Deaccessions from the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences

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PAS-163 - Antillite - SOLD
Regla, near Havana, La Habana Province, Cuba (TYPE LOCALITY)
small cabinet, 8.1 x 7.1 x 6.9 cm

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This is still a poorly categorised mineral (perhaps due to lack of study samples?), originally described from near Havana, La Habana Province, Cuba. It is a magnesium iron silicate that is not yet formally approved as a species pending more work. This specimen is very rich with the material, dark black masses within the lightweight matrix. For the mineralogist with research facilities access, this could be a fun one to play with. It is also big, and will yield many study samples for exchange and work. Besides, how many minerals do you see from old Cuban mines? Note late 1800s AE Foote label.

PAS-179 - Datolite - SOLD
Isle Royale National Park, Lake Superior, Keweenaw Co., Michigan, USA
cabinet, 13.9 x 9.4 x 5.5 cm

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This is from a National Park and no collecting is allowed TODAY, making it probably one of the few pieces out there in private hands. This is 1069 grams (2.4 pounds or so) of solid, carving-quality material of classic pearl-white datolite from upper Michigan. I have not seen such big chunks around, from other mines I am more familiar with. One imagines most of it was carved or ground up for industrial use. From the noted Clarence S. Bement (1843-1923) Collection. Given the early accession number, and the future fate of his collection going to the AMNH in the 1900s, this was certainly obtained from him personally before his death and the purchase (followed by donation elsewhere) of the rest of his collection by financier JP Morgan. NOTE THIS IS A HANDWRITTEN LABEL IN BEMENT'S OWN HAND (as compared to labels shown in the Mineralogical Record label archive: click here

PAS-180 - Antimony - SOLD
Lac Nicolet mine, South Ham, Wolfe Co., Qu�bec, Canada
small cabinet, 8.3 x 5.6 x 4.9 cm

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This is a significant locality specimen from the early days of an important antimony mine started in the late 1860's. Although it was re-opened in 1940 and later produced some fabulous crystallized antimony in larger sized crystals, this would have been of some significance for the original era of mining there, and remains so now for historic reasons and overall size of the specimen as well. One face has intricate patterning of richly crystallized antimony, in crystals to several mm in size. It is from the noted collection of William Drown, whom according to the Mineralogical Record Archive on him was an umbrella manufacturer who used his fortune to amass a collection of some 6000 mineral specimens. His collection was kept by his family for a generation after his death and then donated in 1918.

PAS-182a - Erythrite, Asbolite on Cobaltite Ore - SOLD
La Blanco Mine (Blanca Mine), Freirina, Huasco Province, Atacama Region, Chile
cabinet, 15.0 x 13.0 x 7.0 cm

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A beautiful, large matrix specimen with a huge display face covered by sharp, metallic, acicular erythrite crystals. The matrix is HEAVY cobaltite-rich matrix, solid ore, several kilos. According to MINDAT: La Blanco is a small Co-Cu deposit close to the town of Freirina; mined on a small scale in the 19th century (Ref.: Maurizio Dini). It is the most likely source for this specimen because the original museum label (as big as the specimen in real life, so it could sit atop!) gives "San Juan, Chili" as the locality, and because that label also states the presence of "Asbolite." Asbolite is a now-discredited name for a "cobaltian wad" of interlocking acicular erythrite crystals. According to MINDAT, this is the only documented old locality which produced both erythrite and "asbolite." This specimen was given by the eminent researcher in the area, Dr. Domeyko, who sent many study samples to the Academy during its heyday. NOTE THAT BOTH PAS-182A AND PAS-182B WERE NUMBERED 5220 IN THE SAME HAND, AT THE SAME TIME, indicating a common origin of the two specimens, though there is only one label. One assumes pieces were broken off for study on arrival at the museum. 5220 is a VERY early museum number dating to the late 1800s.

PAS-182b - Erythrite, Asbolite and Cobaltite - SOLD
La Blanco Mine (Blanca Mine), Freirina, Huasco Province, Atacama Region, Chile
miniature, 4.3 x 2.8 x 2.8 cm

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Erythrite, Asbolite and Cobaltite from La Blanco Mine (Blanca Mine), Freirina, Huasco Province, Atacama Region, Chile [db_pics/pics/pas-182ba.jpg]

Erythrite, Asbolite and Cobaltite from La Blanco Mine (Blanca Mine), Freirina, Huasco Province, Atacama Region, Chile [db_pics/pics/pas-182ba.jpg]

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Erythrite, Asbolite and Cobaltite from La Blanco Mine (Blanca Mine), Freirina, Huasco Province, Atacama Region, Chile [db_pics/pics/pas-182bb.jpg]

Erythrite, Asbolite and Cobaltite from La Blanco Mine (Blanca Mine), Freirina, Huasco Province, Atacama Region, Chile [db_pics/pics/pas-182bb.jpg]

A miniature-sized specimen with 2 rich areas (one on the side) covered by sharp, metallic, acicular erythrite crystals. According to MINDAT: La Blanco is a small Co-Cu deposit close to the town of Freirina; mined on a small scale in the 19th century (Ref.: Maurizio Dini). It is the most likely source for this specimen because the original museum label (this piece will come with a photocopy of the one belonging to PAS-182a) gives "San Juan, Chili" as the locality, and because that label also states the presence of "Asbolite." Asbolite is a now-discredited name for a "cobaltian wad" of interlocking acicular erythrite crystals. According to MINDAT, this is the only documented old locality which produced both erythrite and "asbolite." This specimen was given by the eminent researcher in the area, Dr. Domeyko, who sent many study samples to the Academy during its heyday. NOTE THAT BOTH PAS-182A AND PAS-182B WERE NUMBERED 5220 IN THE SAME HAND, AT THE SAME TIME, indicating a common origin of the two specimens, though there is only one label. One assumes pieces were broken off for study on arrival at the museum. 5220 is a VERY early museum number dating to the late 1800s .

PAS-186 - Tenorite - $ (DONATED) - SOLD
Copper Harbor, Keweenaw County, Michigan, USA
large cabinet, 26.3 x 23.9 x 6.0 cm

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A massive, basketball-sized hemisphere of heavy metallic Michigan minralization...I have not ever seen quite the like of it before.

Courtesy of Dr. George Robinson at the Seaman Museum : The specimen appears to be tenorite, probably from Copper Harbor, Keweenaw County (melaconite is an old name for tenorite). The only other possibility would be from the Algomah mine in Ontonagon Co., but the Copper Harbor material was found as glacial float and is typically rounded over like the piece you describe here. Both locations have minor chrysocolla and malachite associated. The "with paramelaconite?" on the label, however, is a little confusing, since that was known only from the Algomah mine, but as small black pseudomorphic xls on fracture surfaces of angular rock matrices rendered so from the mining process.We have smaller pieces from each occurrence in the collection, but nothing as large as the one in your picture!. Well , they do now...proudly donated to the Seaman Museum.

PAS-187 - Chrysocolla in Tyrolite with Clinotyrolite - SOLD
San Simon Mine, Huantajaya, Iquique Province, Tarapac� Region, Chile
cabinet, 14.1 x 8.0 x 7.8 cm

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These specimens (PAS-187 to PAS-189) were presented to the academy by the famed Dr. Domeyko in the late 1800s, who did much work on the rare minerals of Chile and Argentina. Regardless of the chemistry, the specimen has merit as a display piece of beautiful copper combinations from Chile. This piece has beautiful, powder-blue chrysocolla forming as stalactitic growths and as a thin carpet in the few hollow vugs inside a literal boulder of nearly solid tyrolite! On analysis by modern equipment, the matrix material shows to be tyrolite, clinotyrolite, and possibly other related species admixed (XRAY and powder, Bart Cannon's lab, 2008), However, apparently the official mineralogy of tyrolite classification is confusing and has changed over time. Clinotyrolite is often considered a species by many people, though without IMA approval. I quote MINDAT's page on the matter verbatim to make sure I do not mistakenly convey the science: Since it is well-known that also carbonate-free varieties of tyrolite exist, "tyrolite" may actually represent two or more minerals/polytypes. At least two monoclinic polytypes of tyrolite are known (Krivovichev et al., 2006); one of them seems to be identical to "clinotyrolite". . Note that this is the first report of the locality to MINDAT for tyrolite occurence, but it is likely that this rare species is present on other old specimens of "chrysocolla" from Chile.

PAS-189 - Chrysocolla in Tyrolite with Clinotyrolite - SOLD
San Simon Mine, Huantajaya, Iquique Province, Tarapac� Region, Chile
cabinet, 15.1 x 9.9 x 7.0 cm

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These specimens (PAS-187 to PAS-189) were presented to the academy by the famed Dr. Domeyko in the late 1800s, who did much work on the rare minerals of Chile and Argentina. Regardless of the chemistry, the specimen has merit as a display piece of beautiful copper combinations from Chile. This piece has beautiful, powder-blue chrysocolla forming as a thin carpet in the few hollow vugs inside a literal boulder of nearly solid tyrolite! It is cheaper than the PAS-187 specimen only because the chrysocolla is not as well developed for display quality aesthetics - and yet the tyrolite and other rare minerals here are if anything in greater concentration by weight. On analysis by modern equipment, the matrix material shows to be tyrolite, clinotyrolite, and possibly other related species admixed (XRAY and powder, Bart Cannon's lab, 2008), However, apparently the official mineralogy of tyrolite classification is confusing and has changed over time. Clinotyrolite is often considered a species by many people, though without IMA approval. I quote MINDAT's page on the matter verbatim to make sure I do not mistakenly convey the science: Since it is well-known that also carbonate-free varieties of tyrolite exist, "tyrolite" may actually represent two or more minerals/polytypes. At least two monoclinic polytypes of tyrolite are known (Krivovichev et al., 2006); one of them seems to be identical to "clinotyrolite". Note that this is the first report of the locality to MINDAT for tyrolite occurence, but it is likely that this rare species is present on other old specimens of "chrysocolla" from Chile.

PAS-190 - Veszelyite - SOLD
Ocna de Fier (Vask�), Banat, Caras-Severin Co., Romania (TYPE LOCALITY)
cabinet, 11.2 x 8.3 x 4.0 cm

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This is a large, rather rich specimen from the TYPE LOCALITY. It has numerous crystals to 1mm, in veins on one display face. Other minerals may also be present given the multihued shading. note huge price at the time of the old label!

PAS-165 - Greenockite on Cassiterite - SOLD
Siglo Veinte Mine, Llallagua, Bustillos Province, Potos� Department, Bolivia
small cabinet, 8.1 x 5.6 x 4.8 cm

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This piece has several rich pockets of dense microcrystallized orange/red greenockite, in protected cavities of cassiterite ore. A rare oldtime specimen from Llallagua with rich association of the very rare cadmian sulfide greenockite. I have not seen a specimen of this material for sale before, and in fact was not aware that the species had even been found here until I looked it up. This is one of two associated specimens (perhaps once joined), that were collected during the famous 4th Vaux-Academy expedition to Bolivia in 1929-1930, and comes with one of the two original labels that accompanied the box they were in all these years.

PAS-156 - Umangite, Clausthalite, & friends - SOLD
Sierra de Cacheuta, Mendoza, Argentina
miniature, 4.2 x 3.8 x 1.3 cm

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There is a lot more than clausthalite in here! I am told that if you have purple (and you do, visible, here!), you have umangite; and its a good bet there is klockmannite as well, and potentially all kinds of other good things. This specimen also contains Copper selenides because of the green secondaries. The non-metallic blue on there is likely chalcomenite, in fact. These specimens were presented to the academy by Casimiro Domeyko, who did much work on the rare minerals of Chile and Argentina. This specimen is more colorful than the specimen below. Note they do not fit together, but seem to have come from the same vein as they are similar enough. Note these are for sale "as is" with the ID as "Clausthalite and friends"...I have not analysed them.

PAS-155 - Barite - SOLD
Jinny Hill Mine, Cheshire, New Haven Co., Connecticut, USA
cabinet, 14.1 x 11.0 x 4.6 cm

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This is one of the largest Cheshire barites I have personally seen in anything resembling good form, to survive from the mid to late 1800s era of mining here. There is some edge wear, of course, and a few bruises and breaks. this is not pristine. But it is showy and impressive, for a historic specimen of barite from one of the early USA's more important mining locales!
Thank you to James Zigras, who found in an old pamphlet published by the Chesire Historical Society the following information: the exact locale is the JINNY HILL MINE and it operated from 1838-1877. The first barite mine in the US , it was mined for the manufacture of paints in NYC. It was discovered by Benjamin Silliman (of Yale) and noted by him in 1813. He claims the mine was named for "an elderly negress who lived in that area." The vein was followed for a depth of 480 feet and several miles of tunnel were mined. At its height of production in the mid-1800s, it employed 200 people.

PAS-152 - Eucryptite - SOLD
Abija N. Fillow Quarry (Branchville Quarry), Branchville, Redding, Fairfield Co., Connecticut (TYPE LOCALITY)
small cabinet, 9.3 x 7.0 x 2.8 cm

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From the TYPE LOCALITY 1880, this specimen has small grains of eucryptite embedded in the albite matrix. They are FLUORESCENT orange. According to MINDAT, named in 1880 by Brush and Dana from the Greek for "well concealed", in allusion to its occurrence embedded in albite. I have not seen a type locality piece for sale before

PAS-171 - Whitlockite - SOLD
Palermo Mines, Groton, Grafton Co., New Hampshire, USA
cabinet, 10.9 x 8.8 x 7.8 cm

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On this large pocket piece of quartz crystals are tiny whitlockites, very gemmy xls to 2mm that look like albite for size and shape...that is why the label says "albite" with a "?". They are miniscule albites, but are very significant, actually, for euhedral whitlockite crystals , particularly for this locality.

PAS-172 - Margarite - SOLD
Chester Emery Mines, Chester, Hampden Co., Massachusetts, USA
cabinet, 13.9 x 12.0 x 8.9 cm

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This remarkable specimen features a LARGE display face the size of a big grapefruit covered with upright, platy crystals of margarite. It is extremely RARE for margarite to crystallize anyways and 99% of all margarite from there is massive xline material. Margarite is typically found in either masses of platy crystals, intergrown, or what is typical for the location, veins or veinlets. In general, the thicker the better at this location,with some of the thicker veins of margarite reaching an inch or two, and maintaining a pink color. This one is atypical, since the margarite looks to have formed along a slip face, allowing the 3D growth; the one here is thus a little unusual based on other historic specimens from this locality in East Coast collections (per Jim Chenard, pers. comm.). It also has some diaspore and rutile in association.

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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com

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