An exceptionally rare combination piece featuring an intergrown cluster of sharp platinum crystals, with gold deposition on the surface. 23.51 carats (4.7 grams).  VERY SHARP! For the thumbnail collector, one can go get cubes with a little patience. However, to get a cluster, to get a platinum specimen that is more than just a single loose crystal, now THAT is a challenge. I have seen very few crystallized specimens that are elevated to this level (and size, above 1 cm ). It is a competition-level thumbnail specimen.Joe Budd Photos

This specimen is the back cover of the MINERAL-UP calendar, published in Spain by Joaquim Callen. I LOVE the piece, and have always loved it since I bought it and put it away 4 years or so ago, waiting to see what else came out of the mine. It turns out that the brief rain of fine golds was both spotty and short, with many of different styles but few so brassy and bright like this. It looks, in person, like robust aluminum foil, that has been gold plated and then airbrushed to make it more modernist. This is a phenomenal piece with INSANE lustre and form so sharp it LOOKS like it was cut with a cookie cutter, not grown. I am trying to find words to express why this little thing looks so damned overpriced , at first glance. And all I can end with is,IT IS THAT SHARP. To me, most Round Mountain golds are second-rans in a general sense, after California crystallized golds, for lustre and brightness. Look in the publications and you will see very fine golds with fine crystals, many more robust and larger than this, but you will see nothing quite like this for sheer "flash". Size is just a bit under 2 inches and so this is a full-on miniature, not a toenail. It is equally good on both sides and picking a front face is entirely arbitrary. It is a floater with no attachment point or damage. And, it is one of those favored Round Mountain golds that stands as a great piece on its own merits, rather than being just a neat crystal from a rare locale. I really feel this is a competition-level gold miniature, about as choice as you can get for anything in a remotely reasonable price range, and that it leaves money on the table. The reason I say this is because you can spend far more on a California gold and yet, in the end, not have one so impactful as this. That being said, I will put in writing that i will buy this back for a check, anytime - I love it that much.Joe Budd Photos

This is a complete, floater gold, showing exquisite, baroque crystallization around its entire perimeter. It is a rare crystallized gold of substantial size for this locality, where most production has been of thumbnail sized examples. The gold finds here peaked about 7-8 years ago, in the early 2000s, and only a trickle has come up recently. This one came out in the earlier round of these finds, and was in the private collection of Dr. Edward David, since he purchased it in 2005. At 27 grams , it is relatively large for this find.. Joe Budd photos

A fine, very exquisitely articulated Russian gold specimen with sharp crystals and interesting form overall. From the gold collection of F. John Barlow, sold off in 1999. Mass is 8 grams. Though obviously fine crystallized gold does not sell at spot. Joe Budd photos

Quite simply a MAJOR specimen of historic size and importance. This piece would have been mined in the mid to late 1800s, when specimens like this were highly prized and made their way into only the most prominent collections. It came to me as part of such a modern collection that was quietly dispersed, and has never been offered for public sale before. The piece recently toured the world as part of the GOLD! EXHIBITION organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The exhibit was in Tokyo, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, and Houston Museums among others, from 2006-2011. Joe Budd photos

This specimen is a nearly pure gold nugget, with only a little quartz matrix included within the gold. It is surprisingly HEAVY for the size. It is not rolled or tumbled as most Aussie nuggets, but rather formed in and remained in its "reef" location, with its original matrix. Because of this, it is very sharp and hackly. It has a bright, typical high-purity gold color to it. The mass is 149g, which is just a hair under 5 Troy ounces. The way that gold is going, maybe we shouldn't sell nuggets. Frankly, it is harder to replace them now at a fair price, even at the source. But this one came in a part exchange, and hence does not have to be marked up so much. And given the movement of bullion, it should do nicely on that count as well as being a nice specimen. I do not believe you could purchase this direct from the gold fields any cheaper than at spot plus 20%, minimum. Joe Budd photos

This is a very fine Eagle's Nest gold of classic California style, with a treelike, robust group of crystals leaping up from quartz matrix. The gold tree is 7.5 cm tall, and it is good from either side. The piece is well balanced, trimmed aesthetically to leave just the right natural pedestal beneath the stable gold mass. The gold is completely and totally crystallized, on both sides, and you can clearly see several habits present including fat hoppered crystals (somewhat unusual, that). This piece would have come out long ago, and I bought it in an old collection to prep to modern standards in the early 2000s. While there are certainly more expensive golds of this style, this piece is no slouch and is, I feel, one of the finer Eagle's Nest golds you can get without breaking wide through the next price barrier. It is not just "big". it is very, very fine as well. Color is hard to convey in good photos, sometimes. The final photo (on wood grain) is taken with a simple iphone camera and is shown "as is" with no editing of the color. This is how the gold looks in soft room lighting (very yellow) as opposed to the more metallic and hard brightness in halogen photography lights. Joe Budd Photos.

A MAJOR specimen from this old mine, dated to the Colorado gold rush era of the 1880s. It is complete all around and there are no repairs. People knowledgeable about such gold specimens have indicated to me that the rarity of this piece, in such a size and quality range, is not to be underestimated: it is perhaps one of only a half dozen surviving golds of this magnitude. This piece has superb history and provenance, which will be disclosed upon purchase. These are not massive golds - at 98 grams, it should go to th eknowledgeable collector who appreciates the rarity value of such a historic piece, and is not for those who need heft to feel a gold has value.  For 2006-2011 it was in the touring exhibit "GOLD!", organized by the American Museum of Natural History. This was seen over 5 years of travelling exhibition in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Denver, Anchorage, Tokyo's Mingei Museum, and others. Joe Budd Photos.

A stunning, SHARP octohedral gold crystal of a quality that is so rarely seen in this material. Most of the octohedral crystals from here are worn, or asymmetric. This is a superb example and a major thumbnail gold specimen from finds of the early 1990s. From the collection of Hubert De Monmonier (1919-2007), donated by bequest to the University of Arizona Museum to add to their displays and to provide specimens for sale to establish an endowment fund for museum operations, in perpetuity.

A blocky, very robust, surprisingly hefty crystallized gold specimen from this classic old US locale. The mine is now long closed and specimens with this attribution turn up only in old collections. It is complete all around and has a beautiful patina. Mass is 37 grams, or 1.2 ounces of gold , here. From the collection of Hubert De Monmonier (1919-2007), donated by bequest to the University of Arizona Museum to add to their displays and to provide specimens for sale to establish an endowment fund for museum operations, in perpetuity.

This is a brilliant, intergrown jackstraw cluster of sharp, elongated gold crystals (mostly spinel-law twin). While single crystals from here are quite well known, such large and elegant clusters as this are uncommon. Some people say these golds are palladium rich at this locality, though we have not analysed the piece. Certainly, the patina and color is distinct. Although it only masses 12 grams, it looks a lot bigger and so you get a surprisingly large display volume for the cost, considering this is made up of 100% crystallized gold. From the collection of Hubert De Monmonier (1919-2007), donated by bequest to the University of Arizona Museum to add to their displays and to provide specimens for sale to establish an endowment fund for museum operations, in perpetuity.

A stunning, SHARP thumbnail gold crystal of a quality that is so rarely seen in this material, with razor sharp and smooth, unpitted faces. Crystals this size usually show etching that mars the symmetry of the sharp ingrown hopper forms. This crystal , though, is so fine and sharp it looks carved. It is a rare, elongated habit of crystallization. Most of the octohedral crystals from here are worn, or asymmetric, or both - so this is a superb example and a major thumbnail gold specimen from finds of the early 1990s. From the collection of Hubert De Monmonier (1919-2007), donated by bequest to the University of Arizona Museum to add to their displays and to provide specimens for sale to establish an endowment fund for museum operations, in perpetuity.