Locality: Minerva Mine No. 1, Hardin County, Illinois. Size Class: Large Cabinet. Collection: Schertz Collection. Illinois produced, by general consensus, the best blue fluorites in the USA. This is a very pretty and large plate of intergrown crystals to 5.5 centimeters, with a consistent medium-blue color to them. This plate is all about size and color - a huge "bang for the buck," in terms of the current prices of good Illinois material. The crystals are remarkably translucent to transparent, which is unusual in a piece of this size. The main display crystals are in good shape, though there is some minor damage around the periphery and some internal crazing in one of the lower crystals near the base. At 7.1 lbs, this comes on a custom lucite display base. This is an older specimen, probably from the 1980s or early 1990s. From the collection of Richard Kosnar of Colorado and the Schertz collection. Size 20.0 x 17.2 x 8.7 cm