Wulfenite

Wulfenite from the Empire Mine is one of those Tombstone specimens that has a really interesting collecting history. The mine is part of the old Tombstone mining district, and its oxidized workings produced wulfenite along with minerals like mimetite, quartz, fluorite, and several of the rarer tellurium minerals found in the district. The 400-foot level is a documented source for well-formed wulfenite crystals.

This specimen was collected by Jim Walker in 1998, which gives it a nice bit of provenance in addition to the locality. Empire Mine material is not something you see nearly as often as wulfenite from some of Arizona’s better-known localities, so having a specimen specifically tied to the 400-foot level makes it especially interesting to collectors.