Super cityscape covers the surface of this blue and purple zoned fluorite.  Small white 3-4 mm barite crystals sparsely scattered on front and back of the fluorite indicating the piece is a floater.  This piece is in excellent condition and displays well.  $100

Lustrous deep purple cubes to 3.5 cm cover the matrix.  Secondary cubes have grown off the broken surface of the base making this a "flaoter".  A few minor dings on the corners but still very displayable.  $80

Numerous sharp and gemmy pale purple cubes lie on a bed of lustrous sphalerite.  Nice display piece in excellent condition.  $70

Light purple gemmy cubes cover the porous limestone matrix.  This large piece is in excellent condition and displays well.  $80

Sharp glassy spear shaped barite crystals cover the top and bottom of the specimen.  This cabinet piece is in good condition and would make a nice addition to any Cave-In-Rock District suite.  A bargain from the A. F. Dodge Collection.  $35

Spiky calcite crystals to 5 cm make up the entire surface.  There is a second generation of smaller crystals in clusters scattered about the piece.  The piece is in good condition and I had to look closely to notice damage to the points.   $35

Large white balls of strontianite to 2 cm and smaller sprays of crystals almost cover the calcite crystals below which cover a fluorite base.  Super cabinet size piece in excellent condition.  $60

You can tell this is an old timer by its color.  Deep purple zone only a couple of mm thick transform the almost colorless interior into dark purple.  Looks neat when backlit.  This piece likely came out over 40 years ago.  Several corners are nicked but still a nice unusual piece.   $45

Nice specimen with superb zoning you can see when back-lit in the close-up.  Deep purple lustrous pair of cubes with the largest 3.5 cm looks darker when not backlit.  Some rubbing on the corners is all that keep this from perfection. $60

Outstanding 5 cm cube with small 1-2 mm chalcopyrite crystals partially to completely included in the crystal.   This nicely zoned piece is interesting because it shows how much the zoning can vary from one crystal face to another.  Several calcite crystals to 1.5 cm form a group near the base.  This ones in excellent condition with only some small 1 mm or less  chips on one edge.  $70

This one has the super color zoning and luster everyone wants in their Southern Illinois fluorite.  This piece also shows the pleochroic (color changing in different lighting) properties of fluorite most people aren't aware of.  The top picture was shot in incandescent light and the bottom photo was slightly backlit in fluorescent light.  This piece is typical of many blue on yellow colored pieces because the yellow fluorite has been etched prior to the final deposition of the blue zone which is a thick 7mm.  This ones nearly perfect with the left corner being a healed corner and the only broken edge being where it sits for display on the bottom.   $100

Small but choice undamaged Thumbnail of this rare mineral.  This piece consists of two spires of benstonite on calcite needles growing toward each other.  There is a little remnant of fluorite attached to the lower left.   This piece came off a larger piece I trimmed down last year and that has been the last piece I was able to purchase in the last year and a half of searching.   $45

Nice cluster of sharp pale violet crystals with a preferential coating of barite crystals.  Spear shaped barite crystals up to 7 mm long provide a nice contrast with the fluorite.  The barite and fluorite are in excellent condition and would make a fine addition to any Southern Illinois suite.    $50

Superb piece with a sparkling sphalerite crystal flanked on both sides by gemmy pale blue fluorite cubes.  Some zoning of the fluorite with a purple core.  This piece is in nearly perfect condition (when I give a piece this rating most other dealers would call it flawless) and would enhance any display.   $65

Super lustrous piece of yellow fluorite with a thin top layer of incomplete purple.  This piece was heavily etched from below leaving just the edges and corners of the crystals.  These pieces are highly sought after by S. Illinois collectors and resemble what is sometimes called a Carthage corner from Elmwood.   $45

Many times the yellow fluorite from Hardin County shows signs of partial to complete etching.  Most of the time, afterward, you aren't left with a very attractive specimen.  This piece contradicts the norm by nicely retaining the original crystal form and good yellow color.  You should be able to see the rounded patterns on the face and maybe make out the few thin clear calcite needles on the surface.   A must have to complete a suite of Hardin County.  $30

Slender amber brown spike-like crystals of calcite on a base of etched sphalerite.  The spiky calcite crystals are notorious for damage and these are in much better than average condition.  $25

The mines of Southern Illinois have a lot of natural hydrocarbons in them and sometimes they coat the specimen.  This piece has a dark black coating of bitumen covering most of it's surface giving the fluorite a shiny black look in reflected light.  With some back-lighting however, you can see the gemmy yellow fluorite lying beneath.  This coating can be cleaned off in gasoline but I think it adds adds a nice effect so I left it on.  This piece would make an excellent addition to a Southern Illinois Fluorite suite.  Minor dings to some corners keeps this under three figures.  $70

This piece looks like black fluorite but it is actually a dark purple coated with a shiny black layer of natural bitumen.  Sharp crystal in excellent condition would help fill out a suite.  $15

Very cool specimen covered on both sides by crystals.   Bright white sparkling barite crystals some in almost stalactitic form.  The back side is comprised of small pale lavender fluorite cubes sprinkled with drusy barite and a couple of calcite scalenohedron.  This piece is chioce with the only damage a couple of broken calcites on the back side with the fluorite.  $50

A group of nice nailhead calcites at the base of a yellow fluorite corner with  a thin layer of blue on the outside.  There are a couple of internal cleaves  of the fluorite and only one chip on the display area of the fluorite.  Very attractive.  $50

Group of witherite crystals in parallel growth which are nicely fluorescent.  This piece has good coverage of white micro crystals of alstonite/paralstonite (can't tell them apart without analysis so I list them together).   I have sold a lot of these to other dealers at the Denver show in the past so here is a chance to buy one before they do.  $70

Short stubby witherite crystals cover most of the surface.  The thing that makes this piece unusual is the purple fluorite cube in association.  I don't remember ever seeing anything except yellow fluorite that has been heavily etched with witherite before.   The fluorite is etched from underneath but still has a 4 cm edge perched above the witherite below.  Not pretty but super rare association and from my personal Southern Illinois collection.  $200

Nice sized cubes of galena to 2.5 cm with octahedral corners and good luster.    Sharp sphalerite crystals shows flashes of red.  There is some damage to the galena but still a super reference sample for a Hardin Co., IL suite.  $35

This piece justed missed making it in the large specimens page.  Very aesthetic with white barite on a large stairtepped purple (at least 5 zones of purple visible when backlit) on yellow zoned cube.  In good condition with minor broken barite crystals and some rubs on fluorite.  Very nice display piece.  $75

Super nice "floater" piece in perfect condition.  Dark purple single cube of fluorite with a nice sprinkling of   glassy calcite crystals on upper surface.  The base of the crystal is completely covered by the sparkling glassy calcite crystal leaving no point of attachment to the host rock.  This is a nice piece even before considering what a great example of  a "floater" it is.   $60

Hundreds of dogtooth calcite crystals completely cover a pair of fluorite cubes.  Some dinged crystals but they don't detract without close inspection.  Nice display piece for a suite.  $50

Nice yellow with purple zoned fluorite in association with lustrous sphalerite.  Secondary small fluorite and a natural contact on the right edge of the sphaleite.  $80

Large cabinet specimen with a deep blue (much bluer in person) zone and deep purple overgrowths (see close up).   A couple of dinged corners keep the price way down.   $100

Light blue fluorite group with a rare scepter calcite crystal (I've never seen one before from here) tucked away just off center.  The color is much truer in the close-up.  Overall in excellent condition with only micro nicks except for one edge that faces away from view.  $90

Very sharp group of cubes with awesome color when backlit.  The white reflection in the lower right of the full view is the only damage.  There is only a small nick but the internal cleave is reflecting my camera lights like crazy.  Not nearly as noticable in normal light.  $200

Old-Timer likely from Minerva Mine with the rose purple color the Japanese go crazy over.  Several nicked corners but sharp edges to the crystals.  $100

Super inclusions inside yellow fluorite.  A couple of nicked corners but overall in very good condition.   $150

Superb miniature with great color and zoning as well as perfect condition.  The cubes even have a cool shape to them.  $150

Another nicely zoned yellow purple fluorite cluster.  Minor damage to a few places.  $80

Superb example of this rare mineral from the district.  Long white slender double terminated crystals of alstonite/paralstonite (can't tell which without x-ray and likely both are present  contrast nicely with  deep brown sphalerite.  If that isn't enough the piece is a "floater" crystalized all around with no attachment point.  This is one of two pieces I picked up several years back and I haven't seen anything like them since.  $150

Just a nice clean deep purple group.  $50

Another "floater" piece this time in yellow fluorite with an outer blueish purple zone.  A calcite druse covers much of the back side.   Minor ding on top edge is hard to notice (I missed it the first time I looked at this one).  $40

Nice blue (blue not purple in person) specimen would be much higher if not for the chip visible in the lower front.  I got it anyway because the blues are just so hard to find.  $60

Super nice group of crystals with ll the qualities you seek.   Gemmy, zoning, color, and in near perfect condition.  $175

I think this one has to be from the Hill-Ledford Mine by looking at the matrix but the label didn't say.  Nice representative sample of this combination.   Minor damage to some corners.  $40

Attractive combination piece with the calcites nicely spread about the fluorite.  $70

Nice pair of cubes in excellent condition which look dark until backlit.  $75

Nice zoned group of crystals with lots of chalcopyrite.   My full view shot got overwritten.  I will try to get another posted later. $75

Unusual gemmy pale yellow color with pale blue outer zone loaded with chalcopyrite inclusions.  This one really stands out as being different in a lot of Hardin County minerals and is more colorful in person.  The funny color in the corner is from and internal cleave that throws the lightwaves off.  $90

Large Cabinet size piece of what I call 'cityscape' crystals.   Cubes going up and down like buildings of a city.  This one is a deep almost black purple but very pretty when backlit.  Some minor chips on the corners.   $80

Very unusual pale almost colorless lilac crystal corner.   This one is a very old piece and looks like it may have come from the Gaskins Mine which is one of the few older workings which were in Pope County.  Neat triangular pattern from the zoning visible on the bottom.  This piece is also fluorescent which is not common in Southern Illinois fluorite.  $40

Very nice corner with a deep blue zone over a purple core.  This one is much more blue in person.  There is a ding on the very corner otherwise in excellent condition.  $100

The best specimens and almost only specimens of benstonite in the world come from the Minerva Mine.  Unfortunately all came out of the ground long ago and are only available as old collections are sold.  This one features over a half dozen spires of white benstonite crystals as epitazial overgrowths on long slender calcite crystals.  A couple of rubs but still an oustanding representative of this rare mineral from the Southern Illinois Fluorspar mines.  I have included a front back and close-up shot.  $600