Psilomelane (150+ year old specimen) (ex Dr. August Krantz)

Item Description

A 150+ year old specimen dating back to the days of the famous mineral dealership of Dr. August Krantz in Germany ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/labels.asp?page=2&colid=129 ). The label itself is from the era dating between 1850 and 1888, so the piece is at least 150 years old and possibly closer to 200 years! A group of sub-metallic, brownish-black radial / botryoidal Psilomelane free of matrix. Now Psilomelane was at one time a group name for minerals, but it is now considered archaic and is typically only found in older literature as a reference to various mangansese oxides. With that said, the is the FIRST specimen of Psilomelane from Siegen, and one of the very few pieces I've seen from Germany period. It has wonderful form with a lovely old antique patina on the surface. A great piece for any collector of classics or German minerals. The Krantz label alone increases the value, and the piece is also accompanied by a couple labels from the Michigan College of Mines.