Goethite

specimen number:
1052796

location:
Restormel Royal Iron Mine, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, England, UK

description:
Classic Cornish specimen with needlelike crystals of goethite measuring to 0.5 cm in size across matrix. Minimal damage present, this still in good condition. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. This label gives an acquisition date of 1910.

The Royal Restormel iron mine, located near Lostwithiel in Cornwall, England, was one of the most prominent producers of iron ore in the region, operating intermittently from at least 1797 until its final closure in 1910. Geologically, the mine exploited a major north-south trending hydrothermal crosscourse vein that cut through local Devonian slates, depositing thick, continuous zones of high-grade goethite, hematite, and secondary manganese oxides. The locality is highly famous among collectors for producing exceptional botryoidal kidney ore and lustrous, acicular black goethite crystal aggregates. Originally called the Trinity mine, the operation achieved its lasting historical title after a formal underground visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in September 1846, during which the royal couple toured the tunnels by ore truck and personally collected mineral specimens. Industrial production peaked between 1855 and 1883 with the extraction of over 127,000 tons of iron ore, after which operations sharply declined due to deep drainage expenses and shifting global markets, resulting in the capping of the main adits by 1909.

Dr. L. Eger was a prominent Austrian natural history dealer and mineralogist based in Vienna, active from the late nineteenth century into the opening decade of the twentieth century through his commercial enterprise, Dr. L. Eger's Mineralien Comptoir. Operating from a central location on Giselastrasse, his business specialized in sourcing, documenting, and distributing high-quality mineral specimens, fossils, and educational systematic suites to major university museums, research institutions, and affluent private collectors globally. Eger maintained a highly sophisticated trade network, collaborating frequently with other legendary contemporary dealers like Dr. A. Krantz of Bonn to acquire rare European and international pieces, and even publishing mineral indexes that announced newly discovered localities or unusual mineral variants.

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