The Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum got a big surprise when it inherited $1.75 million in materials from a woman with seemingly no connection to the school.

Hilja Herfurth passed away in June and in her will left nearly 800 pieces of minerals, gems and meteorites to the museum, which it received in August. The collection had been acquired by Herfurth’s late husband, Gerry, who died in 1999. Herfurth also endowed $200,000 to the museum and $200,000 into the Colorado School of Mines scholarship fund.

“In terms of its volume and quality, it’s just the very best,” museum director Bruce Geller said of the collection. “We’re just tickled.”

Geller said he could find no connection between the Herfurths and the school as it does not appear that neither Hilja nor Gerry ever attended or had family members who attended the school.

Geller never met Hilja in his nine years on the job, although she apparently donated several pieces years earlier when Gerry had passed away.

Colorado School of Mines Foundation communications director Rachelle Trujillo said the museum has a good reputation in the region and a strong education component, which could have led the Herfurths to leave the collection to the museum.

“They made a good choice, but it is certainly unexpected,” Trujillo said.

Two vans were needed to deliver the goods, which were meticulously labeled. Geller donated some rare artifacts in the collection to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

A small portion of the collection is already on display along with a photo of the Herfurths. The rest is being catalogued and organized in the museum’s basement. Geller keeps a steady rotation of items and said this donation greatly increases the number of items worthy of being on display.

“They’re stupendous pieces,” Geller said.