BABINGTONITE – TYPE LOCALITY- VERY HISTORIC – FULL LABEL HISTORY FROM 19TH CENTURY

$360.00

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SKU
7067

Product Description

For sale is a babingtonite from Arendal Iron mine, Norway. Until the recent discovery of babingtonite in China this location was the world standard. Mining at this historic location started in the 1570s. This features many small crystals as well as areas of massive babingtonite, as well as a few other  minerals of various colors, my guess is pink calcite , green epidote,  a silver black galena and a yellowish albite. The accompanying labels , of which there are six, trace the specimens history, possibly back to the very first discovery of this type location mineral. There are three old labels written in French, telling the truely amazing history of this specimen.  It came originally from the collection of the well known French collector, Benjamin Delessert, who died in 1847, possibly making this one of the co type location specimen, as the original discovery was  only in 1824. His collection was acquired by Museum of the Ecole des Mines in Paris, in 1888. The Australian history of this specimen was that it first appeared in the Betty Maine collection, then went to USA  in the dispersal sale of this collection in 1985, its was then purchased by Chris Parkinson , who bought it back to Australia, in 1990, I purchased the specimen from Chris.

ARENDEL IRON MINES, ARENDEL, NORWAY.

88 x 57 x 40mm.