SOLD
JB17-1904
Silver with Acanthite
Mildigkeit Gottes mine, Kongsberg, Buskerud, Norway
Cabinet, 13.5 x 8.0 x 4.0 cm
Ex. Dr. Ed David; Richard Barstow; Lawrence H. Conklin
SOLD

An important and old 1800's-era Silver, from the King of silver mines. The curator of the Kongsberg Museum identified the mine for me, saying it was immediately obvious to him the mine and the time it came out. Few enough of such size are on the market, and not tied up in museums already after all these years. A piece like this shows exactly why Kongsberg is the supreme ruler when it comes to large, thick, so-called ropes of silver (they are crystalline, by the way, and not amorphous at all). I have known of this fabulous specimen, like an upright snake in form, for over 20 years. Ed David originally owned it, having purchased it from English collector Richard Barstow's private collection before his untimely passing at a young age. Ed sold his first collection in 1993, and this piece ended up with Larry Conklin. When Ed accomplished his goals from that sale, and realized he was stilll only in his 70s and could collect again for years to come, he did so with gusto and pursued this piece, buying it back from Conklin for the second collection (which sold to me in 2006 or so). Complete all around, this is an imposing, three-dimensional specimen of high value and rarity. Photo by Joe Budd. Comes with a custom circular black-painted wood pedestal made by Dr. Ed David decades ago. A 360 Video of this specimen is available for streaming at https://goo.gl/y4womR