Men of distinction

The mineral collector

Mineral Collections

Local Institutions

The specimen base

The mineral collector

There is a strong likelihood that minerals have been collected locally since man first saw them here. The uniqueness of the common ore minerals, unlike any others on earth, surely piqued the curiosity of the unknown first collectors.

	Figure 7-13. The mineral collectors’ concept of an ideal experience. Although the scale is altered from reality, this image shows the mineral collector at the pinnacle of his dreams, at the interface between a choice crystal specimen and its removal from the earth. Drawing by Dave Woods, used with permission.

Mineral collecting at Franklin and Sterling Hill is a real challenge. Orebody gangue minerals such as quartz, fluorite, and barite, common elsewhere, are relatively uncommon here, and the locally common ore minerals are rare elsewhere. General experience in mineral collecting and mineral recognition elsewhere could be of little assistance here, where even the primary ores are unique, and the presence of well over 340 species greatly complicates the recognition and preservation of important specimens. Some minerals, such as willemite and sphalerite, occur with a protean character. Additionally, many rare minerals, as well as common ones, have been found in one-of-a-kind, unique specimens. The recognition of these specimens requires considerable expertise, which is not acquired quickly; it is earned with the investment of much effort.

Mineral collectors have played a major role in the mineralogy of Franklin and Sterling Hill, and were the first to note a substantial number of the new minerals initially described from these deposits. They often provided type material, additional specimens for study, and the encouragement, support, and enthusiasm which led to some of the descriptions. Because mineralogy is a specimen-based science, the collectors’ willingness to submit cherished specimens for study, and their roles in specimen preservation and distribution, have resulted in significant contributions to the science. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, collectors have given great attention to the most minute details of local mineral specimens and, in doing so, have greatly increased our awareness of the vast number of minerals known from the area. Indeed, collectors are responsible for the finding of a majority of the total number of species known locally and their contributions have been rewarded by the cooperation of generations of mineralogists.

Of the sixty-nine minerals described initially from these deposits, approximately a fourth, a very significant fraction of the whole, have been named for collectors in recognition of their efforts. Local mineral collectors have also contributed to the overall appreciation of the greatness of Franklin and Sterling Hill by their educational efforts in the regional communities, and by their indirect stimulation of worldwide interest in these minerals. Their contributions to specimen mineralogy far outweigh those of any of the mining companies which operated here.

Aside from some in-mine collecting by miners, most local field-collecting consists of collectors confronting piles of broken rock. As found on organized field trips to local quarries, these piles can consist of fresh rock which has likely not been examined. However, most such collecting is on waste-dumps, dating from the late 1800’s near the iron mines and from a very broad time-period near the zinc mines. These dumps are discussed earlier in this volume and are in part mapped, in a very general, non-specific manner in figures 3-3 and 3-5. Other waste-dumps exist, on private, residential or to-be residential property and are not mentioned here, as an act of kindness to property owners.

Historically, the sophistication and motivation of the local mineral collector has been quite variable, and this remains true today. Collecting in the early period of mining was assuredly rather casual; indeed the science of mineralogy itself was predominated by a few physicians and chemists with interests in the natural sciences. Scientific collecting was minimal, and whimsy governed decisions as to what was preserved. A more sophisticated approach to collecting went hand-in-hand (not always comfortably) with the growth of mineralogy as a science.

Gradually, for some, mineral collecting at these deposits became a serious avocational endeavor. Collections of significance were assembled by miners, supervisors (ranging from shift-boss to mine-captain), geologists, chemists, surveyors, safety inspectors, engineers, academics, and others. The best and strongest early collections were assembled by those who worked in the mine and, in particular, by those who had authority over them. Wealthy individuals paid substantial sums for fine specimens, and they stimulated a local, diverse, and informal market. In time, this mineral-specimen market became a dominant local feature, supplying collectors with a wide variety of mineral specimens, many of which were honestly labeled. The last twenty years of The New Jersey Zinc Company’s commercial operation at Sterling Hill witnessed underground mineral collecting by a very few sophisticated miners (in particular John Kolic, Richard Bostwick, and Stephen Sanford). This resulted in the preservation of many significant assemblages which would have otherwise been lost to science, posterity, and the collector community.

The most important era in sophisticated geological collecting came well after the close of the Sterling Mine and during the first years of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, from 1990-1994. During this interval, a great many miles of tunnels were fully accessible and, as water flooded the mine from the 1000 level upwards, diligent efforts were made by Steve Misiur, with help from John Kolic and others, to preserve a great many scientifically important assemblages before they were covered, perhaps forever, by water. This prodigious effort was not limited to small hand-specimens; Misiur was sensitive to the problems associated with coarse-grained rocks, and he took care to preserve samples of whole assemblages and their contact relations. Many specimens approaching a meter in size were preserved, as well as a great number of smaller size. Unlike most of the in-mine collecting efforts, this one was directed selflessly at posterity instead of personal gain. This effort deserves substantial recognition and much praise.

Copyright © 1995 by Pete J. Dunn			Website by Herb Yeates
Link to homepage
This page created: January 27, 2001