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OLDEURO-68 - Linarite - ¥ 344828 SOLD Roughton Gill, Caldbeck Fells, Cumberland, England cabinet, 11.2 x 10.1 x 4.7 cm
An important, very large specimen for the locality of bright blue, lustrous linarite crystals to nearly 1 cm, laying flat on a starkly contrasting matrix plate. Note the 1840-dated label! This is a vrey significant specimen that, because of that date, places it among the earliest authenticated specimens of linarite from this district (I am comparing this to a well known specimen sold by Bryce Wright to the BMNH in 1843, now in the Lindsay Greenbank collection, which was said by the BMNH and by Richard Barstow to be the earliest documented Cumberland linarite). This would seem to have come out even earlier, and it is frankly a beautiful piece as well. The date and crystal habit/style seems to indicate that the origin of this piece is the same as Greenbank's, Roughton Gill (mined by the Saxons during Elizabethan times long before!), rather than from the later-producing Red Gill Mine which also became known for linarite of a different habit in later years. The size is also unusual for either locality, for a Cumberland linarite specimen.
OLDEURO-69 - Apophyllite - ¥ 168103 St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany cabinet, 10.7 x 9.7 x 4.2 cm
A sparkling, gorgeous, large speicmen that is a typical Andreasberg matrix literally draped by sharp crystals of apophyllite. Very rare even in the heyday of this silver district, German apophyllites have always been desired among collectors for their rairity. This piece is of good size, and highly aesthetic! Rare on the market, and certainly from the 1800s
OLDEURO-70 - Smithsonite on Calcite - ¥ 12931 SOLD Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia cabinet, 11 x 8.4 x 5.2 cm
A very weird, airy specimen with fat, striated , brownish-gray calcites on which are perched little bubbly , faintly green smithsonite crystals. Unusual, old example from Broken Hill (we surmise, by habit and associatin, and matrix...though no label survives)
OLDEURO-71 - Azurite - ¥ 34483 Banat, Romania small cabinet, 8.5 x 6.4 x 4.0 cm
A large and brilliantly sparkling specimen with intense blue microcrystals, from this classic old locality. I have not seen many Banat azurites for sale, period, of any quality
OLDEURO-72 - Calcite - ¥ 34483 St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany cabinet, 9.7 x 8.2 x 4.3 cm
A classic style of calcite from his historic locale, with stacked flat disc-shaped crystals measuring about 5 cm across, overall as a cluster. Beautiful, and interesting, with an 1878 label.
OLDEURO-73 - Cerussite - ¥ 25862 SOLD Ingurtosa, Sardinia, Italy cabinet, 11.7 x 8.1 x 4.9 cm
A most unusual old locality specimen of cerussite from the famous old mines of Sardinia. Thanks to Dr. Werner Paar for helping to decipher this label!: It reads "Ingurtosa" , which is an old lead mine on Sardinia (not yet listed in Mindat -ed.). I found this location in the famous book of HINTZE ("Handbook of Mineralogy"), 1st volume/3rd division/1st part (p.3077) under worldwide occurrences for Cerussite ..
OLDEURO-75 - Malachite with Hyalite Opal - ¥ 77586 Burra Burra Mine, Burra, Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia, Australia cabinet, 11.3 x 7.5 x 6.4 cm
A very unusual old piece from South Australia, with what seems to be hyalite opal (fluorescent, too!) perched atop malachite. The malachite matrix is massive, with some veins of azurite. But, the malachite on top is crystalline, and velvety crystals of malachite contrast with the rounded white hyalite atop. Very old specimen for this locality!
OLDEURO-76 - Sylvanite - ¥ 245690 SOLD Baia de Aries (Offenbánya), Alba Co., Romania cabinet, 11.1 x 7.6 x 3.7 cm
This label, dated 1835, is the same year the species was formally described to science! I cnanot but find it interesting that this dates so far back. The original label name was "Schriftenz" if I read it right, with a note to the side that it "looked like krennerite" added later (as that species was only identified in 1877) in a different pen. In any case, its a VERY rich, and attractive, specimen of sylvanite with good size, coverage, and excellent crystals for this, the type locality.
OLDEURO-77 - Anglesite - ¥ 125000 Monteponi, Sardinia, Italy cabinet, 10.7 x 7.9 x 3.5 cm
A sharp, 2-cm-wide anglesite crystal perched in matrix makes this a very significant locality specimen, from old mining here. Smaller anglesites, with spearpoint terminations, are mixed in with the quartz you see.
OLDEURO-78 - Sphalerite on Quartz - ¥ 21552 SOLD Derbyshire, England small cabinet, 9.2 x 7.8 x 3.3 cm
Classic Cumbria sphalerite, one would think at first....but I am told that when on the quartz and isolated in this style, it is actually a typical old Derbyshire association. This piece is beautiful , regardless, for the sharp isolated lustrous crystals (to 1 cm) on sparkling quartz background.
OLDEURO-79 - Calcite - ¥ 21552 St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany small cabinet, 9 x 5.5 x 5.2 cm
A fairly elegant specimen of stacked rhombohedra, classic in style, form this old historic silver mining district.
OLDEURO-80 - Fluorite - ¥ 107759 SOLD Chobelwand-Dürrschrennen caves, Säntis Massif, Appenzell-Innerrhoden, Switzerland small cabinet, 8.2 x 5.2 x 5.2 cm
A large, showy, very colorful cluster of cubic fluorites to 4 cm in size, from a very old locale. I have chosen not to clean this piece but with water, leaving the "old look" to it rather than making it bright and shiny - but the brown pocket clay and staiing would come off, if desired.
OLDEURO-81 - Harmotome - ¥ 81897 St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany (TYPE LOCALITY) cabinet, 10.8 x 10.6 x 3.9 cm
A remarkably large plate of this rare zeolite group member, hosting hundreds of sharp crystals. This is the type locality for the species, from 1801, and this specimen would surely date to the 1800s. Many crystals, to 5 or 6mm , are cyclic-twinned.
OLDEURO-82 - Witherite - ¥ 64655 Nentsberry Haggs Mine, Alston Moor District, Cumbria, England small cabinet, 7.6 x 7.5 x 5.1 cm
A very showy, hefty example of witherite from this famous district. The specimen is composed of unusually lustrous, sparkling, columnar crystals to 3 cm in height. Some of the tips, in particular on the top cluster, are contacted and so not complete, or this would be priced much more highly. Still, many tips are complete, and the overall appearance is actually quite nice, as well as being a significant locality specimen.
OLDEURO-83 - Erythrite - ¥ 107759 SOLD Daniel Mine, Neustädtel, Schneeberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany (Type locality) small cabinet, 8.4 x 6.8 x 4.0 cm
A GORGEOUS SPECIMEN with intense, maroon-red crystals of erythrite in a protected vug in the ore matrix. This old find, from the mid-1800s and maybe earlier, has always set the standard for the species for sheer color and lustre. These crystals, to 7 mm, exemplify the best of those qualities. Additionally this piece has a nice significance as it is from the type locality for the species.
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