Vanadinite (rare style)

Item Description

A rarely seen example of these alluring and different Vanadinites from Touissit. This small cabinet piece is filled with sharp, lustrous, silvery-brown hexagonal Vanadinite barrels which richly cover the matrix. The piece was mined in late 1970s/early 1980s. The textbook Vanadinite barrels reach 1.3 cm, and they have what I can best describe as an almost "metallic" quality on the surface if that makes sense. It should be noted that these were originally marketed as Pyromorphites, but testing by the Smithsonian Museum proved these to be Vanadinite with minor arsenic content, but they should not be labeled as Endlichite. No real damage that I can find. Valued $1000. From the collection of Richard ("Dick") Philip Hauck formerly of Bloomfield, New Jersey and now a resident of Franklin, New Jersey. Dick is an avid collector of minerals, books, and mining memorabilia, along with being an accomplished author in the mineral world. Arguably, his greatest claim to fame is being the co-founder of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, NJ. Dick purchased the land on which the Sterling Hill Mine resides in 1988, and the museum has been running strong since.