Native Copper: Phoenix Mine, Keweenaw County, Michigan USA

Description

Species: Native Copper

Locality: Phoenix mine, Phoenix, Keweenaw County, Michigan USA

Dimensions: 28.5 x 7.5 x 3.5 cm.

SOLD

The Phoenix mine, which began in 1849, is one of the oldest as well as the most famous copper mines in the iconic Lake Superior Copper District of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Noted for it’s superb and varied crystallized copper specimens, at least one major “Copper Country” dealer and collector has stated that this mine has produced the world’s best copper specimens. Closed in the early 20th century, high-quality specimens from the classic locality have become rather scarce on the market, and are prized for their beauty and distinctiveness.

This is a quite large, elegant group of very sharp, twinned tetrahexahedral copper crystals forming a very aesthetic branching grouping, with minor barite matrix. Most likely mined in the late 19th century, this classic Phoenix mine copper has a marvelous display presence and stands up vertically on it’s custom Sunnywood acrylic base. The sharpness and perfection of the crystals is exceptional for the locality, and many of the twinned tetrahexehedra are truly “textbook” examples of the prized “bearpaw twin” copper crystal form, a classic feature of many fine Michigan coppers. An excellent classic from an iconic American locality. Annette Slade photo.