Vanadinite (classic material)

ACF Mine, Mibladen, Aït Oufella Caïdat, Midelt Cercle, Midelt Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region, Morocco
Ex. Jack Halpern
Miniature, 4.9 x 1.3 x 0.8 cm
Start Time: 01/11/2025 8:00:00 pm (CST)
End Time: 01/18/2025 6:30:00 pm (CST)
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Current Bid: $45

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$500 for bids of over $25,000

Item Description

A showy and fine quality Vanadinite specimen from the ACF Mine, showing a morphology that is not commonly seen from the species or the locality for that matter. It cannot be argued that the finest examples of Vanadinite ever found are those from Mibladen, Morocco. As a matter of fact, without the specimens from Morocco, Vanadinite would not even be terribly well-represented as a species. This piece is a fine quality example of these excellent specimens featuring an attractiev group of lustrous, sharp, well-formed, hexagonal crystals oriented in a "pseudo-faden-esque" group, free of matrix. The color is a rich orange-red hue. The main group is undamaged as far as I can see with the naked eye, and the only roughness is on the bottom where the piece presumably was detached from the pocket wall. There are few minerals in the world which are singularly tied to single locality both in terms of quantity and quality like the Vanadinites from Mibladen.
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. 2930. 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

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Bidding History

Bid Amount Bid Time
$45 01/15/2025 12:52:25 am (CST)
$40 01/15/2025 12:52:25 am (CST)
$30 01/14/2025 2:54:36 pm (CST)
$25 01/14/2025 2:54:36 pm (CST)
$10 01/12/2025 1:48:05 pm (CST)