Collection of a Southern Gentleman offered without reserve featured in Heritage event December 8

There is something to be said for being in the right place at the right time … even in the auction world.

Nowhere is that more evident than in Heritage Auctions’ Dec. 8 Nature & Science auction. The event is stocked with incredibly stunning items – see the 52 dazzling lots of Gold that will shimmer throughout – and also boasts the Collection of a Southern Gentleman, a trove of 224 lots of minerals offered at no reserve.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for collectors of all levels,” Heritage Auctions Nature & Science Director Craig Kissick said. “The minerals in this Collection of a Southern Gentleman are offered without reserve, so there are selections to collectors of all levels, but make no mistake: there are some extraordinary examples in this collection. Many are high-value, museum-worthy minerals.”

The collection includes beautiful specimens of all shapes and colors, a list that includes but is not limited to:

Spodumene var. Triphane, from Mawi pegmatite, Nuristan, Laghman Prov., Afghanistan: this example is a lustrous, doubly-terminated floater crystal of Triphane with a definite Heliodor-yellow color that is unlike the usual pastel green or green-yellow hues normally seen in this Spodumene variety from pretty much any locality. Measuring nearly seven inches long, this impressive crystal offers a glass-like appearance with clear termination at each end.

An Apophyllite & Stilbite, from the Pashan quarries, Pashan, Pune District in Maharashtra, India, is an exceptional, three-dimensional cabinet-sized cluster of gemmy, mint green Apophyllite, almost six inches in length. Although very common today, contemporary material comes from new localities and is a slightly different color of green. This is the old classic location from long ago, as evident by the distinct style and color combination. Every Fluorapophyllite crystal is super-lustrous with gemmy terminations and glistening internal reflections that make these crystals glow and sparkle.

An unusually large, pristine Rhodochrosite with Pyrite & Quartz, from the Sweet Home Mine in Alma, Park County, Colorado, is a stunning display piece featuring large “Jolly Rancher” red Rhodochrosite crystals, sharp and isolated, that measure up to 3.5 cm across. This example is from the late 1990s finds in the so-called Tetrahedrite Stope, an area of the mine with interesting mineralogical variety, including the sparkling golden Pyrite seen here in this association. It is worth noting that this is all-natural, with no repairs or restorations, no polishing or coloring as is sometimes done in modern lab preparation of minerals and in particular of this material, where larger plates often need help. This is a complete 360-degree piece; this plate looks good vertically or horizontally mounted.

A dazzlingly Wulfenite, from Arizona’s Red Cloud Mine, is a dramatic and colorful representation for the size range, with sharp and super lustrous crystals measuring 2.2 cm. This specimen exhibits some of the best red color from the find, the best color seen from Red Cloud in modern times, as well. This piece also has the best luster, and the crystals sparkle with every movement. The specimen is richly covered, and there is no damage to the major crystals. This find is from the 1997 famous remaining project at this classic locality by the legendary Wayne Thompson and partners, and once was a part of the famous collection of German dealer and collector, Dr. Hans Jürgen Wilke.

From the Denton Mine in the famous Southern Illinois Fluorspar District, a geometric yellow and purple zoned Fluorite, found in 1993, consists of a cluster of several 1.5- to 4-inch Fluorite crystals that exhibit a dark yellow core surrounded by a relatively thin dark purple rim. But the effect of the two colors is dramatic since the purple layer is thin enough for the deep yellow color to be perceived through it producing excellent contrast. Most of the cube faces on the Fluorite display fine growth hillocks, and there are some stepped growth patterns. This piece was originally in the collection of Ross Lillie, a longtime geologist at the Fluorite mines in Illinois who also built an extensive and first-class collection of minerals from this area and is well-known in the mineral collecting community.

Other top selections in the auction include, but are not limited to:

Sulfur on Aragonite

Cozzo Disi Mine, Agrigento Prov., Sicily, Italy

Forsterite var. Peridot

Sapat Gali, Kaghan Valley, Mansehra Dist., Pakistan

Tourmaline var. Elbaite

Cruzeiro Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil

"Alien Eye" Fluorite

Erongo Mountains, Erongo Region, Namibia

Corundum var. Ruby

Jegdalek ruby deposit, Surobi, Kabul, Afghanistan

Zoisite var. Tanzanite

Merelani Hills, Simanjiro Dist., Manyara Region, Tanzania

Benitoite on Natrolite

California State Gem Mine, San Benito Co., California, USA

Beryl var. Aquamarine

Shigar Valley, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire incredible mineral samples from all over the world,” Kissick said. “This collection includes some exceptional examples of a wide variety of minerals, and these beautiful specimens will be strong additions to any collection.”

For images and information on all lots in the auction, visit HA.com/8068.

For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter. Link to this release or view prior press releases.