Wolfeite (rare)

Item Description

The Dawson District in the Yukon is well-known for its phosphate minerals, including some rarities like Wolfeite. This hard to find iron phosphate was named after Caleb Wroe Wolfe, who was a Geology Professor at Boston University. Wolfe is one of the few people in history to actually have TWO minerals named after him, as Wroewolfeite also bears his name. This piece is a very good sized example of Wolfeite, not just for the locality, but the species in general. It features compacted dark reddish-brown crystals, inside of a clamshell-shaped nodule. I found one entry on mindat.org from Tiziano Luzi that mentions these specimens are actually forming pseudomorphs after a bivalve species of marine life ( see https://www.mindat.org/imagecache/6c/74/02571710014947908444965.jpg ), but I don't know if this is consistent for all Wolfeites from this locality. I will say that the exterior truly has the shape and symmetry of a bivalve animal shell, so it's certainly possible. Nonetheless, a species like Wolfeite is certainly not found in such large and rich examples from anywhere else in the world, and if you're a rare species collector, it's certainly a fine quality example that would make a great addition to your collection.
From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#10,980). This husband and wife duo were actively involved in the mineral world for many decades. Bill was a PhD geologist, and Anne was a mathematician, and they both were very serious mineral collectors. Bill served for many years as adjunct curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the Micromounters' Hall of Fame on October 12, 2019. Both Bill and Anne, at various times, served as president both of the Mineralogical Society of Cleveland and of the Micromineral Society of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the mi The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.