Covellite East Colusa Mine, Berkeley Pit, Butte, Butte...
Covellite East Colusa Mine, Berkeley Pit, Butte, Butte District, Silver Bow Co., Montana, USA "Mostly a single hexagonal wheel of covellite about 1.5 inches across. Bought this from George Holloway when he sold part of his collection. George Holloway got it from Paul Pachic [sic] who had it as a specimen in which two covellite clusters were glued together. This was one of the pieces of that glued specimen." - Rock H. Currier During its boom years Butte, Montana managed to acquire the sobriquet of "The Richest Hill on Earth" for the $48 billion in Copper, Gold and Silver that was produced there. Leaving chauvinism aside for a moment, it is certainly one of the two historically 'richest' of mining districts, worldwide. The other arguably being Cerro Rico de Potosì in Bolivia. Comparisons fall apart due to the vast difference in age of these two districts and the value of the metals produced at the time. Besides some notable Rhodochrosite and other ore associated minerals, Butte, and particularly the East Colusa Mine, were responsible for some stunning specimens of Covellite: a Copper Sulfide mineral that makes for rich smelter feedstock. This has something to do with why there aren't more fine Covellites, like this iridescent gem of classic hexagonal form. There is a custom acrylic base. Overall Measurements: 2.2 x 1.6 x 0.4 inches (5.5 x 4.0 x 1.0 cm) Offered at no reserve Provenance: Ex. George Holloway, Ex. Paul Patchick Collections [RHC #5700, acquired 1990] MinID REL-68P [Scale: 1 inch, with mark at 1 cm]
HID09710052018
© 2019 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
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Covellite East Colusa Mine, Berkeley Pit, Butte, Butte District, Silver Bow Co., Montana, USA "Mostly a single hexagonal wheel of covellite about 1.5 inches across. Bought this from George Holloway when he sold part of his collection. George Holloway got it from Paul Pachic [sic] who had it as a specimen in which two covellite clusters were glued together. This was one of the pieces of that glued specimen." - Rock H. Currier During its boom years Butte, Montana managed to acquire the sobriquet of "The Richest Hill on Earth" for the $48 billion in Copper, Gold and Silver that was produced there. Leaving chauvinism aside for a moment, it is certainly one of the two historically 'richest' of mining districts, worldwide. The other arguably being Cerro Rico de Potosì in Bolivia. Comparisons fall apart due to the vast difference in age of these two districts and the value of the metals produced at the time. Besides some notable Rhodochrosite and other ore associated minerals, Butte, and particularly the East Colusa Mine, were responsible for some stunning specimens of Covellite: a Copper Sulfide mineral that makes for rich smelter feedstock. This has something to do with why there aren't more fine Covellites, like this iridescent gem of classic hexagonal form. There is a custom acrylic base. Overall Measurements: 2.2 x 1.6 x 0.4 inches (5.5 x 4.0 x 1.0 cm) Offered at no reserve Provenance: Ex. George Holloway, Ex. Paul Patchick Collections [RHC #5700, acquired 1990] MinID REL-68P [Scale: 1 inch, with mark at 1 cm]
HID09710052018
© 2019 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
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