Pyrite on Sphalerite (RARE locality specimen) (ex Rich Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

An incredibly hard to find specimen from Wifley (labeled as "Wilfley Mine" on the bottom of the specimen) in the Kokomo-Tenmile area of Colorado. This is the first and only specimen that we've seen from this locality. The label attached to the piece states that the specimen was collected circa 1896. This attractive cabinet display specimen features a coverage of tiny, sparkling, sharp, soft golden colored metallic Pyrite cubes coating a mound of grey-black colored, modified Sphalerite crystal matrix. I don't see any real damage anywhere, and the piece actually sits on its side beautifully without the aid of a base or clay. For reference, the only two minerals reported from Wifley are Pyrite and Sphalerite, so this piece has everything the locality has to offer in terms of species. Don't miss out on an antique piece of Colorado mining history from the 1800s. It's almost impossible to put a fair market value on a piece like this, as I've never seen anything like it for comparison, but I would say somewhere in the $750-$950 range retail is fair. From the collection of Richard ("Rich") Kosnar (1946-2007), the well-known mineral dealer and collector from Colorado. He was the namesake for the rare zirconium phosphate mineral, Kosnarite.