Pyrite on Siderite and Hematite pseudomorph after Pyrrhotite

Item Description

This piece was originally labeled as Pyrite on Barite, but a friend who is familiar with this material told me that they were largely mislabeled when they were found, and they are in fact Pyrite sitting on pseudomorphs of Siderite and Hematite after Pyrrhotite. You can see the semi-"flower"-shaped form of the previous Pyrrhotite crystals, which were coated by small Siderite rhombs and then a layer of brownish-red Hematite came in over the top. Finally, the Pyrite was deposited, in the form of a semi-spherical groups of bright golden metallic crystals. The Pyrite group measures 1.7 cm across. Very attractive and rarely seen on the market today. It should be noted that the town of Gilman, Colorado no longer exists, it's a true ghost town, but specimens are still attributed to this locality when a specific mine is not known. From the collection of Richard ("Dick") Philip Hauck formerly of Bloomfield, New Jersey and now a resident of Franklin, New Jersey. Dick is an avid collector of minerals, books, and mining memorabilia, along with being an accomplished author in the mineral world. Arguably, his greatest claim to fame is being the co-founder of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, NJ. Dick purchased the land on which the Sterling Hill Mine resides in 1988, and the museum has been running strong since.