Mimetite-Pyromorphite Series (classic material)

Item Description

Some of the most specimens from Roughton Gill are the iconic and distinctive Mimetites and Pyromorphites. This piece was originally labeled as Mimetite on the historic hand-written Krantz label dating circa 1888-1926) that accompanies the piece, but subsequent labels identify the piece as being Pyromorphite. Obviously there was a bit of confusion about the which species was present, as there is a hand-written note from Jack Halpern that stated his intent to show the piece to Jack Crowley for proper identification, though it's virtually impossible to distinguish the species visually, and a chemical analysis would have to be done. With that said, we're leaving the piece simply as Mimetite-Pyromorphite series, as we don't know specifically if it's one or the other, or possibly both, which can happen in these crystals as they can be chemically zoned, meaning the crystal structure changes as the phosphate replaces the arsenate molecule. This piece is a beautiful large thumbnail / toenail sized display specimen featuring several prismatic hexagonal crystals which range from a yellow-gold shade to a slightly more greenish-yellow color in areas measuring up to 2.1 cm, long, with very little matrix. Nearly all of the crystals are undamaged, only a few minor imperfections can be seen. It should be noted that the piece was originally traded out of the Humboldt Museum (circa 1960-1970) and was also part of the Georg Gebhard collection as well, giving the piece great provenance. Valued $3,000.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 3638. 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