Anhydrite

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Discovered in the late 1890’s, a true European and mineral world classic that is impossible to find in a fine specimen today. This very old specimen has great historic appeal in addition to its obvious aesthetics, combining to make it one of those "Holy Grail" items for a serious collector, and a serious competition-level piece in every regard. These date from the famous Tunnel dig in the late 1800s. It is deeply colored, more so than most of the old anhydrites I have seen, and is remarkably aesthetic in that it is perched on a small amount of feldspar matrix that shows off the terminations on both ends. As well, a small sidecar anhydrite, very gemmy, pokes out the bottom right, and a small bit of rock matrix is also attached in back! The major crystal is displayed as if on a natural pedestal. So, overall this is a matrix specimen of perfect display proportions, which makes it just a world-beater thumbnail specimen PERIOD - not just for this species, or location (which it also is). These are THE CLASSICS for the species, but so few were found and preserved, and they are mostly in museums. This sharp, large thumbnail is a rarified and highly difficult to obtain specimen. I bought this directly from the collection of the late Ernie Schlichter back around 2007, before the whole collection was sold, sold to Paul Stahl at the time, and then got it back when he sold his thumbnail specimens; and immediately sold it to Alex in 2014. This is a large thumbnail/toenail sized specimen, that displays fully to fill a TN box. Notes about the Tunnel: In 1889 Switzerland and Italy agreed to build the tunnel from Brig, Switzerland to Domodossola, Italy. Construction began in 1898 and ended in 1905. When the two sides met, they were only a difference of 8” horizontally and 3.4” vertically. The tunnel was built by Herman Kunstler and Hugo von Kager from the plans of Alfred Brandt of Brandt & Brandau, Hamburg, Germany. The dedicatory event of its opening occurred on April 2, 1905, but the tunnel was not formally opened until May 10, 1906. Purchased from Rob on October 24, 2014, at the 2014 Munich Gem and Mineral Show. Illustrated: The Mineralogical Record, Arizona Mineral Collections, 2020; 51(1): 153. Recently featured in the book, Refined Elegance (Mineralogical Record, Nov. 2022) on page 68. Laszlo Kupi photo.