Deaccessions from the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences

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PAS-12 - Atacamite - SOLD
Copiap� Province, Atacama Region, Chile (TYPE LOCALITY)
small cabinet, 6.8 x 6.2 x 4.5 cm

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This specimen is a historic atacamite from the type locality for the species (named circa 1801!) and is a style found only way back when, compared to the less robustly crystallized style of crystallization found in recent mining projects at this same locale. The sharp crystals are to 3-4 mm and highly lustrous, with a translucent dark evergreen color when strongly lit. Some damage, on this piece, but also many great crystals and pockets are preserved as well, and it is colorful and showy overall.

PAS-13 - Botryogen included in Gypsum - SOLD
Sierra Gorda District, Tocopilla Province, Antofagasta Region, Chile
small cabinet, 9.0 x 7.7 x 6.4 cm

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Bright, cherry-red crystals of gypsum to 2.5 cm are colored by rich inclusions of the rare species botrygen, in this unusual specimen that is both historic and beautiful. Note how the best included areas show crystals, acicular needles, of botrygen shooting through the selenite! The little cavity with the major crystals is protected, and host also to freestanding botrygen crystals around the selenite terminations. This has to also be the oldest Wards label I have seen personally go through my hands, probably dating to the late 1800s. Note that, interestingly, on his label, Ward did not identify the red substance - botrygen was added in later in a different hand. On the museum label, they thenmisidentified the inclusions as a crocoite at first, an error later corrected when the material was further studied. The Chilean suite of this collection was particularly important.

PAS-14 - Topaz - SOLD
Old Tungsten Mine (Old Mine Park), Trumbull, Fairfield Co., Connecticut, USA
small cabinet, 7.5 x 6.2 x 4.5 cm

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A "rocklike" , included topaz from old finds in Connecticut. Ugly, but historic - this is the first tungsten deposit discovered in North America!

PAS-15 - Schr�ckingerite - SOLD
La Soberania Mine, San Isidro, Mendoza, Argentina
miniature, 5.0 x 3.1 x 2.4 cm

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Rare uranium species, yellow microcrystals in contrasting matrix. Apparently a very uncommon example and the only reported species yet for this remote lcoality.

PAS-16 - Cordierite var. Iolite - SOLD
Haddam, Middlesex Co., Connecticut, USA
small cabinet, 8.6 x 6.4 x 3.7 cm

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This is a historic, important US locality. I have not, however, seen a display-worthy specimen of cordierite from here before. This specimen is typical to my eye of Newfoundland material for color, a shimmering iridescence, and composed of micaceous crystal plates layered one against the other.

PAS-17 - Danburite (from TYPE LOCALITY!) - SOLD
Danbury, Fairfield Co., Connecticut, USA
small cabinet, 7.7 x 6.1 x 1.9 cm

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A mass of danburite, showing some crude crystal faces, from the important type locality for the species. Probably from the early 1800s! According to Mindat: This is the type locality for danburite, the actual site has been destroyed by development. A high-rise building sits on the site.

PAS-18 - Sillimanite - SOLD
Yantic Falls, Norwich, New London Co., Connecticut, USA
cabinet, 11.4 x 6.2 x 4.6 cm

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Flatlaying, lustrous crystals of sillimanite (to 3 cm) embedded in schist matrix, a rich specimen from a historic old locality.

PAS-20 - Sillimanite - SOLD
Chester, Middlesex Co., Connecticut (TYPE LOCALITY)
cabinet, 12.4 x 7.1 x 2.7 cm

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Another large specimen of the mineral sillimanite, named surely near the time this was found after Professor Silliman of Yale, with more 3-dimensional but embedded crystals. An interesting historic example probably from the type locality. ex.Charles Shepherd Collection (1804-1886), whom according to the Mineralogical Record Archive on him was with Benjamin Silliman's staff at Yale in 1827, as his assistant, and later as a lecturer on natural history at Yale (1830-1847) and then Amherst College. His large collection was donated to the SMithsonian, but afew specimens apparently found their way into the Academy collection, perhaps through trades with colleagues in the Philadelphia area.

PAS-43 - Yttrocerite - SOLD
Rockport Granite Company quarry, Rockport, Essex Co., Massachusetts, USA
small cabinet, 6.9 x 3.7 x 1.8 cm

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Yttrocerite is an odd blue/purpley calcium fluoride withyttrium and cerium. In other words, it is weird chemistry and here shows as purple splotches (but richly so!). Mindat lists yttrocerite from this locality as tentative/unverified but reported. Well, apparently we finally have a piece pretty solidly linked to the quarry as I am sure the person owning this at the time would have known better than us today, over 100 years later.

PAS-45 - Bismutite - SOLD
Portland, Middlesex Co., Connecticut, USA
small cabinet, 5.7 x 4.7 x 2.6 cm

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Bismutite from Portland, Middlesex Co., Connecticut, USA [db_pics/pics/pas-45a.jpg]

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Bismutite from Portland, Middlesex Co., Connecticut, USA [db_pics/pics/pas-45b.jpg]

Bismutite is a rare BISMUTH ANHYDROUS CARBONATE. Although not crystallized as well as European material, this is an interesting specimen of acrystalline bismutite (yellow material at top-left) atop forming on top of the beryl var. aquamarine.

PAS-87a - Native Copper - SOLD
Ore Knob Mine, Ore Knob, Ashe Co., North Carolina, USA
small cabinet, 6.0 x 4.9 x 4.6 cm

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academy/PAC87D1x.JPG A very rich specimen of solid copper, fairly important for what it is, of native copper from North Carolina. This certainly dates to the 1800s. I have never seen such a rich, well crystallized specimen. It has a reliable old label glued to the specimen itself, lest there be any doubt.

PAS-87b - Native Copper - SOLD
Ore Knob Mine, Ore Knob, Ashe Co., North Carolina, USA
miniature, 5.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 cm

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Native Copper from Ore Knob Mine, Ore Knob, Ashe Co., North Carolina, USA [db_pics/pics/pas-87ba.jpg]

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Native Copper from Ore Knob Mine, Ore Knob, Ashe Co., North Carolina, USA [db_pics/pics/pas-87bb.jpg]

academy/r87bc.JPG Like the above piece, this is fairly important for what it is: a rare exmaple from one of the early mines for native copper from North Carolina. This certainly dates to the 1800s. It has a reliable old label glued to the specimen itself, lest there be any doubt.

PAS-88 - Brazilianite - SOLD
Palermo Mine, North Groton, New Hampshire, USA
cabinet, 10.8 x 10.3 x 8.9 cm

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Self-collected by curator Sam Gordon in 1948, according to the label, this is a fine brazilianite crystal by any standard except Brazil itself. It features sharp yellow crystals in a quartz vug, to 1.1 cm...huge for the locality! Rare material for this locality or for any US locale.

PAS-89 - Stannite ore - SOLD
Pirquitas Ag-Sn Deposit, Rinconada Department, Jujuy, Argentina
cabinet, 12.6 x 8.3 x 4.4 cm

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Stannite ore from Pirquitas Ag-Sn Deposit, Rinconada Department, Jujuy, Argentina [db_pics/pics/pas-89a.jpg]

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Stannite ore from Pirquitas Ag-Sn Deposit, Rinconada Department, Jujuy, Argentina [db_pics/pics/pas-89b.jpg]

A solid, HEAVY, 3.7-pound ore sample of massive "stannite" from this unusual locality, undoubtedly containing other minerals as well. I am told that little research was done on rarities present in ores recovered here in the early days, and that there is suspicion based on recent studies of a wide variety of rare tin and silver minerals like pirquitasite, present in old ore specimens like this (perhaps if only as thin sections waiting to be identified by somebody who wants to spend the time). The list of minerals present in this rich deposit (see MINDAT), is daunting already.

PAS-90 - Anatase - SOLD
West Quincy, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, USA
cabinet, 9.6 x 8.5 x 6.2 cm

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Anatase from West Quincy, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, USA [db_pics/pics/pas-90a.jpg]

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Anatase from West Quincy, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, USA [db_pics/pics/pas-90b.jpg]

Apparently given to the Academy by the great mineralogist Charles Palache, this specimen has rare anatase crystals from Massachusetts. They are hard to see, but present as sub-mm orange-brown crystals amidst diopside and other minerals on this handsized specimen. Significant and rare for the locality. From the MINDAT entry on this locality: Pegmatite pipes in a riebeckite-aegirine granite. Granite quarry opened before 1856. (Note: Often simply referred to as the Quincy Quarry.

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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com

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