Native Silver with Chalcocite, Magnetite and Aurichalcite (RARE locality specimen) (ex Richard A. Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

Native elements are not unheard of from the Franklin District, but they are certainly rare. Silver has only been reported a few times, and this piece could be from the 1909 discovery mentioned by Charles Palache on page 27 in his 1935 professional paper about Franklin and Sterling Hill (which is being offered in this week's auction). A massive piece of grey-black Chalcocite hosts micro Silver along with excellent, well-formed, striated black octahedral crystals of Magnetite, as reported by Palache. Additionally there are a few micro thin depositions of blue-green Aurichalcite scattered on the piece for a great touch. A superb rarity for any fan of native elements or Franklin material. We have photographed the piece with a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens to better illustrate the quality. From the collection of Richard A. Kosnar, famed mineral dealer and the namesake for the phosphate species Kosnarite. The piece is also accompanied by a hand-written label from an unknown collection that mentions Charles Palache's professional paper, and states the piece is from the Bouer Collection.