Wulfenite. Red Cloud Mine, Silver District, Trigo Mts, La Paz Co., Arizona, USA. hoto Heritage Auctions

Now that the Red Cloud mine is permanently closed, appreciation for truly fine specimens from there has gone ... up, to put it mildly. That is for merely 'fine' specimens. For really good ones, the regard among collectors is closer to the kind of adulation usually reserved for rock stars or Thomas Keller. The matrix example seen here could easily be used as a defining standard, considering that it is uniformly outstanding in all of the categories deemed necessary for such things. It is a matrix specimen with multiple bright and undamaged crystals, the largest of which is 1½ inches across (3.8 cm), all arranged on the dark, calcitic matrix typical of Red Cloud material. All of the Wulfenites display bright orange color with no trace of the brown tint sometimes found in the Wulfenites from there. Many of the 'great' examples from this locale bear nicks and breaks from careless handling, that is emphatically not the case here: All crystals are in exquisitely fine condition, with edges intact. Surface condition is pristine with brilliant, almost metallic luster. Again; based on all extant criteria - this specimen represents the rarest of the rare; a truly superlative specimen from one of the most revered specimen localities in the world. As an indicator of this specimen's relative rank, it was featured both at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show's Special Exhibits: American Mineral Treasures (2008) and Arizona Mineral Treasures (2012). This pristine American Mineral Treasure measures 3 inches by 3 inches by 2 ¾ inches (7.6 x 7.6 x 7 cm) and has a custom labeled base.

Provenance: ex. Sandor Fuss Collection
ex. Stuart Wilensky Collection
ex. Daniel Trinchillo Jr. Collection

Estimate: $250,000 - $275,000.                

Heritage Auctions. 2012 May 20 Natural History Signature Auction- New York