Detailed information
Species
Native Copper
Dimensions
92 x 55 x 28
mm
Weight
116 g
Locality
Boston, Franklin Township Houghton County Michigan, USA
Condition
No recorded repairs
It is not very often that you seen a Native Copper specimen available from Boston, near Franklin Township, Houghton County, Michigan. Obviously a lot of copper was mined, but specimens were just not preserved in the same numbers as some of the perhaps more famous mines. Although the exact mine is not specified, candidates in the vicinity of Boston are Franklin Jr. mine and Rhode Island mine. This very fine cabinet specimen is from the amazing Native Copper collection put together over five decades by David Hardman. It is very well crystallized, but the crystals are quite elongated, almost to points, but with growth lines visible on their surface. Unusually, the Native Copper encapsulates 'eyes' of a white mineral, possibly Calcite or Quartz. This provides it with a very different character. However, the most striking feature is its shape, curved and rising up like a Cobra, or some other snake, 9 cm tall. A really striking specimen, and allied with a rare locality.