An old time example of cacoxenite from Germany!!! This specimen consists of several radiating crystals of cacoxenite on a limonitic matrix from a locality that
stopped producing in the 1920's!!! This specimen has an old label from Hans Karabacek, who had a rather spectacular collection that was later acquired by Harvard!!! The
following bio is from the Mineralogical Record's label archive:
Hans J. Karabacek
(1878-1963)
Hans J. (Ritter von) Karabacek was born on 5 March 1878 in Vienna, Austria. His father, Joseph Ritter von Karabacek (1845-1918) was
a university professor in the department of Oriental Studies, and a member and secretary of the Imperial Academy of Natural Science in
Vienna. Hans attended the Technical Hochchule in Vienna, receiving his diploma in mechanical engineering in 1904. He took a position with
the Witkowitz mining and smelting company in Mähren, while working on his PhD dissertation, and was awarded his doctorate in technical
sciences in 1910. He held various important positions in Austrian and German industry throughout his career. He began collecting minerals
at the age of 9, and developed a refined sense of taste such that only the very best specimens were selected. Huber and Huber (1982) wrote
of it: "The number of items is not very large considering the lengthy period of active collecting, amounting to 4,892 specimens. The
collection could not be any larger because only the best at minerals were acquired over a period of nearly half to century. In this
beautiful collection a very large number of minerals have come from what are now long extinct discoveries. In the course of the time
the most beautiful specimens were acquired from the old well-known private collections, such as the collection of Isidor Weinberger
(1838-1915), Müller von Aichholz, Dr. Perlep, Kretschmer, Toeply, Uslar, Frenzel, Beroldingen, Lill, Scherzer, Don Pedro etc. Three
specimens from the collection of the German poet Wolfgang von Goethe are even found there. Also present is a specimen of fluorite from
Crown Prince Rudolf's private collection." Karabacek was not a field collector, preferring instead to build his collection by purchase
and exchange from the leading collectors, dealers and museums of his day. He died on 9 June 1963. Much of his superb collection was
ultimately acquired by Harvard University following his death.
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