Specimens from the DR. EDWARD E. DAVID, JR. COLLECTION
At shows, Ed is very low-key and modest, jovial and relaxed, easily recognizable in his patchwork multicolored trousers. Most of us didn't really have a full understanding what he does in real life (welcome to the internet research age, Ed!) - at least, I did not as a young dealer coming up in the mineral world and meeting him in a dingy back-of-the-hotel room in 1992. He was intimidating enough all on his own presence. In the real world, Dr. Edward E. David, Jr. was Executive Director of Research at Bell Telephone Labs from 1950 to 1970. Dr. David was Science Advisor to President Nixon and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology from 1970 to 1973 (see the fascinating link here: Politics, Apollo, Ed David and Richard Nixon . Dr. David was President of Exxon Research and Engineering 1977 to 1986. He is a past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and was the U.S. representative to the NATO Science Committee for 16 years. In 1993 he sold a large portion of what he fondly calls his "first collection" to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where it forms the core of a major hall. He culled the remainder til his cases were nearly bare, and started building the current collection over the last decade - which now overflows the house again. SOMEHOW, with all these silly distractions above, he managed to build not one, but TWO world-class collections! But...this one is available to the rest of us.
Ed is, for me, one of those customers and friends who will always leave a mark on my life. It is truly surreal that I am handling his collection for him, as it is an honor I never expected in any way , shape, or form. I met Ed around 1992 at Tucson when he showed up at my hotel room door and pounded on it at around 10pm at night. The room was literally the butt-end, least senior placement in the Executive Inn, which even at the time was already moderately rat-infested; in which I and some friends were sleeping in sleeping bags to save floor-space for the tables with all the valuable minerals we needed to put out for sale. So he bangs on the door, and I open it, and this total stranger just looks at me seriously and says quite calmly but with that "tone" behind it "you have a rock that was supposed to go to me, and I want it back. What ought we to do about it?" How do you react to that but to argue a bit?! He then introduced himself, suggested we negotiate once I could see how ugly it was again, and we turned on the lights and went looking for it. It was admittedly the ugliest good rock sold at the main show on setup day: a huge Franklin rhodonite, which i still remember. It had apparently been sold to me by accident (truly!) by another dealer. Ed had set it back, and then run off to give a keynote speech at some conference in another city, and the dealer had innocently thought he left the show without deciding to take it. I then muddled along to the show and spent every cent I had on the piece, forsaking others. Ed generously gave me a 20% profit (HUGE money for me at the time on a good piece!), took the bowling-ball sized rock, wrapped it in the first newspaper he saw laying around, and took off with it under his arm after staying to talk a bit; and ask what the hell I was doing at the show instead of properly attending my undergrad science courses at Rice University back in Houston (um...i called in sick that week?). Later, Ed became my best customer in the early 90's whenever he was in a town where I was going to school; routinely buying what I thought were pretty expensive rarities I spent my time scrounging up (all now worth more! happy to have them back!). Poor Ed had to travel into dormitories in Houston and San Diego which he probably would rather have avoided - during which he "accidentally missed" a number of honorary dinners, as I recall. Through my years in grad school, he encouraged me to finish despite the mineral distractions abuilding; through all the years building the website which many thought would be a big flop, he supported me; and then since my decision to go fulltime as a mineral dealer he has counseled me and helped with his friendship and patronage. I must admit that Ed's nagging was really a big push in encouraging me to finish my own graduate work BEFORE becoming a fulltime mineral dealer, and he kindly(?) jangled a few alternate opportunities my way to be darned sure I was determined to do this mineral-dealing thing right or not at all.
Just to be clear, Ed is alive and well. At only 82 years old now, I am sure he is stashing away new minerals for a 3rd collection...
OVER 500 SPECIMENS REMAINING FROM THIS COLLECTION FOR SALE, SO STAY TUNED, OR SEE US AT SHOWS TO SEE MORE!
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02edd64n - Quartz var. "Herkimer Diamond" - $ 6000
Ace of Diamonds Mine, Middleville, Herkimer County, New York
small cabinet, 9.0 x 8.5 x 3.3 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
This is a particularly aesthetic cluster of herk's, with real elegance to it instead of the "jumbliness" we so often get in larger chain clusters of these gem crystals. For that matter, the piece has crystals of a uniform gemminess and clarity , not marred by the usual ugly duckling in the midst of most clusters of several crystals or more. Taken together, these qualities make it a very special piece. Ed loved these, and had over 15 examples in the collection, more than any other variety of quartz. All, like this one, were carefully chosen by somebody who's seen literally hundreds over the years, to be extra special. I should say that, as with generally ALL large herkimer clusters, this piece is multiply repaired (by the collectors, usually). Comes with custom base.
03edd37a - Franklinite in Willemite, Zincite, and Calcite - $ 5000 SOLD
Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensberg, New Jersey
cabinet, 9 x 9 x 8 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
An exceptionally dramatic piece with a stark 4 cm franklinite just sitting nicely in matrix of zincite, willemite, and calcite. The crystal is remarkably free of cracking, which happens often in larger crystals; and also free of shoe polish and glue fill in said cracks - a more frequent occurence than we specimen collectors like to admit. But, in the old days, it was almost a tradition to fake and build up broken franklinite crystals in matrix! Luckily, this one survived and was never played with. It probably dates to older workings in the late 1800s to early 1900s, and is not recently found.
04edd97j - Ruby (Chatoyant) - $ 6000 SOLD
Mogok District, Burma
miniature, 3.5 x 3.3 x 1.4 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
This is a superb single crystal of ruby, unusually well formed in hexagonal shape with waxy lustre. It probably has considerable value as carving rough because of the natural chatoyance, in which the color shifts between more red and more lavender in different lighting. It is opaque, but has zones of translucency. My catalogue shows that Ed paid $7500 to Bill Larson for this in 2000, to pry it out of his personal Burma collection. A better value, now, amortized in the collection!
05edd293a - Zoisite var. Tanzanite - $7750 - now in the jack halpern collection!) - SOLD
Merelani Hills, Umba Valley, Arusha District, Tanzania
small cabinet, 8.1 x 2.0 x 1.4 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
A VERY showy, very blue, natural tanzanite that shows well the purple and blue dichroism inherent in the species from this locality. It is either natural in color or lightly heated to enhance the blue hue (a common practice there and considered acceptable by many collectors if price is adjusted accordingly). The purple hue is not as intense and is difficult to photograph. The crystal does have some attached matrix, of graphite. The crystal has a superb, tapered termination , most unusual for tanzanites which tend to end in more blunt chisel-shaped terminations.
06EDD109C - Poldervaartite - $ 2750
N’Chwaning Mine, near Kuruman, Cape Province, South Africa
miniature, 4.7 x 4.3 x 3.7 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
A very beautiful miniature with good red color, and an exceptionally large "ball" aggregate of crystals at the base, upon which is perched a smaller , translucent and party gemmy crystal. This is an excellent example from the finds of about 5 years ago which revolutionized what we coul dexpect for the species, once much more rare. The find is now gond, and exceptional pieces like this are VERY uncommon on the market today. This one,f or the sheer size, is just "juicier" than most!
07edd26bc - Emerald on Calcite - $ 9200 SOLD
Las Penas, near Cosquez, Boyaca Dept, Colombia
miniature, 5.1 x 3.6 x 2.6 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
This is a most unusual emerald specimen, featuring dark green crystals in narrow stairstep growth , one upon and reachng out from the next, extending elegantly out from a well trimmed matrix! I have never seen the like! This is not a major gem emerald perhaps, but is really a special piece because it so draws the eye with the combination of color and sculptural aesthetics. It is as impactful as an emerald miniature could be, aside from a gem crystal of much higher price point. NOTE : there is ONE CLEAN REPAIR to this specimen, in the middle of the cluster. It is hard to notice and I am sure that Ed himself never realized it.
08edd30x - Pyrite on Quartz - $ 7950 SOLD
Morococha, Yauli Province, Peru
cabinet, 10.4 x 8.7 x 5.2 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
ex. Dr. Miguel Romero
Wow...what more can you say than the pics convey? this pyrite is PRISTINE all around front and sides, contacted only on the back out of view. The quartz is pristine and complete all around. It is 3-dimensional, dramatic, and just plain unique in overall combinatorial aesthetics! I love the secondary ntricate faces on the pyrite, and how they reflect light in person to make this appear even more starkly metallic against the contrasting matrix. Gene Schlepp obtained this from the Dr. Miguel Romero Collection in trade. Gene then sold it to Ed with whom it has remained. Yes it is pricey as heck, no question. But its also damned good and stands out from other Peru pyrites like a Sweet Home rhodo in a collection of other red rocks. Previously (mis)labelled as Pasta Bueno, but this has been corrected now.
09edd155j - Chalcocite pseudo. after Covellite - $ 7500 SOLD
Butte, Silverbow County, Montana
small cabinet, 8.0 x 6.3 x 3.6 cm
ex. August Pohndorf
ex. Dr. Edward David
ex. Gerald Herfurth
A shockingly scupltural cluster of fine crystals of LARGE covellites, that have been completely replaced by lustrous, jet black chalcocite. This is a MAJOR Butte specimen of some importance, just for the size alone. However, given the good aesthetics and nearly pristine condition, it is also a fine display quality specimen by any standard aside from the historical significance of the piece for the locale. It was in the Gerald Herfurth collection for 40 years, previously to Ed's purchase of it. Herfurth acquired it in 1958 from Pohndorf, a noted Colorado dealer and collector of the time. Verbally, it was said that this was found in 1883 and this was noted on Herfurth's card label (back side of the side shown). We know it is old, certainly, but if it really is THAT OLD, this is even more a piece of import.
10edd25t - Spodumene var. Hiddenite - $ 6000 SOLD
Adams Mine, Hiddenite, North Carolina
miniature, 3.5 x 2.2 x 2.1 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
ex. John Barlow
A rare MATRIX hiddenite, from the Adam's Farm locality which is actually the type locale for the original find of this material. It was most likely from that original era, in the late 1800s, though no detaile dhistory survives. I handled this piece the first time back in 1998 when I purchased it from the Barlow Collection dispersal, and now have the privilege to handle this special little guy again.
11edd90d - Epidote with Byssolite and Dolomite - $ 7000 SOLD
Knappenwand, Pinzgau, Salzburg, Austria
small cabinet, 9 x 6.5 x 5.9 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
ex. Rolf Wein
This is a visually impressive epidote from the classic old locality, with unusually stoudt and thick crystals. They have lustre like glass! The terminations are remarkably 3-dimensional and stand out dramatically from the matrix which acts as a natural prop to the crystals for display purposes. You can see there is one hairline crack here, a repair. It it were not repaired, this would be a 25k piece for the size and beauty, and the rarity on matrix. So, while there is this problem, the price is definitely adjusted accordingly and you get a piece that LOOKS like it is far more valuable, and certainly has more visual impact period, than you could normally get in this price range.
12eddx1 - Rutile Alphabet Set - $ 3000 SOLD
Rist Mine, Hiddenite , North Carolina
thumbnail, average 1.5 cm each
ex. Dr. Edward David
A fun set! These rutiles were painstakingly put together over many years, and Ed says he remembers buying them on site in NC in the 1950s.
13EDD6L - Tourmaline Elbaite - $ 12500 SOLD
Paprok, Kunar Province, Afghanistan
cabinet, 11 x 6.0 x 4.2 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
An unusual tourmaline, I would say! The reason is that pastel-colored tourmalines from here seldom have strong color depth, but this one does. Both the blue and the pink are deeply colored and unusual shades to find in combination with each other. It looks more like a pospicle than a natural tourmaline, I admit. This cluster is also pristine, and complete all around as you can see here. There are gemmier, more deeply colored tourmalines out there...but this one just has a unique quality to it that makes it stand out for color impact and beauty, even among the crowd. Ed collected very few crystals of the gem species, perhaps 10% out of 1000 specimens only, and so they each HAD to be unique for him to want them.
14edd22ae - Azurite on Dolomite - SOLD
Touissit Mine, Ouijda, Atlas Mountains, Morocco
small cabinet, 7.4 x 6.3 x 5.3 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
I am told that this was one of the best pieces in the size range from the famous 1998 find here, which Horst Burkard brought out to Tucson of 1999. The crystals have superb lustre, oustanding form, and literally leap off the contrasting matrix at the viewer, for dramatic effect. The color contrast is what makes the piece in part, but also the 3-dimensionality of the crystals leaping out at you. They are complete around , with only a few trivial contacts on the sides and with all major crystals completely pristine. This is a showpiece, no doubt about it!
15edd45c - Hemimorphite - $ 9500 SOLD
Roughton Gill Mine, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England
small cabinet, 9.3 x 7.1 x 5.8 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
ex. Lindsay Greenbank
A superb, colorful, 3-dimensional, and just overall outstanding example of the mid-1800s hemimorphite that came from small finds here. These are highly treasured in the UK and not parted with lightly. Lindsay greenbank , the most noted collector of such things, obtained it from the Klimm collection. What is striking to me about this piece is the 3-dimensional aesthetics...usually these look like so much flat blue carpet for the price. Here, we actually get something more interesting to look at! Ed bought this from Lindsay at the same time he got his famous pyromorphite specimen shown elsewhere on my site, and paid $17500 at the time when pounds were closer to parity with the USD. In England, I have seen lesser specimens priced at 10-15k. They truly go for fortunes. But, acknowledging that outside the UK its tough to get the appreciation for the rarity of such pieces and thus those kinds of numbers for these, even one as good as this, I've amortized this down below what Ed paid - to 9500 for quick sale.
zm02 - Fluorite on Stibnite - $ 2500 SOLD
Dushan Mine, Guizhou, China
cabinet, 10.6 x 9.1 x 8.4 cm
ex. Dr. Edward David
A very dramatic speicmen that is more 3-dimensional and more covered in fluorite than most such pieces, from finds in 2004-2005. The piece is complete on 3 sides, contacted in back. It features robust stibnite crystals as well as thinner ones, in cluster aggregate, all covered by a drapery of translucent fluorite. One of the best I have seen from China, and rivalling the old 1980s Thai material of similar aspect!
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