A historic, published piece of huge significance from the noted collection of William S. Vaux (1811-1882) ...This old-time matrix specimen is covered by tannish, metavauxite crystals, on quartz to .5 cm in length. Metavauxite is a rare hydrated iron, aluminum phosphate - the most rare of the related minerals metavauxite, paravauxite, and vauxite. There are also a few crystals of sheaf like, pastel-green paravauxite, to one 1.0 cm in length. Both of these species were named by Sam Gordon, around 1930, in honor of his patron George Vaux, nephew of collector William Vaux. So here we have a sentimental specimen linking the curator of the museum to the family that funded his expeditions in the museum's heyday before its decline in modern times, and the specimen in question also CAME FROM the original older museum expeditions funded by the uncle, a major supporter of the museum since its earliest days. Accompanying this specimen is an original copy in decent condition of the 1944 proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where this specimen is photographed as plate 25. Historical, old, and important specimens are too rarely available these days, especially with such interesting documentation. More than that, this is on its own merit a cabinet specimen of a very rare species, in rich quantity.