Pyrite (rare spherical habit - unique locality specimen) (ex Dr. Barratt Phillips Collection)

Item Description

An interestingly spherical group of spherical Pyrite from the Kassandra Mining District in Central Macedonia, Greece. The few pieces I've seen from this area were predominantly cubic in habit, so this is a real deviation from what has been found historically. Regardless of the habit, it's important to stress that it's rare to find these Pyrites on the market, I've only seen a few of them in 30+ years. The piece is crystallized all around, with a sparkling metallic luster on the surface. The habit makes me think it might be some kind of concretion, certainly strange for the locality. If you collect thumbnails, sulfides, Pyrites or just odd locality pieces, look no further, as this one checks every box in the list. From the collection of Dr. Barratt Phillips, with an old hand-written label from the collection of Tom & Gale Palmer of Livermore, California (who had it valued at $50 a few decades ago - which is a fairly hefty price tag for a crystalline thumbnail sized Pyrite from any locality!).