Collection Rarity

Trinitite is possibly one of the rarest minerals on the planet. It was created on July 16th, 1945 with the detonation of the world's first atomic bomb. A very limited amount was created during the explosion. For the past few years, I have researched and sought out authentic, documented trinitite collections which I have verified and had tested through experts on trinitite. My goal is to preserve the history of these specimens for our museum display and offer them to other collectors.

The Lincoln LaPaz collection. This is one of, if not the top trinitite collection in the world. The finest red and black specimens as well as top quality green trinitite in very large sizes that are unheard of today. Dr. LaPaz had access to the Trinity site immediately after the July 16th test and he focused on the red and black trinitite. All his specimens were collected in 1945 with virtually no exposure to the elements. They exhibit beautiful green colors, light to dark green and the red specimens are the best ever collected. I was very fortunate to obtain some of this collection for my display and offer some here to you.

The R.H. Draeger collection. Specimens from the Draeger collection are considered some of the best green trinitite available for several reasons. Draeger had access to the Trinity site immediately after the July 16th test. All his specimens were collected in 1945 and 1946 with very little exposure to the elements. They exhibit a beautiful green color and luster and there are still larger pieces, 10 grams and above available. The amount Draeger collected was never known, but it was limited compared to other collections, and I was able to obtain the remaining specimens in his collection after his son passed. This makes the Draeger material much sought after by collectors.

The Wallace T. Smith collection. It is documented that Wallace Smith obtained approximately 200 pounds of trinitite. Approximately 30 pounds of this material ended up in circulation and available to collectors. I was able to obtain much of this material in 2019. Smith obtained his specimens between 1947 and 1950. The Smith material is mostly small, between 1 and 5 grams in size. Pieces larger than 5 grams are rare and the largest piece I have from this collection is a little over 12 grams and it is displayed in our museum exhibit.

The Ralph Pray collection. Ralph Pray collected as much as 2,000 pounds of trinitite in 1951, maybe more. There are photos of him literally shoveling the trinitite into the back of his pickup truck. At the time he collected his trinitite, the material had been lying in the desert and exposed to the elements for six years. The method in which he collected all but insured that none of the material would be very large. One of the people who ended up with a large portion of the trinitite said all the larger pieces were immediately bought, and today, it is extremely rare to see any Pray material above a few grams offered on the market. Smaller pieces are readily available on my site and others.

All the trinitite I sell is from documented, verified and tested collections and any pieces you purchase from me will have hard copies of all information on the original collector and the results of testing along with ID cards to display with your specimen(s).

While trinitite is hard/impossible to fake, I have come across several examples of 'fake' trinitite which I recognized immediately. In my opinion, you cannot fake trinitite. Any serious collector of trinitite will spot a fake in an instant. But, there are those who will sell something they call trinitite to someone who is new to the hobby or just wants to add a piece of history to their collection. If they are not educated about trinitite, they can be scammed. I am currently building a page on this site to show some of these 'fakes'.

Despite what collection you want a piece from, it is all getting harder and harder to come by. The limited amount that was created ensures this will soon be one of the rarest minerals to find. I hope you find something on this site that you like.

Feel free to call or email me with any questions:

Richard Jacquot
828-779-4501
RickJacquot@gmail.com