Microlite with Cassiterite and Tantalite-(Mn) (old material)

Item Description

This piece comes from an old East Coast collection, originally in the collection of J. N. Trainer, and with an historic label from the legendary mineral dealer, Hugh A. Ford. Since the label has Ford's New York address, it dates to 1946-1957. This piece is labeled as coming from near Amelia, so we don't know the specific locality, it could be from the Rutherford Mine(s) or the Morefield Mine. It should be noted that Microlite is no longer a species, but a group name for more than 10 species of different "Microlites". I don't know specifically which species this is, so we're leaving it as Microlite. A sharp, lustrous, well-formed, rich golden-brown color octahedral crystal of Microlite measuring 3 mm associated with black (uncrystallized) Cassiterite with sharp, lustrous, deep reddish-black Tantalite-(Mn) on white Albite matrix. The piece dates back at least 60-70 years, and would make a great addition to a collection of U.S. minerals or a suite of minerals from Virginia.