Manganite

Unknown Owner

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Manganite from the mid-1880s finds at Ilfeld in the Harz Mountains is one of those best-of-species finds that, although it happened long ago, still reverberates today for the sheer quality of the material. This is the standard for the species. This particular specimen dates to that era, and is a hand-sized piece with over a hundred small, but bright and extremely lustrous, crystals. It is nearly pristine. This specimen was in the collection of noted collector George Brush (1831-1912). He was the Professor of Metallurgy at Yale University from 1855 to 1871 and the collection was donated to his school in 1904. Very few specimens have ever been exchanged out of the collection, let alone with a good label. This piece came out legitimately, and in a trade with a collector for choice New England material. This has an original display label, of somewhat darkened old card stock (and the number on the label matches the number glued to the back of the specimen). Also here is a later, typed label made in duplication of the original, with (in pen) an added note "from Herrman, 1872." Weighs 758 grams.