Baumhauerite with Realgar and Sphalerite

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Lengenbach quarry in the Binn Valley, Wallis, Switzerland is one of the most remarkable mineral localities in Europe, if not the world. Bizarrely, it does not present the rich diversity of colours in large displayable specimens that places like Tsumeb, Broken Hill (Australia) and Franklin do, but in its own quietly unassuming way it has knocked out a remarkable 51 Type Species, all mostly in a backdrop of bright white 'marble'. Baumhauerite is one of the ultra-rare lead arsenic sulphide species first found there and described in 1902, and not found anywhere else in comparable crystals even if those crystals are small. This miniature specimen from the outstanding systematic species collection assembled by brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021) features an extremely fresh-looking, bright metallic, dark grey, 8 mm long, striated prismatic Baumhauerite crystal embedded in the classic chalky white Dolomite matrix alongside golden Pyrite microcrystals and red Realgar. The Baumhaurite crystal is not fully terminated, but it presents extremely well due to its bright lustre and good size. On the other side of the specimen there is a more open cavity within the Dolomite featuring a well-formed red Realgar crystal, 5 mm in length, and a small (2 mm) honey coloured resinous Sphalerite crystal, along with a broken 1 cm long mass of Baumhauerite. The Realgar and Sphalerite really add to the brightness and allure of this piece, when the majority of Lengenbach specimens are grey and white. A fine example of this super rarity that is simply never seen in crystals anywhere else on Earth.