Pyrite or Marcasite pseudomorph after Pyrrhotite (ex Reynolds and Robertson Collections)

Item Description

A really cool and very hard to find pseudomorph of dark golden metallic Pyrite or Marcasite replacing pseudohexagonal crystals of Pyrrhotite from the famous Herja Mine in Romania. The largest pseudomorph measures 1.6 cm across. The piece is complete on the top, and crystallized on all sides, with no major damage outside of the bottom where it was removed from the pocket wall. Minor iron-stained Dolomite can be seen on top of the pseudomorphs, and there is some black Sphalerite on the underside of the piece. Priced at $500 in the inventory. This piece comes to us from the collection of Bob Reynolds, well-known fossil and mineral expert and former Curator of Earth Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum in California. Originally the specimen was in the collection of Kay Robertson (#6535). Kay was a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics. She nearly lived 100 years from April 1920 - March 2020. See the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record ( https://www.mineralogicalrecord.com/pdfs/Kay%20Robertson%20Collection.pdf ), and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017.