USA-56
Chalcopyrite Var. Blister Ore
Bristol Copper Mine, Bristol, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA
Cabinet, 11.5 x 7.4 x 5.9 cm
Ex. Ken Hollmann
SOLD
Everybody knows of the famous 1800's-era Bristol Mine for one species: chalcocite. However, it DID produce other minerals, including spectacular iridescent chalcopyrites such as this one. These botryoidal, fanciful growths were commonly known as "blister ore" or "blister copper" by the miners. This is an extremely good, large, and showy example, with some attached quartz matrix at bottom. It is 3-dimensional, and complete all around except for only a bit of peripheral wear and on ebroken nodule amongst many. A superb, cabinet sized, display-quality, historic specimen of a rare style of chalcopyrite (I am familiar with it only from Cornwall and Butte, both rarely seen anyhow). It is the rare variety described by Bob Jones in the Bristol Article, Min Record, Vol 32, # 6, page 446, with a photo on page 447, which shows the stalactitic chalcopyrite. Ex. Ken Hollman Collection