Many Bancroft Area minerals are classics. Although fine specimens from the Bancroft Area are uncommon on the international market, they can still be field collected. Bancroft mineral collecting continues each year and it is beautiful in the fall. I thought you might like some glimpses of our fall, scenes, wildlife and recent mineral collecting in the Bancroft Area.

This China Update features a diverse group of excellent specimens, including super fluorite, ilvaite and löllingite from the Huanggang Mines in Inner Mongolia. Also included are beautiful pieces from the Yaoganxian Mine and other well-known Chinese localities. There are connoisseur level pieces here.

Excellent new specimens from Mexico, including some exceptional fluorapatite crystals from Cerro de Mercado, beautiful wulfenite crystals with mimetite from the Ojuela Mine and a sweet azurite miniature from Milpillas.

This Pakistan-Afghanistan Update features a small number of excellent specimens, from tourmalines and a gorgeous cabinet specimen of spessartine garnet, to some much more unusual specimens, including scapolite and pseudomorphs from Sar-e-Sang.

This Democratic Republic of Congo Update features fine azurites from a new find at Kibwi, an excellent primary malachite from the Tantara Mine and deep pink cobaltoan calcite from Kolwesi.

There is a great new book out, Crystal Mountains – Minerals of the Cairngorms, by Roy Starkey. This post offers a glimpse (including photos by the author) and a few thoughts about this fine work.

Excellent new goethite crystal groups, recently mined from a pocket in the chamber pegmatites at Volodarsk-Volynskii, Ukraine.

This Howlite Update features specimens that are remarkable for the species. Howlite is only known as crystals from this one locality worldwide – Lake Bras D’Or, Iona, Nova Scotia. The specimens in this update are super for the locality and represent selected top pieces collected over a period from 2001 to 2012 – they were acquired as part of the collection of well-known Canadian collector Terry Collett.

This Acanthite Update features excellent specimens of well-crystallized acanthite (pseudomorphs after argentite) from the Imiter Mine, in Ouarzazate Province, Morocco. The finds at Imiter in recent years have placed it among the world’s best ever localities for crystallized acanthite.

If you’ve ever wondered about mineral shows as they used to be, the smaller-town affairs meant for everyone, from serious collectors to beginners and families, the Bancroft Shows offer a glimpse. There is a lot to be said for this kinds of mineral show, in a beautiful setting among scenery and wildlife, with guided field trips, local collectors and dealers, and some great minerals.

This Morocco Update is dedicated to a small group of specimens of the recent blue barite crystals from the Sidi Lahcen Mine, Nador, Morocco. These are beautiful, sharp, highly lustrous crystals of excellent quality.

Beautiful new specimens from Mali, featuring yellow balls of stilbite crystals from Diamonkara, a new find. The Diamonkara workings are in the same general vicinity of the Arrondissement Diako which has produced the now well-known specimens of prehnite and epidote. Also new among these specimens is an exceptionally fine prehnite on epidote.