Preben Oldenburg Mineral Collection

Geology

Preben Oldenberg Mineral Collection

Preben Oldenburg graduated from M.I.T. in 1933 as an ML Major (Materials Science and Engineering). He was born on Oct. 6, 1910. He obtained his SS card in Texas. Preben died in Grass Valley, CA in March 1986. Type in oldenburg, then preben, in the SSI Death Index.

Preben had assembled a meticulous collection of 120 minerals in a small cardboard box. I purchased the collection on eBay.
The collection is remarkable for several reasons -
1. It is 74 years old
2. Although small, all the samples are excellent
3. It was assembled by a rabid perfectionist, who reminds me of myself.

The original Oldenburg mineral collection, as received. Many of the little handmade boxes are disintegrating. The rocks have been substantially mixed up. The tiny number tags have been mixed up, as well. Which really doesn't matter, since the "key" has long since been lost. Note that in (almost?) all cases, there are two of each samples. I will match them up, as I reorganize them.

The reorganized Oldenburg mineral collection, as reorganized. The old paper boxes were great for observation, but not suitable for modern classification, in regard to organization, maintainability, and stability, so I decided to TRY TO reorganize the collection by rock type, color, etc., as well as identify each mineral by name.

The fluorescent minerals in the collection will be photo-featured later on.

The Original Collection

Top Tray (Tray 1)
Notice the small string loop (barely visible) at each end of the paper tray, used to lift it out.

Middle Tray (Tray 2)
Notice the small string loop (barely visible) at each end of the paper tray, used to lift it out.

Box Bottom (Tray 3)
Tray 2 was lowered in first, and then Tray 1 was lowered in, and the lid installed.

Here is the paper tray template - Preben made 120 of these by hand.
In various sizes - and then glued each one together.
CUT all the solid lines - FOLD all the dashed lines.
Who would do this today?
Don't forget - this was BEFORE plastic boxes were available.

. The Reorganized Collection My first action was to scan the collection with a sensitive Geiger Counter. None of the samples were radioactive - that eliminates several minerals. Next, I tried UV fluorescence - about 16 samples responded - more on these later. BOX 1 - Preben Oldenburg Mineral Collection - Reorganized
Mineral #	Vernacular Mineral Name	Color	(I)gneous (S)edimentary (M)etamorphic	Fluor?	Note
1	My initial guesses --->	.	.	.	.
2	A - Actinolite - green	.	.	.	A-53
3	Agate - orange	.	.	.	.Anhydrite - blue
4	Amethyst - purple	.	.	.	.
5	Apatite - green orange blue	.	.	.	.
6	Aquamarine - green	.	.	.	.
7	Asbestos - white	.	.	.	.
	Aventurine - green	.	.	..	.
8	Azurite - blue	.	.	.	.
9	B	.	.	.	B=39
10	Biotite - black mica	.	.	.	.
11	Borax - white	.	.	.	.
12	C	.	.	.	C=79
13	Calcite (opaque)	.	.	.	.
14	Calcite (optical)	.	.	.	.
15	Chert - red	.	.	.	.
16	Chrisocolla - blue	.	.	.	.
17	Citrine - orange	.	.	.	.
18	Corundum - red	.	.	.	.
19	D	.	.	.	.
20	Dolomite - white	.	.	.	D=18
21	Dumbfounded-ite	.	.	.	.
22	E	.	.	.	E=23
23	Epidote - green	.	.	.	.
24	F	.	.	.	F=15
25	Feldspar - many	.	.	.	.
26	Flint - red	.	.	.	.
27	Fluorite - green	.	.	.	.
40	190	100	100	50	150

Mineral #	Mineral Name	Color	(I)gneous (S)edimentary (M)etamorphic	Fluor.?	Note
28	G	.	.	.	G=24
29	Galena - shiny, cubic	.black	.	.	.
30	Garnet - green	.	.	.	.
31	Garnet - red	.	.	.	.
32	Graphite - black	.	.	.	.
33	Gypsum - white	.	.	.	.
34	.	.	.	.	.
35	H	.	.	.	H=31
36	Hematite - red	.	.	.	.
37	Hydrozincite - white	.	.	.	.
38	I	.	.	.	I=8
39	Ilmenite - brown	.	.	.	.
40	J	.	.	.	J=6
41	Jasper - red	.	.	.	.
42	K	.	.	.	K=18
43	Kaolinite - white	.	.	.	.
44	L	.	.	.	L=25
45	Lapis lazuli - blue	.	.	.	.
46	Lepidolite - violet	.	.	.	.
47	M	.	.	.	M=46
48	Magnetite - dark	.	.	.	.
49	Malachite - green	.	.	.	.
50	Mica (sheets) - shiny	.	.	.	.
51	Moonstone - white	.	.	.	.
52	.	.	.	.	.
53	N	.	.	.	N=14
54	.	.	.	.	.
40	180	110	100	50	150

. BOX 2 - Preben Oldenburg Mineral Collection - Reorganized
Mineral #	Mineral Name	Color	(I)gneous (S)edimentary (M)etamorphic	Fluor?	Note
55	O	.	.	.	O=12
56	Obsidian - shiny black	.	.	.	.
57	Onyx - black	.	.	.	.
58	Opal - white	.	.	.	.
59	.	.	.	.	.
60	P	.	.	.	P=47
61	Petrified wood - brown	.	.	.	.
62	Pyrite - shiny yellow	.	.	.	.
63	.	.	.	.	.
64	Q	.	.	.	Q=2
65	Quartz (crystal) - clear	.	.	.	.
66	Quartz (milky) - white	.	.	.	.
67	Quartz (rose) - rose	.	.	.	.
68	.	.	.	.	.
69	.	.	.	.	.
70	R	.	.	.	R=20
71	Rhodochrosite - pink	.	.	.	.
72	Rhyolite - reddish lava	.	.	.	.
73	.	.	.	.	.
74	S	.	.	.	.
75	Sandstone - tan orange	.	.	.	S=67
76	Schist, granite - gray	.	.	.	.
77	Schist, mica - shiny	.	.	.	.
78	Schist, quartz	.	.	.	.
79	Sodalite - blue	.	.	.	.
80	Sulphur - yellow	.	.	.	.
81	Somesuch-ite	.	.	.	.Spodumene - clear
81	180	110	100	50	150

Mineral #	Mineral Name	Color	(I)gneous (S)edimentary (M)etamorphic	Fluor.?	Note
82	T	.	.	.	T=35
83	Talc - white	.	.	.	.
84	Tiger Eye - brown	.	.	.	.
85	Topaz - smoky	.	.	.	.
86	Travertine - ivory	.	.	.	.
87	Tourmaline - green	.	.	.	.
88	Turquoise - blue	.	.	.	.
89	.	.	.	.	.
90	.	.	.	.	.
91	.	.	.	.	.
92	.	.	.	.	.
93	.	.	.	.	.
94	U	.	.	.	U=8
95	Unbelievable-ite	.	.	.	.
96	.	.	.	.	.
97	.	.	.	.	.
98	.	.	.	.	.
99	V	.	.	.	V=10
100	Vanadinite - orange	.	.	.	.
101	.	.	.	.	.
102	.	.	.	.	.
103	.	.	.	.	.
104	W	.	.	.	W=16
105	Whatsi-tite	.	.	.	.
106	Whattheha-yite	.	.	.	.
107	.	.	.	.	.
108	.	.	.	.	.
40	180	110	100	50	150

That was some wicked stuff that disintegrated the box in the low-center position (plus 2 others I removed).
The rocks in question DESTROYED the paper box (I presume).

Mineral #	Mineral Name	Color	(I)gneous (S)edimentary (M)etamorphic	Fluor.?	Note
109	.	.	.	.	X=2
110	.	.	.	.	.
111	.	.	.	.	.
112	.	.	.	.	Y=1
113	.	.	.	.	.
114	.	.	.	.	.
115	.	.	.	.	Z=9
116	.	.	.	.	Total Commom =
117	.	.	.	.	.
118	.	.	.	.	.
119	.	.	.	.	.
120	.	.	.	.	.
.	End of Preben's Collection Additions --->	.	.	.	.
121	Gold (nugget)	.	.	.	.
122	Fluorite (green)	.	.	.	.
123	.	.	.	.	.
124	.	.	.	.	.
125	.	.	.	.	.
126	.	.	.	.	.
40	180	110	100	50	150

Sources:
Google Search for Preben Oldenburg
Social Security Death Records

Mineralogy Database at http://webmineral.com
Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery at http://www.galleries.com/
Minerals By Name at http://mineral.galleries.com/Minerals/By_Name.htm

DISCLAIMER
Although the author has tried to be as accurate as possible, errors are possible.

I had a rock collection from age 10 onward. Somewhere along the line, it vaporized. With this little collection, I thought I could reclaim some of that half-century-old rock lust that has escaped me. And learn more about common minerals. I had self-collected translucent opal nodules from Last Chance Canyon, CA to red jasper from my uncle's ranch in Myrtle Point, OR. Time to get some more rocks.

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This Vaughns Preben Oldenburg Mineral Collection web page was updated on 2010-04-23.