A very rare locality speciemen: Bornite crystals on calcite from Niewandschacht, Eisleben, Mansfeld basin mining area.

Comes with antique label of Max Philipp Geipel, Eisleben. He was born in the coal-mining town of Zwickau, Saxony on November 14, 1871. He enrolled at the Freiberg Mining Academy through the winter semester of 1894-1895, then transferred to the Clausthal Mining Academy. At Clausthal on April 24, 1897, he successfully passed his certifying examination to be a mining engineer. Geipel worked from 1900 as technical administrative secretary at Eisleben. In 1901 Geipel was appointed Mine Inspector and finally, in 1907, he was made Chief Mine Inspector, and then Mine Director ("Bergdirector").
During his time with the Mansfeld mining company, Geipel built an extensive mineral collection. The greatest part of it was obtained by purchase from dealers; but there are also many records of acquisitions from the Mansfeld mines and from Geipel's homeland of Saxony. In the last years of his life Geipel fell into severe poverty, and there was no alternative but to sell his beloved mineral collection.

The second label from K. Gerl coll. means: "Bornite in xls on calcite, Eisleben, Niewandt shaft - a former mine at the road from Siersleben to Hettstedt. Begin of shaft sinking was in 1866. Production ceased in 1913."