[meteorite-list] I am home from Tokyo

[Michael Farmer]

Hi everyone,
I am home a little early from Tokyo, and am preparing now for the Ensishiem 
and St Marie aux Mines shows in France. Anyone who wants anything, let me 
know now so that I can prepare it, ship it, or bring it to France. I will be 
traveling on from there back to Asia, and will not be bringing much at all 
to Europe. So please make your requests now.

On to other business:

Just a quick note about the Tokyo show, and just to squash any rumors before 
they start, something occurred there that needs to be addressed now, not 
when people start spreading rumors.

    Hans Koser and I went to Tokyo, and managed to acquire a table at the 
show, directly from the show owner, when another dealers material was stuck 
in customs.
That table unfortunately was next to Marvin and Kitty Kilgore. We agreed 
from the start not to put meteorite specimens on the table (as this would 
compete too much with Marvin). Hans and I both had mineral specimens, and 
meteorite jewelry, spheres, and eggs made of meteorites.
Within an hour of setting up the table (the show had already started) there 
was a meeting with Marvin Kilgore and Bud Eisler. The complained to the show 
owner several times, then Kitty Kilgore came in and saw us there and she got 
the show owner, then they forced us to be kicked out of the show. There was 
of course, an argument and although nothing serious, there was no happiness 
between Hans, myself nor Marvin. He tried to explain that it was not 
personal, only business.
Of course, any of you can imagine how much it costs to go to Tokyo, shipping 
material, then being thrown out of the show barely two hours after it 
opened. This was not a nice thing to do, and we had only jewelry and 
manufactured items on our table, Kilgore had none of that, only large 
specimens for sale. Eisler did have lots of meteorite jewelry, but he was 
nowhere near us.
    This is a pretty bad situation, and no need to make it worse with 
rumors. It was several dealers being jealous and not wanting competition at 
a show, and that was that. Since I have never attended that show, the show 
owner bowed to the complaints of Bruno and Carine, Marvin, and Eisler and 
kicked us out. Bruno complained to me the moment he saw me in Tokyo.
    Any of you who know Hans Koser knows that he is the nicest guy in the 
world, who works on very little money, and who this hurt extremely badly. He 
did not deserve that sort of treatment, nor did I as I hardly know Bud 
Eisler (even though he lives in Tucson) and have always considered Marvin a 
close friend. Needless to say, that is over with this action.

There are two sides to every story, and Marvin tried to tell me that he was 
kicked out of there before and it was then only fair that I got kicked out 
( I don't buy that argument at all), and that there were too many meteorite 
dealers there (again, so what) and those things made it ok to kick two 
friends to the curb and force them to lose $4000 to $6000 each in expenses! 
There were many witnesses to what happened, and if you don't believe me, ask 
Hans.

I am a firm believer in "what goes around, comes around".

Mike Farmer