Antique 1887 George O Simmons Student Mineral Collection Box Set Dana 50 Rocks For Sale

Up for sale is a museum-grade masterpiece of 19th-centuryAmerican scientific and educational history: an authentic Antique 1887George O. Simmons \"Student\'s Complete Mineral Collection\" BoxedModule Set. Complete with its original wood-compartment tray, all 50matching numbered specimens, and its incredibly rare multi-page descriptivecatalog booklet, this is an advanced centerpiece for a premier curiositycabinet or institutional collection.

⚙️ Design & HistoricalFeatures:

• The 50-Specimen Array: Contains a complete sequential run from Specimen No. 1 through No. 50. Key specimens include Native Sulphur, Stibnite, Graphite, Auriferous (Gold) Quartz, Argentite (Silver), Malachite, Azurite, and Chalcopyrite.
• Numbered Specimen Flags: Every single raw mineral sample nestled inside its original grid divider still retains its delicate, factory-applied circular paper number flag matching the literature.
• The Descriptive Catalog: Includes the complete accompanying booklet text, keyed directly to the 1887 revised edition of Dana\'s Manual of Mineralogy and Petrography. Features prominently printed endorsements from 19th-century scientific giants including Prof. J.D. Dana (Yale), Prof. Thomas Egleston (Columbia), and George F. Kunz of Tiffany & Co.
• Dimensions: The heavy, tongue-and-groove wood display box measures approximately 12 inches by 7 inches (as cross-referenced with the machinist\'s ruler in the listing photographs).

This is an extraordinary find: a genuinelate-19th-century George O. Simmons \"Student\'s Complete MineralCollection\" antique wood box module, completely intact with its original50 numbered mineral specimens and its exceptionally rare accompanying 1887descriptive catalog booklet.

Produced by renowned scientific purveyor George O. Simmonsout of New York, this educational set was custom-compiled to align directlywith James D. Dana\'s legendary Manual of Mineralogy and Petrographyrevised in 1887.

⚙️ Artifact Breakdown &Historical Significance

• The 300-Specimen System: The introductory text in the booklet explains that a complete master collection comprised 300 total species and sub-species, distributed across a six-drawer polished black walnut case or six separate pasteboard-and-wood modular trays. This specific item is a beautifully preserved Drawer/Tray No. 1 module, housing the foundational Specimens 1 through 50.
• The Elite Endorsements: The inner cover boasts an absolute who\'s who of late-19th-century American science. The collection was officially endorsed by Prof. J.D. Dana (Yale University), Prof. Thomas Egleston (founder of the Columbia University School of Mines), and George F. Kunz, the world-famous vice president and chief gemologist of Tiffany & Co.
• The Taxonomical Layout: The specimens follow a strict scientific sequence beginning with the Acidic Division (No. 1 Native Sulphur, No. 2 Stibnite, No. 3 Graphite), moving into precious metals like Gold (No. 4 Auriferous Quartz), and continuing sequentially through copper, mercury, zinc, iron, and structural silicates up to No. 50 Serpentine.
• The Numbered Specimen Flags: Remarkably, every single raw mineral fragment sitting inside its wooden grid pocket still retains its tiny, original printed paper number label glued to its face, aligning perfectly with the index pages.