. A historic specimen of Cripple Creek, Colorado native gold, native silver, and calaverite (an alloy of gold and tellurium), a silvery grey, sparkling mass, with Dr M. G. 'Sam' Weller, MBE, collection label, and accompanied by a photocopy of a 19th century assay report; Dr Boenwitz notes On the 20th of October, 1890, Robert Miller Bob Womack discovered a rich ore and the last great Colorado gold rush began. Thousands of prospectors flocked to the region, and before long Winfield Scott Stratton located the famous Independence lode, one of the largest gold strikes in history. In three years, the population increased from five hundred to ten thousand by 1893. Although $500 million worth of gold ore was dug from Cripple Creek, Womack died penniless on 10 August 1909. Through 2005, the Cripple Creek district produced about 731 metric tons of gold. Cripple Creek was home to Pearl de Vere known as the soiled dove of Cripple Creek, a famous 19th-century prostitute and brothel-owning madam of the American Old West. 1876 (sic: probably 1896) assay report states two thousand ounces gold per ton of ore. Today an ounce per ton is considered good. Little of the original ore such as this was preserved because of its high gold content. See Bonewitz, Dr. Ronald Louis, Rocks & Minerals, 2008, p.114-115. 251 grams, 82mm (3 1/4"). Ex Dr M. G. 'Sam' Weller, MBE, collection, Cornwall, UK; from Cripple Creek, Teller County, Colorado, USA. Dr Maurice G. Weller, MBE, Ph.D, FISC, traded for many years as 'Sam Weller Minerals' following an interest held from the age of 12 years when he inherited a 19th century family collection; he was a member and sometime President of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall and a member of Cornwall Archaeological Society (born Cornwall, 31 March 1931"). He had joined the RAF as a young man and spent 22 years in developing sophisticated military radar technology (for which he was awarded his MBE) until he medically retired in 1969, after which he established Yonder Town Field Studies Centre in Newquay, Cornwall before moving to Pendeen. Sam has now decided that the time has come to part with his private collection of minerals, including a number from historic Cornish sites, some with 19th century pedigrees. [No Reserve]

Extremely fine condition. Rare.