Pyromorphite (fine historic specimen)

Item Description

A very good quality, old-time and certainly hard to find specimen of Pyromorphite from the Mexico Mine in Roughton Gill. This mine dates back to 1845, and actually closed in 1868 according to the entry on mindat.org These specimens can often feature small, sometimes pale and non-descript "needles" of Pyromorphite of an unpleasing color, but this piece is very striking and better quality than most we've had to offer in several years. It features resinous, beautiful bright yellow-green color, crystals of Pyromorphite measuring up to about 8 mm, sitting on oxidized matrix. The Pyromorphites are beautiful up close, and there is very little in the way of damage. Great quality all around with superb color, luster and form. Valued $5,000.
The piece comes with a label from the Smithsonian (U. S. National Museum #103,256) stating that it originated from the University of Edinburgh collection. There is also a label from Walt Lidstrom, one of Jack's favorite dealers.
ATTENTION: We are happy to announce our new book featuring the Jack Halpern collection entitled "Addicted to Beauty", which will be available in March from the Mineralogical Record. The following is an excerpt from Rob Lavinsky from the foreword of the book. "I am honored to have been entrusted with the deaccessioning of Jack Halpern’s famed collection. This book is not only designed to commemorate Jack's minerals, but also the man himself and how he inspired so many of us who are in the hobby today. Regarding the sale of his collection, Jack’s one comment and wish to me and to his family and friends was that we would carry forward his 'Legacy of Beauty' out into the broad world."
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 1086. 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