GOLD09-10
Gold
Victoria Gold Mine, Montacute, Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia, Australia
Miniature, 4.9 x 3.1 x 2.2 cm
SOLD
A dramatic specimen of thick, wide vein gold in the shape of a swan perched atop matrix! The color and luster is very bright and with a brassy patina free from harsh chemical cleaning. It has an unusual look and comes from an unusual locality, according to my source in Australia from whom I bought it (Rob Sielecki, may years ago). The gold sits very attractively on just the right amount of matrix and is really 3-dimensional. Overall, especially for the price range, a superb miniature and quite a rare matrix specimen in that the gold is on the rock as opposed to intertwined with it as usual. 51 grams, of which most of that is gold - so you could figure reasonably there is at approx. a 40 gram bullion value here. I had this on the site in the 1990s, sold it, and got it back in a trade exchange recently. NOTE: According to Dr. Allan Pring at the South Australian Musuem, "this specimen is from the first gold mine in Australia and material from the mine is not represented in our collection"