Malachite (RARE New England locale) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

When most people think of Malachite, especially from the United States, they probably conjure images of a specimen from Arizona, possibly associated with Azurite and gossan matrix. Very few people are familiar with, or have SEEN a specimen of Malachite from the lesser-known Stoddard Mine in Westmoreland, New Hampshire! Yes, this locality is a Fluorite Mine that produced a tiny amount of crystallized Malachite! What's even more interesting is that the Malachite is sitting on crystallized QUARTZ matrix! This small cabinet specimen is essentially a piece of solid / massive Quartz, but a small vug opened up, and formed terminated gem quality colorless crystals, which was the perfect place for a small acicular "spray" of rich emerald green Malachite needles to form. The largest Malachite needle measures 8 mm long. If you collect oddball specimens, unusual / rare locality pieces or minerals from New England, do NOT pass up the chance to get your hands on a piece of this rarely seen material. This is the first piece of Malachite from the Stoddard Mine that we've ever had to offer in the auctions. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #18622CL. Chet's collection catalogue states that it was acquired from the collection of Al Sebela, and originated from Coisas Preciosas (Dr. Robert E. Jenkins, former Chief Geologist at Dupont). Chet was born 1947 in started collecting minerals circa 1957. He worked briefly as a drill runner at the famous Sterling Mine, in Ogdensburg, New Jersey and from 1987 to 1990 he helped convert the mine into a public access mining museum. He has held the role of treasurer, vice president and president of the Franklin-Ogdensburg Mineralogical Society (FOMS), and has been a board member and vice president of the Franklin Mineral Museum. The rare copper arsenate, Lemanskiite was named in his honor in 1999.