This piece of pyrite was donated to the Stone Circle by its previous owner. This is a mineral specimen collector's piece. We have held onto it for a few months to do some research on it. We still have no idea how to charge for it. We decided that we are going to set a high price but there is wiggle room. Give us an email via the contacts form if you want to make a realistic offer.
Pyrite from this mine is a little rare because all of the minerals go into the crusher. The Kennecott copper mine, AKA the Bingham County Copper Mine, processes 150,000 tonnes of copper ore daily, and removes and crushes 330,000 tonnes of overburden to get to it. This is a massive, well-established mine. The mine crushes everything that isn't copper and so pyrite specimens from here are rare - and often expensive.
The donatee could not recall how much they paid for this pyrite crystal, but they did leave a note containing the story of the minerals and why they are so rare. It reads:
"Purchased over 10 years ago on eBay but no record of price. Sold as a "lunchbox mineral". Miners at the Kennecott Copper Mine would collect nice pyrite specimens which were found as a byproduct of the mining. To save them from the crusher and sneak them out in their lunchboxes. For collectors this is a really nice piece"
So understandably we had to do a fair amount of research before we could list this.
You can read more about the mineralisation in the Bingham Canyon here.
A *small* piece of this currently goes for £50/$100, this piece weighs 277g/9.77 ounces. For some perspective, there is a 7 ounce piece on sale on eBay at the time of listing for £229/$299 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187656711417).
This is an exceptionally fine mineral. It's probably our most expensive rock. As mentioned, we don't know what to charge for this. I am going to set a ridiculous price but do contact the shop if you want to make an offer. We are certainly open to offers. Perhaps from museums.
I hope you can see the lovely formations and beautiful faces on this large pyrite crystal. It is one of those pieces we cannot believe that we get to touch.
