Calcite (Ex. Duke Stephan Hapsburg) - image 1

Calcite (Ex. Duke Stephan Hapsburg) - image 2

Calcite (Ex. Duke Stephan Hapsburg)

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A grand old-timer in every sense, this calcite specimen is over 150 years old. The crystals are lustrous and translucent, mostly colorless with milky white basal terminations. It is a classic for this mine, and style - and a superb example of an old Harz calcite in any case. The small hematite rosettes perched upon it add a nice accent, as a bonus. The calcite fluoresces a lovely salmon pink color, as well. Almost as important as the calcite, is its label: Accompanying the specimen is the coveted label of Archduke Stephan Hapsburg of Austria, which dates this specimen to no later than mid-19th century. He was a major player in the mineral market of the early 1800s in Europe. Archduke Stephan died on February 19, 1867 and his collection was eventually bought by the German industrialist Frederick Rumpf (in 1889). Interestingly, the mineral Stephanite is named in his honor. The collection then made its way into a German museum (the Humboldt) from which many specimens "leaked out" in the 1960s-1980s. I purchased this piece for my old calcite collection, in the early 1990s if I recall correctly. More information about him is available at http://minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=596