3.5"x2.75"x2" agate - what's it worth

[Heartman]

Found a big agate, a bit smaller than a tennis ball and might weigh 1/2 lb, and got to wondering what the thing is worth. Anyone in Duluth give an "agate appraisal"?

Checked on the big internet auction site and using those bids guess it might be a couple hundred bucks, at least.

[Bowfin]

Depends on the banding quality and amount of quartz it contains. Can you post a picture? The rock shop in Two Harbors would give you an estimate.

[Heartman]

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/walleye83/DSC00018.jpg http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/walleye83/DSC00015.jpg http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/walleye83/DSC00013.jpg http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/walleye83/DSC00013.jpg http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/walleye83/DSC00011.jpg

[canman]

Nice agate!

[Bowfin]

Nice banding with no solid quartz inclusions. I'd be interested what the rock shop would give you for it.

[DARK30]

Looks like its been through the machinery. I would tumble it.

[TomD]

I think you are pretty close @ 200 Never tumble a stone of this quality it will make it worthless

[DARK30]

Its too fractured up. The only reason someone would buy it would be to polish it up....and it wouod look nice!

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

Beaver Bay Agate Shop

[polarsusd81]

My dad found a nice one on a job site that is about 8" long x 5" in diameter and about 5 lbs. It is a beautiful rock. I will have to shoot some photos of it the next time I am at his place.

[DARK30]

Yes! Pics Please!

[TonkaBass]

Found myself an agate yesterday while fishing the river not very big though, about 1 1/2"

[Mr_Rosenheim]

Nice Agate: I like the earthy rosewood husk it has; as well as the bloody Carnelian reds throughout and the fiber wire white pinstripes knifing through in image 3 & 4. Although it is a bit gnashed up (probably due to being carried around like a glacial erratic) I think it adds character - in a well worked blacksmith's anvil sort of way.

Props to you.

[Heartman]

Thanks, brother. Nothing like being in the right place at the right time, eh?

[TonkaBass]

Here are some pics of the one I found on the river, looks like a different rock, but its just different angles...

This is the part that I saw... Not sure how my eye picked it out, but it was fun to turn over...

Here are some of my other ones, nothing to brag about, but they still look cool...

[Mr_Rosenheim]

Seems like you have an eye for Cryptocrystalline stones: it takes binocular vision starting out to find that stuff - a nice fire glow agate indeed. It looks like it is cut out by small gullies of lava; and those bander's are pretty dashy as well... nice grabs!

[DEADhead]

beauts!

[TonkaBass]

Thanks guys, you sure know a lot about them Mr Roseneim. I might have to try and find some more... Saw another one yesterday in the river but it was too deep to reach... I am going to go back with some tools to get them though...

[Mr_Rosenheim]

It takes awhile to make yourself arete in Agate-finding; and I'm not the headiest guy around I haven't been Crypto-hunting for that long: it's only been about a year and a half; and unlike with animal's... stones don't have an obvious spoor that you can follow. I've read through this book though: Agates: Treasures of the Earth, and it helped me wise up to another type of tracking method for finding agates. If you look for areas with alot of Iron Oxide rich waters; or for stones that are caked with Limonite and alot of gravel then you're hot on the trail to finding some - hence why Laker's are Red Hot candy red (Iron Oxide is the root cause of that.

Also Agates matrix themselves primarily in Igneous rocks: like Theolitic Basalt (which is mostly in Oceanic areas); but more or less in MI & Minnesota you should keep an eye out for regular Basalt and rocks like Rhyolite And Andesite - these are prime agate carriers. (http://geology.com/rocks/igneous-rocks.shtml)

And yeah, I'd definitely go back to claim that stone... when I can't reach a stone I go into the prone position, stretch out like a surf board and use a claw ended stick to fish it out. If you want to jerry rig something together, a good scoop ball set coupled with a screw off hollow handled mop may come in handy. Just fuse the two together (with some duct tape) and you'll have a good makeshift device for Gopher grabbing agates that you can't get to.

Thanks for the props Tonka & good luck drag-netting that nodule.

Ps. Here's some examples of some Basalt Matrixed Laker's:

And here are some more for good measure:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/finn-2367/sets/72157600959112113/