Wulfenite (classic material)

Red Cloud Mine, Silver Dist., La Paz Co., Arizona, USA
Ex. George Loud; Gary Grenier
Cabinet, 10.3 x 5.7 x 4.8 cm
Start Time: 01/23/2025 8:00:00 pm (CST)
End Time: 02/02/2025 6:00:00 pm (CST)
Auction Closed
Winning Bid: $525

Item Description

Wulfenite is the state mineral of Arizona, and for good reason as some of the finest examples of the species have been found in various mines throughout the state. One of those mines is the world-famous Red Cloud, which has produced truly world-classic, iconic display specimens of this beloved lead molybdate. The finest crystals from the Red Cloud have an intense orange/red hue, and sometimes formed in larger-than-average crystals for the species. Throw in the fact that they can feature excellent gemminess, and you have something rare and special. Superb specimens date back close to a century ago, which were mined by the legendary Ed Over, who was one of the great US field collectors in the first half of the 20th Century. Ed made what is the most significant discovery of Wulfenite at the Red Cloud in 1938, producing some of the largest, and most vividly colored Wulfenite crystals from the locality (see https://www.mindat.org/photo-855887.html). This piece is a great example of these amazing crystals featuring several sharp, lustrous, strong red-orange colored, tabular blades measuring 2.2 cm, sitting aesthetically on oxidized matrix. You can clearly see that the crystals are actually GEMMY in areas(!). There are only a few broken crystals, so the piece is not completely pristine, but it's incredibly rare to find specimens with zero damage from this mine due to the nature of the material. Still a fine quality and highly displayable full-sized cabinet piece of these renowned Wulfenites.
Formerly in the collection of Gary Grenier, who personally collected the piece in 1996 (from an ore bucket according to the label).
Ex George Loud Collection No. 48.1.4.1 AZ.15; 6336. George (born August 16, 1942) is a well-known mineral collector from Washington, DC and South Carolina respectively, and was a patent lawyer by trade for over 50 years. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the U.S., comprising worldwide specimens, and in later years he sold the worldwide specimens to focus on minerals of the United States, specifically locality suites with an emphasis on amazing representation of species while still maintaining fine quality. The specimens remarkably range from micros to all the way up to large cabinets in size. We recently acquired most of his impressive 9000+ piece 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 specimens for their collections.
See: https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/george-loud for more information

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Bidding History

Bid Amount Bid Time
$525 02/02/2025 5:43:44 pm (CST)
$500 02/02/2025 5:43:32 pm (CST)
$499 02/02/2025 5:43:31 pm (CST)
$425 02/02/2025 5:36:19 pm (CST)
$415 02/02/2025 5:36:19 pm (CST)
$405 02/02/2025 9:14:24 am (CST)
$395 02/02/2025 9:14:24 am (CST)
$376 01/29/2025 10:15:48 pm (CST)
$366 01/29/2025 10:15:48 pm (CST)
$210 01/26/2025 9:29:34 pm (CST)
$200 01/26/2025 9:29:34 pm (CST)
$185 01/26/2025 4:15:51 pm (CST)
$175 01/26/2025 4:15:50 pm (CST)
$165 01/23/2025 11:56:40 pm (CST)
$155 01/23/2025 11:56:40 pm (CST)
$10 01/23/2025 8:18:48 pm (CST)