Allargentum
specimen number:
2262256
location:
Glen Lake Mine, Cobalt, Ontario, Canada
description: The Glen Lake mine, situated in Coleman Township within the world-famous Cobalt silver district of northeastern Ontario, Canada, is an outstanding historical mineral locality renowned for producing exceptionally rich silver-antimony ores and pristine specimens of the rare silver antimonide mineral allargentum. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within the Paleoproterozoic-age Coleman Member of the Gowganda Formation sedimentary rocks, which were heavily fractured and intruded by the massive, widespread Nipissing diabase sill. High-temperature hydrothermal fluids flowing through these structurally controlled faults precipitated narrow, vertical carbonate veins packed with native silver and complex nickel-cobalt-iron arsenides, where allargentum typically formed as highly complex, micro-crystalline, and graphic intergrowths locked intimately within silver-rich matrices or embedded in white calcite gangue. Historically, exploration around Glen Lake escalated rapidly following the initial 1903 railway silver strikes at Cobalt, with the Glen Lake Silver Mines company formalizing under-lake underground extraction and surface milling operations in 1961. The mine operated with significant intensity during the modern revival phase of the district, extracting millions of ounces of silver from several shafts before declining ore grades and localized vein depletion forced the permanent cessation of all commercial underground operations in 1969. Lawrence Conklin was a world-renowned mineral dealer based in New York City, widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and sophisticated figures in the history of the mineral trade. Operating from his office on 5th Avenue and later from his home in Connecticut, Conklin specialized in "antique" minerals and specimens with significant historical provenance. He was a meticulous researcher and an elegant writer, often publishing articles that corrected historical errors in mineralogical literature. His career spanned over five decades, during which he handled some of the finest known specimens from classic European and American localities, setting a high standard for aesthetic quality and documentation in the field.
A crystallized grouping of native silver, this mostly covered by metallic allargentum. The specimen comes with a previous label from the dealer Larry Conklin as well is a collection data card dating the acquisitions in 1973. These are shown at the end of the video.
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