Gold, Hollinger Mine, Timmins (Specimen #300010)

Mineral(s): Gold, Quartz 

Location: Hollinger Mine, Timmins, Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada  

Size: 4.4 X 4.3 X 3.1 cm 

Description:  A rich, bright yellow, 1.5 cm ‘leafy’ gold mass is set atop a 4.5 cm blocky white quartz matrix with additional small showings of gold on the matrix. This specimen is from a classic, well-known Ontario gold mine in the Timmins gold camp. An outstanding, vibrant showing of gold for the specimen size.

Rueben D’Aigle was credited for laying the path that led to Benny Hollinger's and Alex Gillies's discovery, which led to the Hollinger Mine. After giving up on the area, it was only three years later that Hollinger and Gillies stumbled upon D'Aigle's abandoned test pits and rusted anvil. A sample taken later on showed that he missed the fortune by a very small distance – an arms-length from his workings a sample assayed at $52 of gold to the ton. Benny Hollinger and Alex Gilles discovered the jackpot to what became known as the Hollinger Gold Mine, the world’s largest producer of gold from 1910 to 1968. The Hollinger produced $566 million which represents about 20 million ounces of gold.