Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? After each set of pictures there should be some descriptive text. If none appears it means that we need someone to tell us about the specimens from that locality and something about the geology of the occurrence.
Anglesite
PpSO4 Orthorhombic
In its pure state this mineral is white, but impurities often give it other colors. A few years ago someone in Morocco, probably trying to clean some specimens of Cerussite or Anglesite found that if you put them in regular household bleach you could change the color from white to amber to almost red depending on how long you left it in the bleach. The bleach only reacted with the surface of the surface of the mineral, apparently creating a little minimum on the surface of the crystals. The treated some rather bland looking Anglesite specimens ant turned them into fabulous looking Anglesites that a number of mineral dealers sold to various of their high end customers before the scam was discovered. It was not hard to tell the treated specimens from the naturals, because even the broken crystals on the sides of the specimens had the amber/reddish coloration covering the broken surfaces. Tiny bits of crystals broken from the sides of these specimens revealed no coloration on their freshly broken surfaces. A few customers were able to get their money back, but the sellers in Morocco of course had vanished along with the money.
Anglesite is a common mineral and mindat currently lists more than 1800 localities. It is likely that any mine that has Galena in its ore has some Anglesite around somewhere. The handbook of minerals says crystals exist up to .5m. That 50 cm. I don't think that I have ever seen any that large and for some reason, though the hand book says what the largest crystal is that they knew about, Dick Bideaux didn't feel the need to specify what locality it was from. About the largest well formed anglesite crystals I have seen is about 15 cm and few good specimens of anglesite have crystals that large. Some times the crystals are transparent and because of the high refractive index, faceted stones of anglesite show a lot of dispersion. Because anglesite is rather soft, these stones are more of a curiosity than anything else. Most would consider Tsumeb and Morocco are the localities that have produced the best specimens of Anglesite. Some specimens have been sold for many thousands of dollars.
Anglesite
Australia
New South Wales, Yancowinna Co., Broken Hill
New South Wales, Broken Hill, Proprietary Mine. The mines at Broken Hill have produced some very fine anglesite specimens. They generally have white blocky crystals up to about 3 cm but the best of them would probably sell for less than $5000. Many specimens of reticulated cerussite were found here covered with small anglesite crystals. Decent examples of these specimens can sometimes be had for less than $500. Broken Hill has also produced some exquisite gem-like amber and greenish amber anglesite like the pictures A,B,C & D shown here. I saw some of these many years ago in the collection of Albert Chapman of Sidney, Australia and took the pictures you see here. Most thumbnail collectors would murder their grandmother for just one of them. Certainly the best of them would bring more than $1000.
Anglesite
Australia
Tasmania, Zeehan District, Dundas Mineral field, Comet Maestries mine
Excellent specimens of anglesite were found in the Comet-Maestries mine in the 1980’s. Petterd (1893) describes them as being “large and beautifully developed, occurring in masses of considerable size, sometimes containing massicot at the interstices and as a base. …Transparent to white tabular crystals up to 6 cm tall were collected during mining operations.”1
1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 19, 1988, p384.
Anglesite
France
Brittany,Finistère, Poullaouen, La Fonderie (slag locality)
Anglesite
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Niederberg area, Wülfrath, Rohdenhaus, Rohdenhaus Quarry (incl. Krieger Quarry)
Germany is generally not known for producing anglesite specimens but a well formed “textbook-trim, translucent brown 1x2-cm anglesite crystal sitting nicely in an open cavity” from Siegerland, Müssen was reported for sale by Helmut Brückner at the Bad Ems show in 1987.
Anglesite
Greece
Attikí (Attica; Attika) Prefecture, Lavrion (Laurion; Laurium) District, Lavrion District slag localities, Lavrion (Laurion; Laurium), Lavrion Port slag locality
Anglesite
Ireland
Galway, Killimor, Co. Tynagh Mine (Tynaugh Mine)
Anglesite
Italy
Sardinia, Carbonia-Iglesias Province, Iglesias, Monteponi Mine
Anglesite
Italy
Sardinia, Medio Campidano Province, Arbus, Montevecchio Mines
Sardinia, Monte Poni. Clusters of white, not very transparent, steep pyramidal crystals up to 3 cm or a little larger occur. Specimens from Monte Poni and other Sardinian mines are rarely seen. Sardinia has had active mines for about 3000 years. Who knows what kind of anglesite or other kinds of specimens have been dug during this extensive history!?
Anglesite
Madagascar
Antsiranana Province, Diana (Northern) Region, Ambilobe District, Bobasatrana
I would really like to know more about this locality. Galena, Cerussite and Anglesite are not commonly found in Madagascar. I have never seen a specimen like this for sale.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Angleite
Mexico
Baja California Sur, Mun. de Mulegé, Boleó District, Santa Rosalía (El Boleó), Amelia Mine
These specimens are very uncommon. There may have been thousands of them in the ore when the deposit was being mined, but very few were saved. The locality is an old French run copper mine that quit operations more than 50 years ago and the mine is much better known for specimens of Boleite and Cumegeite than Anglesite.
Anglesite
Mexico
Chihuahua, Mun. de Ahumada, Los Lamentos Mts (Sierra de Los Lamentos), Erupción Mine (Ahumada Mine; Erupción-Ahumada Mine)
I have been told that this material was commonly mined as ore at one time, but few specimens were ever saved. The specimen with gypsum is very unusual. Usually they are little tan, translucent, not terribly sharp crystals up to perhaps a centimeter. The ones I have seen are doubly terminated and somewhat flat and bipyramidal looking. One source describes them as “coarse anglesite sand and gravel consisting of rough crystals up to 1 cm in size…Perfectly formed but etched crystals to more than 6 cm in size were frequently found embedded in gypsum or sulfur.”1 They make interesting specimens, but you don’t need to lose any sleep over these if you read about them in the literature.
1. Mineralogical Record, Vol. 11, 1980, p.283-4.
[Rock Currier 2009]
Anglesite
Mexico
Chihuahua, Mun. de Aquiles Serdán, Santa Eulalia District, East Camp, San Antonio Mine (San Antonio el Grande Mine)
Its hard to see the anglesite in this picture but it covers the entire specimen or so the caption of the full image implies.
Anglesite
Mexico
Sonora, Mun. de Aconchi, Aconchi, San Felipe Canyon
Susie Davis, a well known mineral dealer from Tucson, Arizona got most of these specimens in the late 1970’s. The find consisted of several hundred specimens with tan crystals up to about 3 cm. The one pictured on the left above may be the best one found. It might bring $1000 or more, although from time to time decent specimens from old collections may be had for two to three hundred dollars. Many of the specimens from this locality have slightly skeletal crystals. The specimen on the right is rather week and we will replace it when an image of a better specimen becomes available.
Anglesite
Morocco
Oriental Region, Oujda-Angad Province, Touissit District
Anglesite
Morocco
Oriental Region, Oujda-Angad Province, Touissit District, Touissit, Pit No. 9
Anglesite
Morocco
Oriental Region, Oujda-Angad Province, Touissit District, Touissit, Zelidja Mine (Zellidja Mine)
Oujda, Touissit. This mine and small town is only a stone’s throw from the Algerian border and is near the larger city of Oujda in Morocco. Clusters of bladed transparent amber anglesite with crystals up to 10 cm and larger have been found. About ten years ago some fabulous reddish amber colored anglesite specimens were found. Unfortunately the color was helped out by local Moroccan dealers who learned that if they dipped the pale yellow or white crystals briefly in a solution of bleach they became a beautiful reddish amber color. Some excellent pictures of these juicy “augmented” specimens appear in all their chloroxed splendor one of Victor Yount’s ads on the inside back cover of the Mineralogical Record July/Aug 88 and on the cover of the Mineralogical Record May/June 88. Diddling tourists with fake minerals, fossils and an endless array of sleazy tourist items is a national industry in Morocco. Even so some exceptionally fine anglesites have come from this locality and some think that they are the best in the world. The best of these will cost you several thousand dollars. Has one been sold for over $10,000? Perhaps. Large quantities of anglesite specimens have been produced at this mine. “…must have been thousands of pieces in all, in every conceivable size and quality ranging from negligible to unbelievably fine. These are, of course, sharp blades rising single or in jumbled groups off granular galena matrixes, and despite the very high average quality one almost gets too much after awhile; it hardly seems decent that an occurrence should keep excelling itself (and all others) for the species”1 This last quote was about the anglesites available at the Ste. Marie-aux-Mines show in France.
1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 20, 1989, p 145.
Anglesite
Namibia
Otjikoto (Oshikoto) Region, Tsumeb
Tsumeb. Many localities have produced fine specimens of anglesite but probably the best and greatest variety of specimens have come from Tsumeb. But as soon as you make that statement you start thinking about those from Morocco and your opinion wavers a little bit. The most impressive anglesite I ever saw, if not the most valuable was in Clive Queit’s home while he was living in Tsumeb in the 1980’s and dealing specimens. I recall it was a 20 cm group of gray pointed crystals with individual crystals measuring up to 12 cm. It sold for several thousand dollars to a European collector. Tsumeb has also produced other varieties of anglesite crystals. One of the most desirable types consisted of flat bladed, amber crystals measuring 8 cm in length. Of this type the one pictured here is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institute.
Charles Key comments. “Two distinct types occur at Tsumeb. Most well known are the opaque white crystals (with transparent interiors) to 8 inches, resembling huge spear points. Though larger ones exist, one of the very finest of this type, 4x7 inches, is in the collection of Julius Zweibel (picture on p70 of the same issue)1 . In the What’s New in Minerals column it was reported “Don & Gloria Olson had just returned from a buying trip to Namibia…and had some unusual pale blue anglesite crystals in milky plates to 6 or 7 cm across. Miners at Tsumeb told them that many more pieces of the blue anglesite had been bought up by Namibian collectors, and that much larger crystals had occurred in the pocket but were fragmented by a blast too close to the vug.”2
“Many different habits are known from Tsumeb,…The most common habit consists of angular diamond-shaped crystals. The biggest crystals reported from Tsumeb reach about 50 cm. Almost such a giant anglesite belongs to the Houston Museum collection. These big crystals are often covered with white cerussite…Nearly all color variations have been found, the rarest being pale green or blue. In 1986 a big pocket with masses of sea-green crystals of an unusual habit was struck at Tsumeb. These crystals formed intergrown platy aggregates up to several kilograms in weight.”3
1 Mineralogical Record, Tsumeb Issue Vol. 8, 1977, p 48. - 2 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 21, 1990, p 97. - 3 Georg Gebhard, Tsumeb, 1999, p165.
Anglesite
New Caledonia
Northern Province, Diahot River, Mérétrice Mine
Meretrice, New Caledonia has produced some good specimens of brown-orange crystals of about a centimeter. I have never seen a good one for sale. I think most of them were sold in Europe. There were probably a few hundred of these specimens collected and after 50 years they have been disseminated to the point that you rarely see one.
Anglesite
Scotland
Leadhills, Wanlockhead District
“Occurs in many forms and combinations: prismatic, pyramidal, tabular, bladed or “dagger shaped” crystals, and occasionally stalactitic. It commonly occurs as nodules enclosing an unaltered core of galena or occupying cavities left by cubical crystals of galena. Anglesite is commonly colorless or white, but in some cases yellow, gray or brown. Anglesite is not a common mineral but was formerly plentiful in the Susanna and Belton Grain veins associated with all the secondary lead minerals.”1 Few fine specimens are seen today and I don’t think I have ever seen a specimen that would be considered fine by today’s standards.
1 Mineralogical Record July/Aug 1981 p242.
Anglesite
Slovenia
Mežica (Miess), Črna (Schwarzenbach), Helena Mine
This mine is famous for its wulfenites but it has produced some ok anglesites. “Anglesite has been found in brilliant, well-formed, white to gray prismatic crystals to 4 cm in size. They were discovered a few years ago on galena and limonite, however, anglesite is rare at Mežica.”1
1 Mineralogical Record Vol. 22 1991 p101, picture on p102.
Anglesite
Spain
Andalusia, Jaén, Linares-La Carolina District, Linares
Anglesite
Tunisia
Al Kåf (El Kef; Le Kef) Governorate, Tajerouine, Slata Pb-Zn deposit, Sidi Amor ben Salem Mine
This beautiful small specimen of white glassy crystals of about 2 cm was in Arthur Montgomery’s collection. I would dearly love to have one like that, but it is the only one I have ever seen.
Anglesite
United Kingdom
Wales, Isle of Anglesey (Gwynedd; Anglesey), Amlwch, Parys Mountain Mines (Paris Mine; Parys Mine; Mona Mine; Morfa Du Mine)
Anglesite
USA
Arizona, Cochise Co., Mule Mts, Warren District, Bisbee, ampbell Mine (Campbell shaft), Bisbee
The Campbell mine produced from its 1800 ft level “large, black to gray crystals with cerussite. Also, as spearhead-shaped crystals with leadhillite...”1. I have never seen a good one.
1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 12, 1981, p 290.
Anglesite
USA
Arizona, Pinal Co., Mammoth District, Tiger, St. Anthony deposit, Mammoth-Saint Anthony Mine (Mammoth-St Anthony Mine; Mammoth Mine; St. Anthony Mine)
Anglesite specimens from Tiger are not particularly notable, but sometimes the occur with associated minerals which make them very interesting to micromounters.
Anglesite
USA
Idaho, Shoshone Co., Coeur d'Alene District, Kellogg, Bunker Hill Properties, Bunker Hill Mine (Tyler; Stemwinder; Bunker Hill and Sullivan; Bunker Chance Mine)
“In 1979 outstanding anglesites were recovered from the Orr orebody. Two types were recovered. Simple prisms with pinacoid to 5 cm in small clusters and better bladed spear shaped crystals to 5 cm.”1 This description seems adequate till you read the following: “The anglesites were primarily from the 11 level Orr Stopes…actually the miner that collected (his name is Dan Clark) called it the 11½ level because it was a crumbling stope between the 11 and 12 levels. He lost his job when the mine closed and moved on. He collected 90% or more of the anglesites. They were not abundant. The spear shaped ones were less common than the blocky and tabular crystals which tended to be white (rarely clear & colorless). The spear shaped jobbies tended to be transparent to translucent. They were called “roman Sword” crystals by Dan. He collected maybe, and this is a rough guess, 200 pieces of which about 20% were pretty good. A few exceeded 2”, but 90% were under an inch as I recall. Dan always highly prized these, much more so than the blocky crystals. I bought one piece that had little 3/8” crystals on a 2” x 2” matrix, and he wanted $50 for that, which I thought was outrageous at the time, but bought it just so’s I’d have a sample. There was one hit of blocky, almost square anglesites that were completely clear and colorless and exceeded 2”…a single pocket. Dan never said how many exactly were in that pocket, but from what Art Cooper (now deceased mine foreman) told me, there were less than 25 specimens. The total number of blocky crystals removed, the white ones, not the colorless ones, was less than a few hundred. This stope was very dangerous, but also yielded the hydrocerussite that came out, lots of silver on cerussite also came from the 11 level area. I never got to see the stope.”2
1 Mineralogical Record Nov/Dec 1981, pictures p342. 2 Jack Crowley, personal communication 2003.
Anglesite
USA
Idaho, Shoshone Co., Coeur d'Alene District, Kellogg, Last Chance Mine (Wardner Mine; Arizona Tunnel; Sweeney)
The Last Chance Mine produced. “Prismatic flattened crystals elongated on the b axis were found in cavities in galena…These were up to 5 cm in length and smoky gray to black in color.”1 The specimen pictured here is in the collection of Yale University at New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Specimens were collected in the early 1920s and were never abundant.
1 Shannon, E.V., 1926, The Minerals of Idaho, : Us National Museum, Bull. 131, p. 483.
Anglesite
USA
Idaho, Shoshone Co., Coeur d'Alene District, Tyler Mine
The Tyler Mine produced “Crystals to about 9 mm long were found in the Tyler Mine. They occurred in cavities in galena and had a simple habit. Commonly, the crystals were coated with limonite on the prism and pinacoid faces, but the domes were clear.”1 The specimen pictured here is in the collection of Yale University at New Haven Connecticut. Specimens were collected in the early 1920s and were never abundant.
1 Shannon, E.V., 1926, The Minerals of Idaho, : Us National Museum, Bull. 131, p. 483.
Anglesite
USA
Idaho, Shoshone Co., Coeur d'Alene District, Canyon Creek, Hercules Mine
“Small crystals of anglesite were rare at the Hercules Mine…The crystals were small, tabular, transparent and up to 2 cm in length on massive anglesite. Some were covered with wire silver, and others were collected as groups of excellent crystals.1 Specimens were collected in the early 1920s and were never abundant.
1 Shannon, E.V., 1926, The Minerals of Idaho, : Us National Museum, Bull. 131, p. 483.
Anglesite
USA
Idaho, Shoshone Co., Pine Creek District, Pinehurst, Hypotheek Mine
The Hypotheek Mine. “…produced crystals over 4 cm in length…The mine produced primarily galena and cerussite ore. Anglesite crystals to 9 mm long were abundant in cavities in galena. Some of the crystals were doubly terminated and most were of a complex habit.. Lead and copper minerals were associated including cerussite, malachite, covellite, and bindheimite (massicot?).”1 Some crystals were as large as “hens eggs”. The specimen pictured here is in the collection of Yale University at New Haven Connecticut. Specimens were collected in the early 1920s. Norm Radford of Wallace Idaho, former geologist at the Bunker Hill Mine says crystals from this mine were up to 4 inches and some of them were spear shaped. He says that the this mine probably produced the finest anglesite specimens of any locality in the United States, and I would have to agree with him. I know the loyalists back east will still contend that the Wheatley Mine in Connecticut produced the best, but the Hypothke Mine probably has the edge.
1 Shannon, E.V., 1926, The Minerals of Idaho, : Us National Museum, Bull. 131, p. 483.
Anglesite
USA
New Mexico, Socorro County, Hansonburg District, Bingham, Blanchard Claims
Here are found anglesite pseudomorphs after galena up to 5 cm or perhaps a little larger. Sometimes they have a covering or a partial covering of flat linarite crystals lying on them. These are usually associated with small drusy quartz crystals and sometimes with pale green or purple fluorite crystals. These specimens are generally rather rough looking and not expensive. You can usually get a good one for less then $100.
Anglesite
USA
Pennsylvania, Chester Co., Phoenixville Mining District, Wheatley Mines
These are old mines, long abandoned and collectors of eastern classical minerals revere this locality. Perhaps the best Phoenixville anglesite is in the Wheatley collection at Union College in New York. The crystal measures almost 5 cm. It is much better than the next best specimen I have seen. It is pictured above. Has a Phoenixville anglesite sold for more than $1000? Almost certainly. More than $5000? The best one at Union College could certainly be sold for more. Crystals up to 12 cm in length have been reported from here but I have never seen any of that size and suspect that the 12 cm one was probably rather beat up. For an excellent article on the Phoenixville mining district see the Ronald Sloto’s piece in the Mineralogical Record, Vol. 20, 1989, p 369-384.
Anglesite
United Kingdom
England, Derbyshire, Matlock
The specimen shown here has sharp 8 cm prismatic yellow crystals flaring up off the matrix. This locality has produced at least one world class anglesite specimen. It is in the British Museum of Natural History. Many collectors, if they could have their pick of all anglesite specimens would take this one. It may be the best one from England and probably head and shoulders better than the next best one from this classic old locality. Your best bet to get a specimen like this one is to practice your museum burglary techniques. Greg & Lettsom, in their classic, British Mineralogy,1858, note that crystals to 10 cm were found in the Derbyshire ore field especially near Wirksworth. Derby was the largest town in the area and many specimens from other places in this lead mining district were labeled only Derbyshire or Derby.
Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.
Edited 19 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2009 07:34PM by Rock Currier.
