SiS: RARE FOSSIL PINE - Grassy Mountain Petrified Wood Round - ESTATE COLLECTION

Description

I'd never seen wood quite this color come from the Grassy Mountain region until fairly recently, but this estate find marks the second such log I've seen from the site.  Curiously, this one was labeled "Vale" in Jim Leicht's collection and I suspect the color as well as the rind indicates that this was a surface find in the general area of Grassy Mtn. but not on the main dig site itself.  It's speculation on my part, but between the species, the rind and the color, I bet I'm right.  Petrified wood appears throughout the valleys and washes of Eastern Oregon, much of it on private land that has not been as thoroughly explored as the more popular sites.  The unusual color for the region was surprising enough, but under magnification I'm fairly certain this one is a fossil pine complete with resin canals.  Like much of the Grassy Mtn. proper petrified wood, this one is morphed and the structure obscured in many areas by the high agate concentration but there's enough there for me to be fairly certain of the ID.  This unusual piece was part of the Jim Leicht collection for many years.  It's a doubly rare, gemmy fossil - and a beautiful display specimen!  It's polished nicely to reveal both the color and the swirling wood grain in this ancient specimen!
NOTE:
This slab was part of the Jim Leicht collection
.
The tags on the back were placed there by Jim and I've left them there for posterity and provenance.
This is a truly amazing, beautifully prepared petrified wood specimen that has been cut and prepared with skill.  This slab was part of the Jim Leicht estate collection.  Jim lived in the foothills of Mt. Hood in Oregon.  During his long collecting career he amassed not one but two world class petrified wood collections.  His first collection he sold and donated in the late 20th century to focus his passion on spheres.  But even his sphere collection filled with petrified wood and his tastes and interests shifted again to the pursuit of world class petrified wood collector pieces.  This piece comes from that second collecting effort which itself spanned more than 30 years.  I had the good privilege of knowing Jim and we'd trade from time to time for pieces neither of us could live without.  This slab is one of the few pieces from that collection to finally make it back into circulation for a new collector to cherish.  Jim collected petrified wood from all over the world but, like many, was particularly fond of the gem grade wood found in the Pacific Northwest.  I visited Jim's collection a few times over the years and always admired the breadth of his incredible specimens.  He was "old school" and much preferred to keep track of other collectors and collections with frequent phone calls, which proved to be an invaluable source of tips and leads not just for him, but for everyone fortunate enough to be on his call list!  Those of us who knew him will miss his friendly, passionate view of both the hobby and those who participate in it.  The bulk of his collection remains in the hands of another private collector who has asked me to assist with offering a few duplicates to balance the collection.
One of the finest and most highly desired petrified wood specimens anywhere are the colorful, glass like Grassy Mountain petrified wood specimens from the Succor Creek area of far Eastern Oregon. This wood is easily the most colorful, most agatized petrified wood found in Oregon and rivals the brilliant colors of Hubbard Basin in Nevada. Like the Hubbard specimens, this wood is typically dominated by blue and gold (but it has fewer reds and whites) and it's so well agatized that wood cell structure is rarely observed, though the growth things are often plainly visible. Unfortunately, very little of this wood has been found and less still is available in the market. I snatch up every scrap I see and I still have handled less than 1/2 dozen pieces in the last couple years!  If you don't have a Grassy Mountain round in your collection, this would be a dandy.
Besides being beautifully colored, it's also nicely preserved. The flowing wood grain from this round starts at the heart and forms massive arcs through every region of this highly colorful wood. The detail preserved in this piece is a bit more morphed than other specimens I've seen from this region. Grassy Mountain petrified wood is highly prized among fossil and gemstone collectors because of it's uniquely beautiful colors and gold, red, etc. inclusions. It's also some of the best agatized wood to be found and is sometimes even translucent (this piece is).
If you haven't seen our petrified wood specimens before then you've been missing one of the best treasures found on eBay! We work hard to find the best specimens from the most prized locations and then work with our magic to create a world class specimen for your collection. The piece is quite solid and meant to be handled. A quick squirt of windex will remove fingerprints from the glassy polished surface.
This stone has been professionally cut and polished on a special lap that produces a flat face and a mirror perfect shine. The polish really is liquid perfect - a difference in the quality products Sticks-in-Stones has built its reputation on!
It measures about 10" x5 1/4" wide across the polished face. It's cut about 0.62" thick.  Weight is 2.44 lbs.
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