Uncle Ron 1,491 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Yo All...I found this unusual stuff setting in an old camp that was apparently used around 1900 +/- .... One of the old timers had taken a hammer to it then just left it lay ... It's very heavy ... Total amount shown in the group is 14.16 ounces troy ... I just figured it might be galena but saw something on one of the forums recently that made me reassess and research more ... Now I'm pretty well convinced it is Acanthite or Argentite ... From Wikipedia: Acanthite, Ag2S, crystallizes in the monoclinic system and is the stable form of silver sulfide below 173 °C. Argentite is the stable form above that temperature. As argentite cools below that temperature its cubic form is distorted to the monoclinic form of acanthite. Below 173 °C acanthite forms directly.[1][4] Acanthite is the only stable form in normal air temperature.According to what I can find, Acanthite is around 87% silver ...Anyone have an opinion on this? I wonder if I could smelt it and recover the silver? Cheers, Unc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bedrock Bob 4,005 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Yo All...I found this unusual stuff setting in an old camp that was apparently used around 1900 +/- .... One of the old timers had taken a hammer to it then just left it lay ... It's very heavy ... Total amount shown in the group is 14.16 ounces troy ... I just figured it might be galena but saw something on one of the forums recently that made me reassess and research more ... Now I'm pretty well convinced it is Acanthite or Argentite ... From Wikipedia: Acanthite, Ag2S, crystallizes in the monoclinic system and is the stable form of silver sulfide below 173 °C. Argentite is the stable form above that temperature. As argentite cools below that temperature its cubic form is distorted to the monoclinic form of acanthite. Below 173 °C acanthite forms directly.[1][4] Acanthite is the only stable form in normal air temperature.According to what I can find, Acanthite is around 87% silver ...Anyone have an opinion on this? I wonder if I could smelt it and recover the silver? Cheers, UncLooks just like it to me. There are other ores that are similar but if a crushed sample turns blue in hydrochloric it is silver. If it is milky blue there is some lead with it and that is normal. The ore I saw was probably blacker and the crystals were smaller. But it looked like it was earthy with small galena crystals in places. And heavy as hell.I beleive all it takes is crushing and precipitation from a solution. Fire is straightforward and should work too. The sulphur should burn right off and the result will be nearly pure silver. A small electrolytic process is cheap, scalable and you can use it on most ores.There is a LOT of silver laying around out there. The only reason that guys arent recovering it is that it is not bright yellow.Even galena is a very valuable ore of silver. Here galena runs over 200 opt in some areas. Dont just write off any base metal ore in silver country becasue silver gets into any non ferrous ore (lead, zinc, bismuth) and makes trash ore worth a mint! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Goldfinger 43 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Hi Ron-If it was Acanthite, I would probably try and sell it on ebay.. Have seen some really nice prices on mineral specimens.Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigrex 60 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I bet it's a mixture as well, here's a "sphalerite, silver and lustrous galena and marcaiste" mix from Poland: http://www.spiriferm...blende-BIG.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bedrock Bob 4,005 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I think that even "galena" that runs silver has minute crystals of argentite that hold the silver. Yes, those minerals are all found in a mix generally. The earthy material I was taught was argentite and the cubic crystals were "galena" but that is probably more home spun knowledge than geological definition.The charcoal black ore with cubic crystals is generally a payday at any rate. This is as long as you have enough to ship and a buyer to ship it to. Ore that has lead is a tough commodity to sell in the US and Canada is usually the best bet. The shipping by freight car generally eats up any profit that a miner may make. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Ron 1,491 Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 Yo All...Reno Chris put me onto some new research on it and I'm 99% convinced what I have is polybasite... I've found really nice thumbnail sized specimens on the internet going for over $12,000 !!!! While mine is not as perfect as those that sold for that price, it is every bit as nice a some that have gone for between $1,200 to $6,200 for a tiny little 2 to 3 cm square bit ... I've just had it sitting on my "interesting rocks" shelf for a couple years ... Today I started moving interesting rocks around on the shelf and uncovered a couple of arrowheads and some other goodies I've picked up over the years that just got buried under other cool finds ... Anyhow, here's a couple more pix I took today ... Cheers, Unc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Goldfinger 43 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 HI Ron-I don't know exactly where you found it but it has been found in Yavapai county. Really nice find even if it isn't polybasite.http://www.mindat.or...256&ld=1#themapSteve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Goldfinger 43 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Hi RonIf you'd like to get it tested, Excalibur Minerals will test a sample for $60.00. All that's needed is a match head sized piece. Given the potential value, it might be worth it....Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
homefire 2,581 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Just hit a sample with a Propane Torch. LOL Sulfer will Boil off as stank.Not Gelena. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Goldfinger 43 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 You don't want to put a torch to any of these specimens. :twocents:Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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