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LOT 2651
Natural History - Mixed Mineral Specimen Group
5/8 - 2 1/2 in. (586 grams total, 15-65 cm).
Comprising: amethyst from Brazil, collection number 360; siltstone from the Table Top Mountain, South Africa, collection number 405; granite from Middlesex, collection number 505; cassiterite from Cornwall, England, collection number 167; two samples of sand crystals from Canterbury Sand Pit, Kent, England, collection number 173; pyrite from England, collection number 82; chalcopyrite from North Transvaal, South Africa, collection number 193; calcite from North Transvaal, South Africa, collection number 314; phantom calcite from Mexico, collection number 209; calcite from North Transvaal, South Africa, collection number 316; selenite from the Sahara Desert, Libya; a quartz slice; polished malachite pebble and others. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK mineral and fossil market, since 1970.
From the historic mineral collection of Richard Valentine Cain, London, UK, thence by descent.
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AUCTIONS:
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Natural History - Knightia Fossil Fish Plate
Eocene Period, circa 56-33 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
A roughly oval matrix with a Knightia alta fossil fish. 70 grams, 10.5 cm
Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Essex, UK, collector.
In southwest Wyoming (and parts of Colorado and Utah) in the Green River Formation are found some of the world's most outstanding specimens of fossil fish. The Green River system was composed of three lakes: Lake Ulinta, Lake Gosiute and Fossil Lake. These Eocene lakes lay in a series of intermountain basins formed by geological events that uplifted the Rocky Mountains during the early Tertiary time. The climate was much different from the desert-like climate of this area today. Both the fauna (crocodiles, alligators, boa constrictors and some subtropical fish families) and the flora (such as large palm trees) indicate a climate much like that found along the Gulf Coast today. Large amounts of ash found in the sediments indicate that volcanoes were particularly active at this time. -
Natural History - Historic Fossil Specimen Collection
Mainly Jurassic Period, circa 201-145 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
An interesting group of mixed fossils and other specimens including ammonites, leaf fossils, and others. 1.37 kg total, 2.8-13.2 cm
Acquired on the UK mineral and fossil market, since 1970. From the historic mineral collection of Richard Valentine Cain, London, UK, thence by descent. -
Natural History - Historic Galena Crystal Formation
Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
The tabular crystals on quartz matrix. 75 grams, 50 mm
From Nenthead, Cumberland, UK. Collected in person in 1965. From the private mineral collection of Stephen Atkinson, Harpenden, UK. Accompanied by a copy of a letter from the vendor giving details of him collecting these minerals throughout his life.