Siderite on Quartz

$5,000.00

$40.00 shipping
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Ships from USA

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Tucson, Arizona, USA

7,543 for sale·132 sold

Wheal Maudlin - an old mine just north of the town of Lostwithiel in east Cornwall - is world famous for its 'horse-tooth' siderite crystals, the most famous specimen being that in the NHM, London. This present magnificent Wheal Maudlin specimen is different in that the Siderite forms flattened lenticular 'flying saucer'-like crystals, all close to 1 cm in diameter. The dark tan to deep greyish-buff crystals form a tightly-packed 5 x 3 x 2 cm cluster, which wraps around the upper half of a tapering, barrel-shaped 7.5 cm long Quartz crystal with a translucent termination. The specimen passed through the hands of the London-based mineral dealer Francis Henry Butler (1849-1935) shortly after he acquired the business and stock of the late Richard Talling (1820-1883) with Butler's accompanying label recording his address from 1884-1887. Butler described the Quartz as "Fusiform" which is a term I have been unable to trace. This classic specimen will make a fabulous addition to the very best of Cornish collections. Not quite as rare a hen's teeth, or horse teeth siderite, but Wheal Maudlin Siderite of any form is extremely rare.