Box o' Rocks

Francis J. Kowalski

Mineral and Rock Specimens [cover title]

New York: s.i., 1928. Very Good. Item #48947

New York: s.i. 1928 or later. Box of 40 rock and mineral specimens in individual padded compartments with paper cover, enclosed in chemise-style covers with bone toggle closure; paper label to textured front board and marbled paper "page" edges. Three manuscript notes and two pages of type laid in. Boards bowing up slightly with shelfwear, toning and dust soiling overall. Hinges worn but binding firm. Catalogue printed to verso of front cover and all but two specimens (#5 and #23) individually numbered. Two specimens in corked vials, one pasted to paper, two with likely modern numbered labels, but all present and correlate to the catalogue. Previous owner name and address to bottom of cover verso. Noted as "Made in Japan," though we have not been able to identify who produced this set. Manuscript notes and typed pages smudged, creased, and toned with cracks to previous folds of typed pages, though intact. A scarce and Very Good example.

The previous owner, Francis, was a Boy Scout, part of Troop #96, based in Washington, D.C. The three manuscript pieces describe where three specimens of his own were found, one with a date, "collected in 1928", and another described as "drippings of a dry-fired boiler on German S.S. Callao - 1st World War." The typed two-page list of 27 items include these noted items but do not correlate to any of the specimens present. Likely this box was used for him to identify what he found to create his own collection for a Boy Scout badge project or personal endeavor.

Price: $450.00