[meteorite-list] Meteorite numbers

Sun Nov 21 12:06:53 EST 2004

Hi Jerry and Matt and list

I believe you both hit on some good concepts. It would, because of value to 
research, behove a buyer or finder of a special and potentially expensive 
meteorite, to have it classified, regardless of costs so that a better 
picture of the solar system and interest in doing such is the end result.
With the letter about NASA and its failed/canceled projects, one can make a 
great arguement for such an endevor. It might also come to pass, with some 
good selling from the community, that such meteorites which carry an 
interest for research, get low or no cost analysis from NASA. Much cheaper 
than designing and making a window for a remote probe's spectrometer! Of 
course, controls will be needed to keep NASA from being flooded with 
requests for common stones, and so maybe a lessor University which hasn't 
the equipment to do qualified analysis but has the personnel to determine 
validity of the stone would be grateful to recieve a little extra grant 
money to do the screening.

Just something from nowhere in south-east backwater Kentucky

Mark
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "GERALD FLAHERTY" <grf2 at verizon.net>
To: "Matt Morgan" <mmorgan at mhmeteorites.com>; 
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2004 11:28 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorite numbers

> Matt,
> Cooperation versus Haggling? Seems like a no brainer. It does seem like a 
> real problem vexing intellegent, dedicated inividuals.
> Collaboration and "compromise" began a country that I am fortunate to live 
> in.
> Can the Meteorite Community do the real work of tighting up the standards 
> upon which we all depend and reap the rewards of credibility that we all 
> desire?
> Jerry
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Matt Morgan" <mmorgan at mhmeteorites.com>
> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2004 11:11 AM
> Subject: RE: [meteorite-list] Meteorite numbers
>
>
> Just to add a note...
> There is a fundamental scientific problem of classifying meteorites.
>
> Try sending two pieces of the same meteorite to different labs.  Chances
> are you will get different results.
> For instance, I have "L5's" that came back as "L4's" and "L6's".
> "Regolith" this and "Primitive" that.
> I heard the same situation happening for NWA 1929, either howardite OR
> eucrite. I understand some of it is "interpretive".
>
> The system itself is flawed.
>
> Ideally, we need an NWA consortium of labs to correct this and have type
> specimens on hand.
>
> This SEEMS to be an easy fix, but university politics plays a huge role.
>
> So all you scientists who study NWA's, how about a network for meteorite
> "data sharing"?  It will make ALL our lives easier...
>
> Matt Morgan
> Mile High Meteorites
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Rob
> Wesel
> Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2004 2:38 AM
> To: Michael Farmer; meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorite numbers
>
>
> While I truly believe this practice is ultimately costly to the
> collector,
> truer words have never been spoken. Thanks Mike:
>
> "Virtually every dealer including myself has been or is guilty of this,
> we are in the process of correcting the situation and to start people
> MUST immediately comply or this will just spiral downward as we see
> tonight."
>
> So, for now, we make it right. We follow the rules and pay out to prove
> pairings. We wait longer to get to market and costs go up because repeat
> lab
> fees and repeat type specimens factor into prices per gram. I don't like
> it
> one bit but that's what we do. I will be finishing off my "likely
> paired"
> howardite as such but new specimens are already off to the lab,
> specimens I
> know are paired.
> While I seriously doubt the law has any holding here, the NomCom asks
> this
> of us. Bottom line, if two folks buy bread from the same baker...they're
>
> eating the same bread. The full weight of this ruling will soon be felt
> by
> all as we bog down institutions who want to study meteorites with
> incessant
> pairings, not much grant money in pairings, not much recognition. But
> this
> is what we do...for now.
>
> Rob Wesel
> ------------------
> We are the music makers...
> and we are the dreamers of the dreams.
> Willy Wonka, 1971
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Michael Farmer" <meteoritehunter at comcast.net>
> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 7:56 PM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Meteorite numbers
>
>
>> To clarify something that is obviously causing some problems in the
>> meteorite world right now, I want everyone to know that
>> NWA 788, 787, and NWA 482 are numbers that came from rather large or
>> meteorites with hundreds of pieces bought during one of my
> expeditions.
>> The Hupes and many other people have the right to those numbers.
>> Now, there are other numbers being widely used without proper title
> (as Dr
>> Grossman has stated publicly and with finality that people do not own
>> numbers, but numbers are assigned to specific meteorite specimens and
> must
>> not be used with other meteorites just because you heard or someone
> told
>> you it is the same).
>> Let's all please stop this practice as it is really hurting our
> business
>> and hobby. Virtually every dealer including myself has been or is
> guilty
>> of this, we are in the process of correcting the situation and to
> start
>> people MUST immediately comply or this will just spiral downward as we
> see
>> tonight.
>>
>> I perused eBay today and it is still rampant with sellers using
>> numbers
>> they seem to have drawn from a hat. So please ask you seller next time
> you
>> buy something, how they got that number, who it was assigned to and if
> not
>> them, just how they came to call it that.
>> Mike Farmer
>>
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>>
>
>
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