrous, dark green, vitreous, pseudo-octahedral, orthorhombic crystals on Quartz matrix. Libethenite typically forms from weathered Apatite crystals, and is one of the most distinctive and beautiful colors for a mineral species. These specimens are rare on the market today, especially in pieces this size, and good Libethenites from the TYPE LOCALITY are always in high demand. Valued $1,250. There is an antique hand-written label glued to the base of the specimen, dating it back probably to the 1800s.
From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#27 O), a well-known German collector all over Europe with worldwide contacts to dealers and collectors. He started collecting seriously at the age of 14 and his great and varied worldwide collection reached over 6000 pieces. He was very active mineralogically until shortly before his passing in 2020 at the age of 82. Considering his collection had a large number of pieces, it still had an unusually high standard of quality from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics as well as minerals of the Black Forest, where he spent much time collecting. His Black Forest and German subcollections went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. We at The Arkenstone have the privilege of offering the remainder of this great worldwide collection over the next two to three years through our various platforms.