These lustrous vanadinites from the Apex mine nestle and stack like hundreds of tiny LEGO blocks. The coloring is dramatically different on one side versus the other, caramel on one side, chocolate on the other! Hoppered growth, sparkling, and complex... this piece is an old beauty from the 1960s and 1970s. This is extremely significant for what it is with the monstrous crystals and overall geometry - and stands out on its own merit for shape and form, not to be confused with other finds and styles of smaller crystals. The label on the back, from collector and Mineralogical Record fellow Richard Rossi, notes in his hand the following information on his purchase after he ran it by a friend, Bill Metropolis (at that time, a retired curator of Harvard): NYC Fall Mineral Show 2016, valued at $7500 by Bill Metropolis - specimen exceeds the quality of Peter Megaw's (famous specimen) 3cm specimen pictured in (article in) MR vol 39 #6, page 55-62. * very rare specimen*