Signed Namesake Minerals

Locality

Firefly-Pigmay mine, San Juan Co., Utah, United States 

Formula

MgV₂O₆·7H₂O 

Availability

Sold

Size

4.2 x 3 x 1 cm - Miniature 

Tagged

vanadium  

Special Info

Type Locality 

Special Info

Signed Label 

This is an interesting specimen of dickthomssenite, a magnesium vanadate, with an assortment of habits including needle-like crystals, platy crystals, radiating prismatic crystals, and bubbly efflorescent masses. The color is mostly a creeamy white.

Dickthomssenite is named in honor of Dick Thomssenite. Dick is a geologist based in Tucson, Arizona. He has been involved in many new finds of minerals throughout west, including Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. As a geologist he has worked in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Alaska, Nevada, California and South Dakota. He was inducted into Micromounters Hall of Fame in 1985. His micromounts are top-of-the-line and expertly mounted. He was associate editor of the Mineralogical Record. He also co-authored  the Nevada Mineral Locality Index with Steve Pullman.

Dick and Peter B. Leavens undertook a Smithsonian & National Geographic Society sponsored expedition in the summer of 1967 to geologically explore and collect fine specimens of Epidote on Copper Mountain and Green Monster Mountain, Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. The locality became a classic locality for world class Epidote. Their exploration culminated in an article in the Mineralogical Record (1977). Peter Bancroft wrote a chapter on this epidote in his book "Gem and Crystal Treasures", a must have book for any mineral collector. A photo of Dick can be seen on page 115. He is smiling because they dug a single 10cm, 1 kg crystal. 

Locality

Tsumeb mine, Tsumeb, Namibia 

Formula

Pb₂Zn(AsO₄,SO₄)₂(OH,H₂O) 

Availability

Sold

Size

Capsule 

Tagged

arsenate  

Special Info

Type Locality 

Special Info

Holo-type specimen 

Special Info

Part of Type 

One little speck of Feinglosite in a capsule. Feinglosite is a lead-zinc arsenate discovered at Tsumeb.

Dr. Feinglos gave me this specimen, which is from the holotype specimen. Please see prov tab for label. Mark passed away in 2020 shortly after the Tucson show. He was Professor at the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina and in 2003 was awarded the William Pinch Medal in 2003.

Locality

Esquire #1 claim, Rush Creek, Fresno Co., California, United States 

Formula

Ba₁₂(Si₁₁Al₅)O₃₁(CO₃)₈Cl₅ 

Availability

Sold

Size

3.5 x 3.5 x 1.5 cm - Miniature 

Tagged

carbonate  

Special Info

Type Locality 

Special Info

Signed Label 

Blue crystalline masses of Kampfite to 3mm at the red arrows. Kampfite is an extremely rare mineral at these deposits and worldwide.  It is associated with with brown crystals if Titantaramellite, platy cleavages of light green Sanbornite, and minor Bazirite. All are barium silicates. Kampfite is only found in Callifornia and Yukon, Canada.

Per Mindat: Named in 2001 by the authors: Laurel Christine Basciano, Lee A. Groat, Andrew C. Roberts, Joel D. Grice, Gail E. Dunning, Eugene E. Foord, Ingrid M. Kjarsgaard, and Robert E. Walstrom in honor of Dr Anthony Robert Kampf, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, for his many significant contributions to the study of new and rare minerals. He described and coauthored as of 2022 April, 319 new minerals.

Please click the prov. tab for a view of the label.

Locality

Antsongombato mine, Betroka dist., Antananarivo, Madagascar 

Formula

CsBe₅Al₄B₁₁O₂₈ 

Availability

Sold

Size

5 x 3 x 2.5 cm - Miniature 

Tagged

pegmatite mineral  

Special Info

XRD Confirmed 

Special Info

EDS Confirmed 

Two large 8 and 9mm striated yellow crystals of Londonite associated with red rubellite Tourmaline. Londonite is the cesium-dominant analogue of Rhodizite (K-dominant) in the Londonite-Rhodizite Series. Most specimens in the series fall somewhere in-between as SEM images show polygonal zones of both Londonite and Rhodizite and thus without analysis should be labelled as Londonite-Rhodizite. The outermost zone of this specimen is clearly Londonite. Analytical information, the SEM backscatter image, and his signed label are included with the specimen and can be viewed by clicking the provenance tab. 

Londonite is named in honor of Dr. David London, author of the book "Pegmatites", a culmination of decades of research in pegmatite mineralogy and the genesis of one of the most complicated geological formations. London authored or co-authored numerous papers on the subect. He is a former Professor of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma. I highly recommend buying his book.

Londonite was first puplished in the Canadian Mineraolgist as a new species in 2008. The paper can be read and printed at this link.

Locality

Bachman mine, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, United States 

Formula

(Fe³⁺,Al)Al₇(PO₄)₄(PO₃OH)₂(OH)₈(H₂O₎8 _{· 8H}2_O 

Availability

Sold

Size

3.7 x 2.5 x 3 cm - Miniature 

Tagged

phosphate  

Special Info

Type Locality 

Pearly with thin flakes and spheroidal clusters. Excellent specimen with signed label.

Matulaite is a fairly rare hydrous iron-aluminum phosphate. It is named for Marge Matulaite (1925-2015) from Allentown, PA, who discovered the mineral at the Bachman mine. Marge was nominated to the Micromounters' Hall of Fame in 2002.

Locality

Jacupiranga mine, Cajati, São Paulo, Brazil 

Formula

Ba₃MgZr₄Nb₁₂O₄₂·12H₂O 

Availability

Sold

Size

0.5 x 0.4 x 0.4 cm - Thumbnail 

Tagged

niobium  

Special Info

Type & Only Locality 

A single rhombic crystal to 0.2mm. Menezesite crystallizes in the isometric system and by viewing this specimen under a microscope you will see a fine, perfect crystal, with diamond shaped faces. It is associated with Clinohumite.

Bill and Ann Cook purchased this specimen from Luiz Menezesite probably 4 or 5 years prior to his death. Luiz was a fine mineraolgist and expert in Brazilian mineralogy. Luiz personally collected the material in the 1970's from in the dolomitic carbonatite of the Jacupiranga mine,  which would later be named in his honor. Zirkelite was discovered at this locality in 1895 and then Quintinite was discovered in 1997. The paper on Menezesite can be seen here; CLICK

Please see the signed label from Luiz in the prov. tab.