Quartz ''cast'' after Anhydrite

Item Description

A big beautiful specimen of attractive and distinctive "casts" which for years were labeled as Quartz after Baryte, but considering the fact that Baryte is chemically inert and nearly impossible to dissolve, it has been confirmed that they are "casts" of Quartz replacing Anhydrite. Anybody who is familiar with the Prehnite "casts" after Anhydrite from the New Jersey trap rocks can instantly see the similarity. The first report I saw came from Dr. Virgil Lueth at New Mexico Tech who concluded that these and all San Juan Quartz epimorphs/perimorphs are in fact replacing Anhydrite. With that said, this specimen is a beautiful pseudomorph / cast consisting of hollow and blocky cavities of Quartz replacing the original mineral. The most attractive aspect of this specimen is the fact that the Quartz crystals are not microscopic or massive, but many of them are easily visible with the naked eye, and show good gemminess The contrasting reddish iron-oxide inside the "cast" makes for a great touch as well, and confirms it's from the Silver Point Mine. This specimen was collected by noted Colorado collector and dealer, Benjy Kuehling in the 1980s. A wonderful specimen from a district that produced some of the most classic "casts" from all of Colorado. Valued $950.
From the collection of Gary and Terry Butts of Livermore, Colorado. This husband and wife collecting duo were childhood sweethearts, and have been together since they began dating as teenagers growing up in East Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950s. Both of them had an early interest in the hobby thanks to the fact that Terry's parents had a keen interest in lapidary, which sparked an interest in rocks for both of them. Gary and Terry were featured in an article in the Des Moines Register on Feb 4, 1962 (see photo in this listing) highlighting their interest and prowess in the hobby as youngsters. Gary traveled to various localities around the US as a teenager with his father (who worked in the tin industry), to personally collect specimens. He then attended the School of Mines in Golden, Colorado and graduated in 1967 with a degree in extractive metallurgical engineering. We went to work for Duval Corp at the Esperanza Mine south of Tucson, Arizona and then work for Cyprus Mines, Hazen Research, Pincock, Allen & Holt and the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute. His final job was in the mineral and environmental division of Intertek Testing Services of London, which owned the Canadian mineral testing company, Bonder Clegg. Gary's various jobs allowed him to travel the world and build his collection by buying a lot of specimens in person when they were coming out of the ground. Additionally, Terry's uncle was a miner in Creede, Colorado and later owned a rock shop which supplied Gary with specimens from the area. The specimens in this auction represent what Gary and Terry considered the "cream of the crop" of their collection.