Cumengeite (From 1890S)

Unknown Owner

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This rare specimen is a treasure for both the quality and richness of matrix cumengeites, and its history. It features very bright, lustrous, sharp cumengeite twins to 6 mm on matrix of the typical soft claylike material, but infused strongly with veins of atacamite and anglesite which lend it a greater sturdiness than usually you see. I exchanged it out of Bill Larson's in trade. He got it while doing preparatory investigations prior to reopening and excavating the Amelia Mine in Boleo with Ed Swoboda, in their famous work of 1973 and on. While looking for people with knowledge of past operations from the Cumenge era, 1880s-1900, they found this specimen in Alamos with the son of one of the original miners, to whom it had been given by Cumenge (or taken...who can say?). I have Bill's handwriten card stating this history for the record. In any case, because of the size and richness, this is clearly NOT one from their 1970s remining operations. It is really unprecedented to be on the market and is a piece he had hoarded for a long time. It came to me only in a very highly leveraged trade...