GOLD
Hope’s Nose, Torquay, Devon, England
Always a favorite among micromount collectors because of the beautiful, fern-like intergrowths of native Gold crystals, these beauties are small but soooo attractive under the microscope!  The Hope’s Nose locality has been closed to collecting for more than 20 years.  These specimens were found in the old stock of a dealer in the UK who collected them before 1980.  All of the delicate, fern-like to feather-like native Gold dendrites shown here have been etched out of massive Calcite matrix.  For additional information about this locality see the “Mineralogical Record” magazine, Vol. 18, No. 1, (Gold II special issue), Jan-Feb 1987, P. 85-88.  If you do not have a copy of this full-color special issue of the magazine featuring information on worldwide Gold localities, copies are available for sale @ $16.00 + shipping.

 
NOTE:  The accompanying photos were taken with a Dino-Lite digital microscope.  For information on the Dino-Lite digital microscope. 

GOLD – Rosia Montana (Verespatak), Romania – The two specimens illustrated here may be classified as wire Gold, but they could also be called elongated leaf Gold. 

A.  Leaf/wire Gold on matrix of white Calcite, with a micro Calcite xl.  Very tiny trigonal faces are visible on some of the flat faces of the Gold.
Specimen size:  18.9 mm  
Order item MI-1633
Price:  $40.

B.  Beautiful leaf/wire Gold intergrowth without associated mineralization.
Specimen size:   4 X 3 mm
Order item MI-1634
Price:  $18.50  SOLD

AJOITE
New Cornelia Mine, Ajo, Pima County, Arizona (type locale)
Bright blue-green acicular and/or compact masses of Ajoite are on matrix.  Pricing is relative to the richness of the Ajoite, not necessarily according to the size of the matrix.  The crystallization is best appreciated with 10X and greater magnification.  The field of view on the close-up photos at the left is 10 mm wide.  For background information on Ajoite, please see the “Mineralogical Record” magazine, Vol. 14, No. 5, P. 293 (special Arizona V issue). 

 NOTE:  A comprehensive article on the New Cornelia Mine covering the history, geology, and mineralogy, appears on P. 283-298 of the above special issue of the “MR”.  Also featured in this special issue are locality articles on the Glove Mine and the Ray Mine, Ramsdellite from the Mistake Mine, and black Dioptase from Tiger.  If you need this special issue of the “MR” for your reference library, it can be purchased from us @ $25. 
 

MI-1492

MI-1493

MI-1494

PAPAGOITE
New Cornelia Mine, Ajo, Pima County, Arizona (type locale)
Papagoite occurs as bright cerulean-blue micro crystals and crystalline aggregates on matrix.  Only one specimen is available, collected pre-1980.  For background information on Papagoite, see the notes above, for Ajoite.  The information on Papagoite appears on P. 296 of the Arizona V issue of the “Mineralogical Record” magazine.  The accompanying  photos show the front and back views of the specimen.  The field of view on the close-up photo at the left is 2 mm wide. Individual micro crystals can be seen with 15-20X magnification.
Specimen size:  2 1/2 X 1 5/8” across, X up to 1/2” thick
Order item MI-1495
Price:  $60.00

GOLD
Crystalline Mine, Jamestown, California Mother Lode District, Tuolumne County, California
(Latitude 37°57'11"N, Longitude 120°26'31"W)
The Crystalline Mine site, near Jamestown, was first worked in the early 1860’s.  This specimen of crystallized leaf Gold is from the more recent workings, mined in December 1992.  The specimen is a very thin leaf of pure Gold with several microscopic trigonal (triangle shaped) faces on both sides of the leaf, mounted on a black peg stand, and displayed in a #4 plastic Perky Box.  Scattered, microscopic blebs of black Petzite are present on both sides of the leaf Gold.  Petzite is a silver and gold telluride, Ag₃AuTe₂.  No matrix.  For three pages of historical information on the Crystalline Mine and other mines in the Jamestown district, click on the following URL:  http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3672/is_199401/ai_n8720365/pg_1
Specimen size:  14 mm long, 7 mm wide
Order Item MI-1303
Price:  $65.00  SOLD

GOLD (Electrum)
Mount Gaines Gold Mine, Hornitos, California Mother Lode District, Mariposa County, California  (Latitude 37°32'29"N, Longitude 120°10'20"W)
The Mount Gaines Gold Mine is a lode claim, and was a producer of Gold along with minor values of silver, lead, copper and zinc.  This attractive specimen is crystalline in form, as illustrated in the
accompanying photographs, without rock matrix.  From the Lorraine Sofia Gold collection.
Specimen size:  16 mm tall,  11 mm wide,  8 mm thick.  4.78 grams
Order Item MI-1305
Price:  $225.00

GOLD
Red Ledge Mine, near Washington, Nevada County, California
The Red Ledge Mine is one of the most famous localities in California for crystallized Gold.  Most of the Gold from the Red Ledge Mine is in the form of dendritic leaves, and specimens are often notable for their exceptionally bright surfaces and trigonal (triangle shaped) crystal faces.  The A. specimen is a flattened, single Gold crystal without matrix.  Item B. is a nearly pure, nicely crystallized Gold specimen with a minimal amount of Quartz associated.  Items C. and D. each have leaf Gold associated with a small amount of Quartz matrix.  Item E. is an exceptionally nice example of crystallized leaf Gold with trigonal crystal faces present on both sides of the specimen, and with a very small amount of white Quartz present.  Two views of item E. are shown.  For background information on the Red Ledge Mine, see the “Mineralogial Record” magazine, Nov-Dec 1982 (Vol. 13, No. 6, Gold I issue), P. 383

MI-1304 SPECIMEN SIZE (MILLIMETERS) SPECIMEN PRICE A. 5.5 3.0 1.0 $   25.00 B. 15.5 9.0 5.0 SOLD C. 6.0 3.0 2.0 SOLD D. 18.0 9.5 7.0 SOLD E. 23.7 12.0 8.0 SOLD
D.	E. Front	E. Back

PLATINUM

Bear Creek Mine, Kateel Mining District, Kateel River Quadrangle, near the headwaters of Anvik River, Alaska.

There are early reports of placer gold and platinum near the headwaters of the Anvik River.  This prospect may be in Holy Cross quadrangle.  A precise location for this prospect is unknown.  Prospecting on the Anvik River occurred as early as 1900 (Schrader and Brooks, 1900; Harrington, 1918) Coarse gold, along with platinum was reported in crystalline rocks at the headwaters of the Anvik River.  Gold was found on river bars, but presumably in insufficient quantities to justify mining (Harrington, 1918).  There are no references to prospecting in this drainage after 1919.
Specimens consist of tiny, metallic silver-gray stream-worn placer nuggets with attractive, freeform, rounded shapes, without matrix.  All specimens are in gelatin capsules.
 

PLATINUM
Nizhni Tagilsk (Nischne-Tagilsk), Ural Mountains, Russia
Platinum was discovered in the early part of the 19^th Century in the Ural Mountains, and was mined extensively from several large placer deposits.  All specimens from this well-known occurrence are metallic silver-gray in color, small, freeform native Platinum nuggets without matrix.  All specimens are in gelatin capsules.
 

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