Gratonite is a rare lead, arsenic, sulfide. Specimens at their best trickled out from this one mine, from about 80-100 years ago. They are truly rare on the market, with non ein recent memory so far as I know. So, they only turn up in old museum collections. The overall doublet or hourglass form is attractive, made up of individual crystals to 6 mm across in radiating sprays. The crystal size is actually rather large for this species. A truly competition-quality thumbnail. This specimen is also from the type locality. Ex Gary Hansen collection.Joe Budd Photos

An oldtimer, this piece dates from French expeditionary trips for mineralogy in the 1970s into the 1980s. It comes from an old collection, and was almost certainly collected on well known trips by the team from the Sorbonne, under Pierre Bariand. This large specimen is very hefty, at over a pound, suggesting that the matrix is probably a good copper ore. The aurichalcite richly covers it, and has a bright and intense blue color that is darker than most aurichalcite from more familiar locales like Mapimi and in Arizona. I have not seen but small pieces of this material before, for sale. It is a good merger of a beautiful quality in a rare species, with nice locality interest.Joe Budd Photos

Historically, NYC produced some interesting minerals and a geologist named James Manchester was the most famous guy to study them. His book, "Minerals of New York City and Environs," is still famous today. This is a specimen from his own personal collection, with his personal collection label - and the number matches that glued to the back of the specimen! I obtained this piece in the purchase of the collection of deceased dealer Howard Belsky. Joe Budd Photos

Erythrite came at its best from this mine, but only in a few finds of the distant past, a group of larger crystals with generally lesser lustre from around 2002; and, now, a few small pockets that have been found in 2009-2010. This is an exceptional example from the recent finds (2009-2010) which was brought to market at the St Marie show in June of 2010. It features crystals of the best color, with the best metallic lustre, and an intense brightness to them. Some are actually gemmy and transparent - rare in the species ! The piece is complete on both sides, and 360 degrees around. I have seen several larger from this find, but not with such aesthetics and impact. Specimens of this quality have not been available for a long time and, I think will still be rare even if the mine produces a few pockets each year.Joe Budd Photos

Inesite from China is mostly in the form of larger crystals. This piece, however, is from a pocket found around 2005 (if I recall rightly), of another style entirely. It is the largest single example of this habit I have had, in good condition. It is a robust, giant specimen for the species with more inesite than I have ever seen on any one piece, in terms of mass. It is a deep, rich, glowing red color when backlit.Joe Budd Photos

A rich specimen covered with colorful blue microcrystals of this extremely rare Cadmian Copper Sulfate species named after Gerhard Niedermayr (b. 1941), mineralogist and geologist, Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. While not from the same mine as the type material, this is from a recent find which was available at the Munich 2010 show, from a nearby mine in the same ancient district.