RICE-14
Mimetite on Plumbogummite
Roughton Gill, Caldbeck Fells, Cumberland, England (circa 1830's)
Small Cabinet, 7.4 x 6.8 x 4.7 cm
Ex. Rice Northwest Museum
SOLD
This is an extremely 3-dimensional specimen of the classic and very rare material found just sporadically at the Roughton Gill Mine, and of this quality & combination only in the higher levels around the 1830s (as reported in Minerals of the English Lake District: Caldbeck Fells by Cooper and Stanley. Today, they remain one of the nearly unobtainable classics for the era, especially in any kind of large and aesthetic specimen - of which this is both! It was sold at one time by the well known English dealer Francis Butler in London, in 1884-1887, according to the Min Record Labels archive (see link). Regardless of the history, it is a superb display specimen, a combination where both species are balanced and attractive, and probably worth quite a bit more in the munich show market than anywhere else, from prices I have seen in Europe on such examples in the past.