Any fine specimen of beauty from the Simplon tunnel is a treasure that we are lucky was saved during construction of the famous tunnel project. This is a particularly fine miniature of an unusual species from the tunnel digs and is rarely seen for sale. The full miniature specimen is a complete floater of saddle-shaped, curvaceous dolomite crystals perched on a bit of matrix. It is a gorgeous miniature, no matter where it is from — but more so from here. The labels note that Joe Polityka bought it from dealer Herb Obodda at the 2011 Franklin show. Herb was known for handling such European rarities. A previous label from Excalibur Mineral Corp (Tony Nikischer) states that it was found specifically at KM marker 9369, and Joe's note on the back states that this technically puts it on the Italian side of the underground border (apparently after researching).