SOLD
V22-1138
Copper (Spinel twinned)
Itauz Mine, Karaganda Region, Kazakhstan
Cabinet, 10.2 x 2.4 x 0.7 cm
Ex. Francis and Patricia Benjamin; Wally Mann
SOLD
A superb, sharp specimen with incredibly machined-looking crystallization. The whole crystal is one giant, doubly-terminated spinel twin! And along that twin, lay other outgrowths of copper, showing complicated hoppering and twinning habits. These came out in the 1990s and, although there were many at the time, few had the combination of sharpness and balance, and patina, that you see here. This is an impeccable specimen at the top of the quality range for what came out - not the biggest but among the sharpest. The coloration patina is even and without scratches. We obtained this from Francis Benjamin, the retired fighter pilot and great French collector, in the early 2000s, and sold it to Wally Mann, where it has been until now as the prime copper in his collection. Although similar looking spinel twins came out of a few other places worldwide, they still look different to these (less robust and more frilly, perhaps), which any collector of copper can recognize on sight.