Vanadinite

This is a rich, small cabinet specimen densely packed with prismatic vanadinite crystals. The vuggy matrix hosts compact clusters of mostly tan to reddish-brown arsenic-bearing vanadinite, with hexagonal barrel-shaped crystals reaching up to 7 mm in length. A small vug near the bottom of the piece reveals a few brighter deeper red crystals.

Two older labels accompanying the specimen attribute it to the Toughnut Mine in the Tombstone Mining District. However, available records—including Mindat.org—indicate that vanadinite is not documented from the Toughnut Mine. Based on comparative material and regional mining history, it is far more likely that this specimen originates from the Gallagher Vanadium & Rare Minerals Corporation Mine (also known historically as the Bradsher Mine, Stella Mine, Vogel Mine, or Buena Vista Mine), which is also located in the Tombstone District. This obscure, now-defunct underground mine produced arsenic-rich vanadinite specimens between 1929 and 1953, although relatively little material has emerged from it in the decades since. Specimens of this richness, preservation, and provenance are uncommon and increasingly hard to obtain. This piece represents an excellent example of Arizona’s vanadinite mineralogy from a rarely encountered locality. A fine addition for collectors of Arizona minerals, vanadates, or secondary ore minerals from historic U.S. localities.