NATIVE Copper

Unknown Owner

The St. Louis Mine Exploration at Schoolcraft Township in Houghton County, Michigan, USA was an early mining company, founded in 1864 and worked through until 1898 when it was taken over by the much larger Calumet and Hecla company. They abandoned the property in 1911 but extensive dumps remain from where Native Copper specimens are occasionally found. These don't tend to be a rich as some from the Michigan district and are often associated with Quartz, or enclosed in Agate. This lovely miniature specimen comes from David Hardman's fantastic collection of Native Copper and is quite rich compared with the few specimens one sees from this lesser-known locality. It consists of a Quartz-lined vug within which a worm-like growth of Native Copper rises up as a free-standing 'finger'. A small but very characterful Native Copper specimen.