Native Tellurium (OLD rarity from TYPE LOCALITY)

Facebanya, Zlatna, Alba Co., Romania
Miniature, 5.5 x 3.7 x 1.5 cm (pillbox)
Start Time: 02/06/2009 8:20:00 pm (CST)
End Time: 02/26/2009 8:16:22 pm (CST)
Auction Closed

Item Description

An OLD-TIME specimen of 7-9 grains of native tellurium in an antique packaging!! The tellurium grains are in a 2.9 cm, cotton-stoppered, broken glass test tube. The test tube is in a matchbox-like, laxative pillbox that says: New Labeling Adopted 1939. An OLD handwritten label, along with a faded English label is included in the box. I believe this CLASSIC material is from THE TYPE LOCALITY OF Facebanya, not Felsobanya (Baia Sprie) as the more modern labels indicate. I think that the old label showing Facebanja was mistaken for the same as Felsobanya. Offenbanya is an OLD, HISTORIC telluride district, while Felsobanya, according to Mindat, does not include native tellurium. Facebanja, however, surely did...first! Ex Dennis Mullane Collection via the Kessler collection of ores and sulfides which had been purchased in the 1970s. Value of such an element in unique packaging and with old labels ????

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