Straczekite (incredibly rare) (ex Al Kidwell Collection)

Item Description

Straczekite is an incredibly rare calcium potassium barium vanadate (vanadium oxysalts) species, that is only found in FOUR places in the world. The mineral was named in 1983 after John Straczek who was the chief geologist for the Union Carbide Corporation (who owned the North Wilson pit where the species was first discovered). John obtained the first pieces of the material that were made available for study. This piece comes from the type locality and more than likely dates back to around the time of the first discovery of the material. It hosts a fairly rich coverage of micro black Straczekite crystals on the broad face of the specimens, some of which have been contacted as they grew against the pocket wall, but there are a couple small vugs with tightly packed crystals on the display side. The best view of the crystals is actually on the side of the specimen, as there is a rich patch of undamaged crystals that almost completely cover it.  We found a small patch of an unknown yellow mineral (possibly Schoderite or Metaschoderite?). These specimens are virtually impossible to find on the market, you can only get them from old collections, and if you're a fan of rare minerals or species from the type locality, this is a must-have piece for your collection. From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974 ( https://www.mindat.org/photo-3... ).