A classic Old European Collection circa 1900!

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OLDEURO-102 - Galena with Calcite - AUS$ 442
St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
small cabinet, 7.7 x 7.0 x 4.0 cm

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Galena with Calcite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Galena with Calcite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Galena with Calcite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Galena with Calcite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany

An interesting combo specimen featuring flattened , disc-like galena crystals stacked upon matrix, and surrounded by a halo of translucent disc-shaped calcites. This is unusual for Andreasberg, in that I have not seen many galenas from there that are pretty but the place is famous for its wide variety of calcites.



OLDEURO-103 - Pyrargyrite - AUS$ 1051 SOLD
St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
small cabinet, 9.3 x 7.1 x 3.2 cm

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Pyrargyrite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Pyrargyrite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Pyrargyrite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Pyrargyrite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany

A large display face with flat-laying crystals of dark red pyrargyrite, typical of the locality but rare in larger specimens like this. Some crystals are damaged, but nonetheless there is rich coverage by leaf-like or dendritic veins of crystallized pyrargyrite over the piece and it is somewhat lustrous and attractive as an overall.



OLDEURO-104 - Anglesite - AUS$ 1604
Monteponi, Sardinia, Italy
small cabinet, 6.4 x 5.7 x 4.1 cm

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Anglesite - Monteponi, Sardinia, Italy
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Anglesite - Monteponi, Sardinia, Italy
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Anglesite - Monteponi, Sardinia, Italy

A glassy, GEMMY, transparent angelsite of stunning quality, complete except for a very minute bit of edge wear. It measures 1.7 cm across and sits atop a galena pedestal. Classic for this old locale, rarely seen in such aesthetic quality though.



OLDEURO-105 - Millerite - AUS$ 1051 SOLD
St Andreasberg, Harz Mts, Lower Saxony, Germany
cabinet, 10.0 x 7.4 x 4.0 cm

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Millerite - St Andreasberg,  Harz Mts, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Millerite - St Andreasberg,  Harz Mts, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Millerite - St Andreasberg,  Harz Mts, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Millerite - St Andreasberg,  Harz Mts, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Millerite - St Andreasberg,  Harz Mts, Lower Saxony, Germany

An extremely, extremely scarce example of millerite from this old silver mining district, where it was always exceedingly rare. I have never seen one before, myself. The specimen consists of thin veinlike millerite interspersed between calcite, in massive calcite. It is a certainty that were you to etch this out, there would be much more inside, probably better preserved within the calcite. Most of the millerite showing is to my eye noncrystalline or microcrystalline, and as vein filling. But its there, and the piece was verified by Herb Obodda, who pronounced it legit.



OLDEURO-106 - Pyrostilpnite - AUS$ 2765 SOLD
St Andreasberg, Harz Mts, Lower Saxony, Germany
cabinet, 10.2 x 9.1 x 5.3 cm

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Pyrostilpnite - St Andreasberg,  Harz Mts, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Pyrostilpnite - St Andreasberg,  Harz Mts, Lower Saxony, Germany

This specimen is a big (protective) mass of rock holding a protected pocket with an OUTSTANDING crystal of the very rare silver species pyrostilpnite. I have seen many of these, probably more than most, in the US-based collections of Bill Pinch, Josef Vajdak, Kay Robinson, and Mark Feinglos, as well as a few on exhibit in Germany. But for sheer visual pizzazz, this one with its robust upright, freestanding crystal, is really one that appeals to me more than most micro-type species do. The crystal is approx 5.5 x 2 mm in size. Note the label dated 1875, from the Sack collection. From MINDAT: originally described as Feuerblende (Feuer = fire, Blende from blenden = to blind, for the adamantine luster), later translated into Pyrostilpnite (from Greek pyr = fire, stilpnos = bright or shining)



OLDEURO-107 - Alstonite with Witherite - AUS$ 2212 SOLD
Brownley Hill Mine, Alston Moor District, North Pennines, Cumbria, England, UK (TYPE LOCALITY FOR BOTH SPECIES)
small cabinet, 9.7 x 4.1 x 3.7 cm

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Alstonite with Witherite - Brownley Hill Mine, Alston Moor District, North Pennines, Cumbria, England, UK (TYPE LOCALITY FOR BOTH SPECIES)
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Alstonite with Witherite - Brownley Hill Mine, Alston Moor District, North Pennines, Cumbria, England, UK (TYPE LOCALITY FOR BOTH SPECIES)
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Alstonite with Witherite - Brownley Hill Mine, Alston Moor District, North Pennines, Cumbria, England, UK (TYPE LOCALITY FOR BOTH SPECIES)
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Alstonite with Witherite - Brownley Hill Mine, Alston Moor District, North Pennines, Cumbria, England, UK (TYPE LOCALITY FOR BOTH SPECIES)

This rich specimen dates back to , I would expect, the heyday here in the mid-1800s. It is covered by very sharp, alstonites to 6mm. Atop is a 2-cm cluster of witherite, as well. I think the orange dot atop is the remnant of a very old glue label. In any case, its surprisingly an attractive specimen, although there is some value to the even more attractively prepared, and exhaustively descriptive, old labels!



OLDEURO-108 - Anglesite - AUS$ 1659 SOLD
Parys Mountain Mines, Amlwch, Isle of Anglesey, Wales, UK (TYPE LOCALITY)
small cabinet, 8.5 x 6.5 x 2.8 cm

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Anglesite - Parys Mountain Mines, Amlwch, Isle of Anglesey, Wales, UK (TYPE LOCALITY)
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Anglesite - Parys Mountain Mines, Amlwch, Isle of Anglesey, Wales, UK (TYPE LOCALITY)
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Anglesite - Parys Mountain Mines, Amlwch, Isle of Anglesey, Wales, UK (TYPE LOCALITY)

These sharp and gemmy, sparkling crystals to 4mm are superb under a loupe, and sharp as you could wish for (especially after 200 years). This very old vellum label gives proof to the fact that this is a type locality anglesite. I have never even SEEN one for sale except one unattributed thumbnail 8 years ago; or on display...much less a VALID one with some clear labeling. From Mindat: The type locality for anglesite, specimens were found circa 1790-1820 when the mine worked the gozzen. Specimens are generally rare and examples can now most commonly be be seen in old museum collections...The mines were probably first worked in Elizabethan times (c1580). That this specimen was not named Anglesite on the label, but "lead sulfate" is ironic as the crystals do have a vitreous luster! This naming (or lack of , rather) also indicates it was probably found and labelled before the 1830s when the species was formally identified.



OLDEURO-109 - Calcite on Calcite - AUS$ 498
St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
small cabinet, 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.0 cm

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Calcite on Calcite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Calcite on Calcite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Calcite on Calcite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Calcite on Calcite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Calcite on Calcite - St. Andreasberg, Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony, Germany

An interesting vintage-1853 piece with several generations of calcite present! One generation of small, discshaped, gemmy calcites has coated a previous generation of extremely elongated "angel-wing" style calcite, making for a fairly dramatic and different specimen from what we normally see from here. I cannot make out the mine name in Andreasberg on the label, but it is indeed from this district.



OLDEURO-110 - Celestine - AUS$ 221 SOLD
near Cairo, Mokatam, Egypt
small cabinet, 7.6 x 4.3 x 3.4 cm

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Celestine - near Cairo, Mokatam, Egypt
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Celestine - near Cairo, Mokatam, Egypt
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Celestine - near Cairo, Mokatam, Egypt
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Celestine - near Cairo, Mokatam, Egypt

Not the prettiest celestite, but from a VERY VERY neat locality, I would say! This was an old quarry that in the 1800s was worked for building materials, near the city of Cairo. This is a complete crystal , a floater, except for one cleaved face. The rest of the crystal faces are more dirty than damaged as they may appear in the photo, with pocket clay still adhering, but I like that antique look.



OLDEURO-111 - Axinite - AUS$ 166 SOLD
Lake Santga Maria at pass Lukmanier, connecting Graubünden and Tessin, Switzerland
small cabinet, 6.2 x 4.5 x 3.2 cm

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Axinite - Lake Santga Maria at pass Lukmanier, connecting Graubünden and Tessin, Switzerland
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Axinite - Lake Santga Maria at pass Lukmanier, connecting Graubünden and Tessin, Switzerland
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Axinite - Lake Santga Maria at pass Lukmanier, connecting Graubünden and Tessin, Switzerland
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Axinite - Lake Santga Maria at pass Lukmanier, connecting Graubünden and Tessin, Switzerland

Sharp, very gemmy, crystals to 7mm are covering this contrasting matrix. A good old Swiss locality, that I was not previously familiar with.



OLDEURO-112 - Galena, Siderite, Quartz - AUS$ 2212 SOLD
Pfaffenberg Mine, Neudorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
small cabinet, 6.3 x 5.7 x 1.7 cm

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Galena, Siderite, Quartz - Pfaffenberg Mine, Neudorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
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Galena, Siderite, Quartz - Pfaffenberg Mine, Neudorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
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Galena, Siderite, Quartz - Pfaffenberg Mine, Neudorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
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Galena, Siderite, Quartz - Pfaffenberg Mine, Neudorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
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Galena, Siderite, Quartz - Pfaffenberg Mine, Neudorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

The old label seems to indicate an origin in 1874, and aesthetically I just cannot believe that this beautiful plate survived so well! Sharp crystals to 1.25 cm of classic Neudorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany galena are emplaced on beautiful siderite, sparkling quartz, and very 3-dimensional. The siderite is translucent and sharp. This is one of the most stunningly aesthetic Neudorf, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany pieces I have seen. I have seen a number of them, as well, at the Munich show and elsewhere priced at 5000 euros and up when in this quality, and undamaged. This one is pristine except for a slight cleave on one lower siderite.



OLDEURO-113 - Enargite - AUS$ 442
Butte, Silverbow County, Montana
small cabinet, 7.2 x 4.9 x 2.4 cm

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Enargite - Butte, Silverbow County, Montana
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Enargite - Butte, Silverbow County, Montana

A classic American specimen, one of just a few pieces in this collection from our hemisphere. It is actually a ncie piece, with robust, classic dark black crystals and minor pyrite in association. Although there are a few dings, on a few crystals, it is generally in good shape.



OLDEURO-114 - Stolzite - AUS$ 1991
Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
small cabinet, 6.8 x 4.6 x 1.6 cm

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Stolzite - Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
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Stolzite - Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
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Stolzite - Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
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Stolzite - Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
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Stolzite - Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
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Stolzite - Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia

A striking specimen visually, for the lustrous, gemmy, fiery-orange/red stolzite crystals to 5 mm on a stark black background. There is almost no damage to the front, jsut to a few tiny crystals. All the majors are pristine. This is the most classic and treasured habit of Broken Hill stolzite, and the crystals are relatively robust. More crystals are on the backside as well, of the other, more "wulfenite-looking" habit of stolzite. I think these transparent 1-2mm windowpane crystals were mistakenly labelled as raspite on one of the two old labels here.



OLDEURO-115 - Pyromorphite - AUS$ 332 SOLD
Clausthal, Harz Mountains, Germany
miniature, 5.2 x 3.4 x 3.1 cm

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Pyromorphite - Clausthal, Harz Mountains, Germany
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Pyromorphite - Clausthal, Harz Mountains, Germany
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Pyromorphite - Clausthal, Harz Mountains, Germany
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Pyromorphite - Clausthal, Harz Mountains, Germany

An interesting locality Pyromorphite , pistachio-green in color, from this classic old silvermining district.



OLDEURO-116 - Nagyagite with Rhodochrosite - AUS$ 1659
Nagyag, Hunedoara County, Romania (TYPE LOCALITY)
small cabinet, 9.3 x 6.7 x 2.7 cm

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Nagyagite with Rhodochrosite - Nagyag, Hunedoara County, Romania (TYPE LOCALITY)
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Nagyagite with Rhodochrosite - Nagyag, Hunedoara County, Romania (TYPE LOCALITY)
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Nagyagite with Rhodochrosite - Nagyag, Hunedoara County, Romania (TYPE LOCALITY)
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Nagyagite with Rhodochrosite - Nagyag, Hunedoara County, Romania (TYPE LOCALITY)

A very rich specimen of nagyagite from its type locality in the early 1800s, hosted on rhodochrosite and quartz. This is a classic association, but unusual in such visually attractive specimens overall. Although there is some damage to the surface, many of the nagyagite crystals, to 5-6mm , are protected in a little crevasse here and show nicely contrasted to the pink rhodo and the white quartz. This is an important locality specimen, nice to look at, and for the price I think a good bargain to own one of these in any appreciable sized specimen.



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