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Green Turquoise McGinnis Deposit- Austin, NV (19) [186538]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Rocks, Fossils & Minerals Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
Green Turquoise McGinnis Deposit- Austin, NV (19) [186538]
SOLD
200.00USD+ (50.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2024 Aug 24 @ 17:51UTC-7 : PDT/MST
UNCLAIMED MERCHANDISE: In the event that a successful bidder has paid in full for their merchandise but fails to settle outstanding shipping invoices or make arrangements for merchandise pickup within 60 days, HWAC reserves the right to declare the merchandise forfeited. This forfeiture will result in the merchandise becoming the property of HWAC and the successful bidder shall have no claim to or rights over the forfeited merchandise.
Two groups of small polished cabs, one of 4 stones from Austin, about 3/4” long each; the other group about 15 polished cabs from the McGinnis Deposit at Austin. Frank Lewton Collection. A lot of us (geologists) worked out of Austin and surrounds in the early 1980s after Ralph Roberts published his work on the Roberts Thrust and potential low grade gold deposits in the sedimentary sequences associated with the Roberts Thrust. We all visited the Lombardo Turquoise shop at the top of town on the south side of the road, located in a modular home/office. This was THE PLACE to find the best turquoise in the world, the famous Lander Blue and all the other Nevada turquoise that was of high quality. Lombardo had it all, and the place was buzzing all the time, loaded with cars with out of state license plates. He did a land office business back then. Today, the building is empty. Back then (early 1980s), every prospector not only had his gold and silver samples of high grade, but they also had turquoise. id you ever notice the small groups of old guys sitting on a bench in front of an old building when you might drive through one of Nevada’s old mining towns in the early morning hours, drinking coffee? It was commonplace for an early morning discussion on a bench in front of the most prominent saloon every morning in pretty much all of the old mining towns, like Tonopah, Murphy’s, Placerville, and so on. That’s where you’d meet all the old prospectors. Once the BS session got started, out came the “show and tell” - the great gold specimens and the greatest turquoise. I just might have joined a few of those BS sessions... :) I must have gone out to look at several dozen deposits and saw some of the most beautiful deep blue turquoise you’ll ever see. I kept a sample of some killer blue on my front porch for years and it didn’t disappear until last year. oh well. We all enjoyed it for 40+ years! Sometime in the mid-1980s, the turquoise of high quality was seeming to get mined out. But all the “old guys” still had theirs. We all talked about it, on the “bench,” of course! Then one day a guy from Texas in a big gold Cadillac came through Tonopah and cleaned out all the old guys for top dollar. He made his was to Austin, Battle Mountain, and all over the state, and knew just how to do it.
They say “cash talks”, and it sure did. The turquoise “walked.” [Austin] [Nevada] [] [] []