Wulfenite (classic locality)

Item Description

A beautiful large miniature / small cabinet sized specimen of these famous Wulfenites from the Glove Mine. This classic locale lies about 55 miles south of Tucson. It is certainly one of the premier localities for Wulfenite in the state, which is really saying something considering all the major localities for the species throughout Arizona. This piece hosts several good sized, sharp, well-formed, beautiful golden-orange colored tabular blades of Wulfenite measuring up to 2.6 cm on edge, with very minor attached matrix. The piece is in amazingly good condition, considering these Wulfenites can be delicate and fragile (which is the case for this piece so it must be handled carefully) as most of the crystals are undamaged, though there are a few broken Wulfenites, so the piece is not 100% pristine. I love the modifications on the corners, giving the crystals an octagonal cross section, as the broad sides of the crystals are actually the "c" faces. Great quality, aesthetics and crystal size make this a very desirable display piece of this famous material from one of the great Wulfenite-producing mines in Arizona.
Valued $2,000.
From the collection of Gary and Terry Butts of Livermore, Colorado. This husband and wife collecting duo were childhood sweethearts, and have been together since they began dating as teenagers growing up in East Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950s. Both of them had an early interest in the hobby thanks to the fact that Terry's parents had a keen interest in lapidary, which sparked an interest in rocks for both of them. Gary and Terry were featured in an article in the Des Moines Register on Feb 4, 1962 (see photo in this listing) highlighting their interest and prowess in the hobby as youngsters. Gary traveled to various localities around the US as a teenager with his father (who worked in the tin industry), to personally collect specimens. He then attended the School of Mines in Golden, Colorado and graduated in 1967 with a degree in extractive metallurgical engineering. We went to work for Duval Corp at the Esperanza Mine south of Tucson, Arizona and then work for Cyprus Mines, Hazen Research, Pincock, Allen & Holt and the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute. His final job was in the mineral and environmental division of Intertek Testing Services of London, which owned the Canadian mineral testing company, Bonder Clegg. Gary's various jobs allowed him to travel the world and build his collection by buying a lot of specimens in person when they were coming out of the ground. Additionally, Terry's uncle was a miner in Creede, Colorado and later owned a rock shop which supplied Gary with specimens from the area. The specimens in this auction represent what Gary and Terry considered the "cream of the crop" of their collection.