Description

A plate of superb manganite crystals from the old mines at Steep Rock. These crystals are sharp and lustrous – really great! In excellent condition, no damage (incomplete crystals at the periphery where this was attached. I like it best standing vertically (with a bit of support), but it is a beauty in either orientation. From the Pete Richards collection, personally collected by him in 1982, this is a very fine cabinet specimen of manganite from Atikokan.

About Pete Richards (click here)

About the Mines of Atikokan, Ontario

Located in northwestern Ontario, the large mines at Atikokan were once huge iron producers. Financed and developed during the Second World War effort, these mines were brought into production to shore up US iron supplies. These were massive mines – the amount of earth and rock moved was twice that moved to build the Panama Canal, in half the time (!). The mines closed in 1979-80. Although they produced fine specimens, they are not broadly known among collectors around the world, as they would be if they were producing today. They are best known for excellent specimens of crystallized manganite.