This is a superb, razor-sharp, lustrous Wodginite specimen. Surprisingly, it turns out to be a thick coating of epitaxial Wodginite that overgew a decaying spindle of internal Cassiterite, now almost vanished. Aesthetic, rare, and world-class. This is an important specimen from a small find, of the early 1980's or late 1970s , that really surprised people. The wodginite from this find is superb anyways - unusually lustrous and sharp compared to the mineral from other localities. These are VERY hard to come by. I am told that the pocket was only the size of a basketball and the find limited to some dozens of specimens. This one, at 3.7 cm, is one of the larger pieces and is quite significant . When these first made an appearance at major mineral shows some 35 years ago, they were a big hit with collectors because of their odd formation. Richard Gaines, a well-known collector on the East Coast at the time, had the pocket and many of the best pieces. However, John White's label notes he got this directly from Carlos Barbosa in 1978 - probably right when they came out and before tehir ID as an epitaxial overgrowth had been determined. Unusual, to say the least, and rarely seen in the marketplace!

A very fine spray of relatively large crystals for the species, from the locality generally regarded as having produced the best. These levels of the Ojuela are now watered and inaccessible, and good koettigite has not been found since good legrandite was - 30 years ago , now. This was purchased at the Salt Lake show in 1969 to Beth Gordon, a collector-dealer who sold it to John White later. I find his back-of-label note amusing..."$75, overpriced". Mineral collectors have always thought that rarities in particular were overpriced! Especially when they first come out and we do not have a context. Certainly an understandable comment to make in this case, for a small matrixless group of crystals that arent neon yellow ecxactly. However, his judgement proved correct because these ARE the finest of species, and this piece DOES turn out to be, in hindsight, an excellent thumbnail specimen with superb crystals.