rare Fluorite ps. after Petrified Wood (van Tichelen Coll)

Item Description

One of my favorite and strangest items ever to post in this auction: A subtle and eerily beautiful pseudomorph, and my first time having any for sale, of this replacement by fluorite of Permian age petrified wood. This specimen was said to be an excellent, unusually complete and well-replaced example, and comes from the important pseudomorph collection of Dr Wouter van Tichelen, Antwerp. Having dealt with him for decades, I think it is safe to say that this is one of the greatest and most diverse pseudomorph collections assembled in recent years (along with that of Stretch Young, in Texas). Found in a construction dig in 2001, and almost never seen for sale, this is difficult to place a value on and the perfect kind of item to place in auction and see how it goes when the world sees it. A detailed write up accompanies, and is shown here (email if you need a larger version of the text): note that you can clearly see the pith-filled void in the center surrounded by concentric layers of wood, which have been replaced by the fluorite. The layers, the rings, and the outer bark are all exceptionally well preserved. A quick look at google confirmed the following information on FMF message board:

Found some years ago during construction works. Huge logs up to many meters were recovered, but Fluorite was always rare. Now the whole town with its petrified forest is a protected geological area and collecting is strictly forbidden. The petrified forest of Chemnitz is well
documented - sediments of Permian age with huge logs and a rich fauna and flora. Fluorite replacing fossil wood has always been rare and is a German classic. The museum in the "Tietz" has a fantastic exhibition about the petrified forest inside Chemnitz. (comments taken from well-known collector Gerhard Brandstetter posting on a Friends of Minerals forum).