DALLAS, TX.- When Dan Kennedy’s mother gave him National Geographic as child, she gave him a passion for seeing the world. All parts of it. That passion would fuel everything from taking his children on explorations in the most remote areas of the forest to traveling far reaches of the globe with his wife, Rhonda.

It makes sense then, that from an early age until his passing, Kennedy also dug deep into the dazzling range of minerals comprising the earth below his expeditions. And as a man who did nothing small, his vast collection represents his efforts well, both as a curious young collector as well as the passionate collecting he did alongside his wife. The public can now explore more than 200 more of Kennedy’s largest and finest specimens when they go on the block at Heritage in The Dan Kennedy Collection of Fine Minerals Part 2 Signature® Auction Oct. 8 on HA.com.

The Kennedy Precious Metals Collection Auction was held in October 2024, and Part 1 of his Fine Minerals Collection was introduced in March.

It is crucial to stress the size of these offerings, because these lots are not simply larger-than-typical thumbnail and miniature specimens one might associate with tourist souvenir or collector samples. These are large cabinet specimens measuring more than 6 inches (15 centimeters).

An obvious spotlight should shine on the spectacular Acanthite from the Fresnillo mine in Zacatecas, Mexico. It is unassuming in certain lights, because it can appear a charcoal gray, but it is in fact, dazzling. The front side of the specimen, along with the edges and faces of each crystal, is smothered by minor arborescent growths of Acanthite, giving the piece a textured appearance that pairs perfectly with its rich metallic luster. With the superb, sculptural crystallization, it is a wonder coming from the historical mining area. “This is probably one of the largest examples of this material in the world,” says Heritage’s Director of Fine Minerals Nicolas Valenzuela. “And for the quality of it, paired with the size, it speaks for itself. It is simply world class, so it’s no surprise that it’s already jumped tens of thousands of dollars in the last couple days.”

Less mysterious, and more traditionally mind-blowing, is the Tourmaline with Lepidolite from the Chiá mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Well-terminated crystals of Tourmaline are nestled on a contrasting matrix of Quartz and Lepidolite, with the largest and most obvious focal point standing at a whopping 19.0 centimeters in height. The gemmy, watery green-blue Tourmaline is accented by several vertical striations along the side faces and interestingly enough, the entire piece recalls an iconic saguaro cactus — or perhaps, more appropriately, its sister in the genus Pilosocereus, a cacti native to Brazil.

Valenzuela shares that he loves when a piece reflects something else entirely. “If you can say, ‘This looks like a crab,’ or ‘That looks like a cactus,’” he says, “those are my favorite pieces, because people relate visually. Those connections can bring a new collector base that didn’t think they were into minerals, but collect the thing it looks like.”

The Tourmaline isn’t the only piece like that. Mushroom enthusiasts — or perhaps fans of hit series The Last of Us — should pay attention to the strange and alluring Wulfenite from the Jianshan Mine of Xinjiang, China. Its fungal and organic appearance betrays its fragile nature, making it even more relatable to its visual doppelgänger. An outstanding example of the spectacular specimens from the mine, it features beds of sharp and very sizable, tabular Wulfenite blades, each displaying a characteristically deep reddish-orange color and presented on a rocky matrix. The wider faces of the crystals have a fairly matte luster that is contradicted by the flashy beveling on the edges.

The flora fawning doesn’t end there. There’s Gold from the Vonnie Vein of Nevada’s Firecreek Mine, which is so unusual that it is understandable that Valenzuela has a hard time masking his excitement. “It’s such a unique and rare piece; the texture and size is unheard of,” he says. “It’s almost moss-like. It’s strange and fragile and just so very aesthetic.” Indeed, this Gold specimen is fairly exceptional amongst the many other Golds in Kennedy’s exuberant collection. Every crystal has a frosted, golden-yellow color and is consolidated into nicely rounded, delicate clusters that have been etched from Calcite and are presented across a thin, white to light gray plate. Within each cluster the Gold has stunning spinel-twinned growths, giving each crystal a fern-like shape. A golden shrub? Glistening moss? It’s in the eye of the beholder.

And then there’s what Valenzuela calls a “rite of passage” piece for collectors: Rhodochrosite with Quartz, Tetrahedrite and Fluorite from Colorado’s world-famous Sweet Home Mine. “Every collector needs a Sweet Home Rhodo, and Kennedy’s here is a beautiful pink to red specimen, with all the bells and whistles on it. It’s a great example,” says Valenzuela. The desire to dive into the various blocks and complete their very own Sweet Home collections will grow, especially when viewing the dozens of textbook rhombohedral Rhodochrosite crystals spread over a stunning and contrasting matrix of dark gray Tetrahedrite and sparkling white Quartz points. Purple Fluorite and brassy Pyrite are also present.