Silver with Copper (classic material)

Item Description

This is a big, showy and classic association specimen of the so-called Silver-Copper half-breeds, as they were referred to in the old days. These specimens are interesting and fairly remarkable, as this is one of the rare cases in nature where two different native metals were separated in solution, anneal during formation and then grew along side one another without actually intermixing. Fine crystallized examples are rare, and this one is certainly one of the better and larger pieces of this material that we've had to offer in the auctions recently. The piece is features attractive Silver crystals that can be seen on multiple sides, and they have formed over an aesthetic branching matrix of native Copper. The entire piece has a beautiful antique patina, and is very showy. The piece was originally in the collection of Clifford J. Krueger, purchased by Jack in 1976 for $1,200 (marked down from $2,500) and I value in the $10K range today.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 3149 . 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