Java Edition:Iron Ore (Item)
Iron ore was one of the first blocks, added in Classic 0.0.14a. Its item form first appeared in Classic 0.24 SURVIVAL TEST and first saved in Classic 0.25 SURVIVAL TEST. The item form was unobtainable during some Classic versions, when it dropped blocks or iron instead of iron ore.
Obtaining
Mining
From Classic 0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST to Classic 0.25_05 SURVIVAL TEST, iron ore items could be obtained by mining the block, and did not require any tool. Only versions Classic 0.25 SURVIVAL TEST and later can actually save, and out of those only Classic 0.25_05 SURVIVAL TEST has been archived and the others are lost. Iron ore dropped 1-3 blocks of iron when mined in all survival versions from Classic 0.26 SURVIVAL TEST to Indev 0.31 20100125. In Indev 0.31 20100128, this change was reverted and iron ore begins dropping the iron ore item again. Iron ore continued dropping the iron ore item when mined with an appropriate tool until 21w14a (1.17 Snapshot) when Silk Touch was added as a requirement with the introduction of raw iron.
Classic Creative Inventory
From Classic 0.28 to Classic 0.30-c, iron ore was available in the Classic inventory.
Indev Item Chests
From Indev 0.31 20100124-2119 to Indev 0.31 20100128, new worlds would generate with the Indev House, and inside the house were debug chests. Between Indev 20100124 and Indev 20100125 the chests held items in stacks of 99, while in Indev 20100128 the chests held items in stacks of 100. Iron ore was one of the such items that generated inside the debug chests. This allows the iron ore item to be obtainable in all Indev versions that save since Indev 0.31 20100128 reintroduced the mining method.
See also