Silver

This specimen represents one half of an ore nodule, sawn smoothly on one side to reveal the rich internal structure of the vein, while the opposite side remains rough and natural. The polished face exposes a branching veinlets of native silver intricately intergrown with safflorite and other cobalt–nickel arsenides, hosted in a dolomitic carbonate matrix. The contrasting sides provide an excellent study in texture — from the gleaming metallic silver on the sawn surface to the rugged, vein-studded exterior typical of material recovered from the Cobalt district.

The specimen originates from the Hargrave Mine, a scarce and seldom-seen locality discovered in 1905 and operated by Hargrave Silver Mines Ltd. between 1908 and 1921. The mine was developed by two shafts, the deepest reaching 550 feet, and produced an estimated 500,000 ounces of silver and 6,400 pounds of cobalt by 1920, with no recorded activity after 1928.

A fine, high-grade example of Cobalt-style silver–arsenide mineralization, this specimen captures both the geological character and historical significance of the Hargrave Mine, a lesser-known but important contributor to the early silver boom in northern Ontario.