[meteorite-list] Michael's meteorite market trends

[Martin H.]

Michael,

In your commentary, you write:

"There is no question in my mind that there are
several known 
individuals from whom I would never make a purchase –
simply
because I refuse to put money in their pockets which
will subsidize
their continuing degradation of the field of
meteoritics. They needn't
be mentioned here, as everyone knows who these
scoundrels are."

Well Michael, if nobody mentions the names of the
"scoundrels" then how is a newby supposed to ever know
who to avoid? I know of many dealers over the years
who have pulled fast ones on customers. However, that
is also the nature of meteorite collecting. 

There are dozens of classic stories in meteorite
history of deals gone bad, cheating, lying,
misrepresentation, etc., etc., etc. Bad blood flows
freely from wounds whenever people collect rare
objects (meteorites just have not yet attained the
status for the Hollywood movie makers to notice).
However, along with the danger is the challenge of the
hunt and the joy of success. 

Of course you remember X, that certain a
well-established, glossy-catalog, world-traveler,
darling-of-the-press meteorite dealer who was busted
for stealing meteorites from a museum. This was hardly
X's first transgression, yet X still wanders among us
selling meteorites and supplying meteorites to other
dealers.

The learning curve with this hobby is rather steep
compared to many others. But, it seems, the rewards
for most of us make it worth it. I suspect the number
of auctions for misrepresented computer hardware on
ebay is a magnitude or two-or three above meteorites.
In fact, there there are so many unknowns with
meteorite collecting that it is probably half a hobby
of trusting others, and half of geology.

The issues Michael addresses are not new, but it seems
that it once again is time for this whale of a problem
to surface. I too took my shot at this issue in a
September 2002 article in the same online journal.

http://www.meteoritetimes.com/Back_Links/2002/September/Accretion_Desk.htm

Remember, as Michael wrote in the same issue as the
above link:

There is an ancient saying from China which is often
considered to be a veiled curse: "May you live in
interesting times."

http://www.meteoritetimes.com/Back_Links/2002/september/Michael%20Bloods%20Market%20Trends.htm

Cheers,

Martin



--- Michael L Blood <mlblood at cox.net> wrote:

> This sort of ignores the fact that I was
> specifically referring to the
> practice of dealing with known criminals and rip off
> artists.
>         Best wishes, Michael
> 
> 
> on 6/9/05 9:32 AM, MexicoDoug at aol.com at
> MexicoDoug at aol.com wrote:
> 
> > These new dealers, if fear us they do, help us
> they will  not. If hate us
> > they do, hunt us they will.  Think Yoda, good is
> it,  yes....Encouragement
> > from 
> > us, this buying of meteorites from new dealers it 
> is....  A positive network
> > it makes, hmmmm....Positive Force to the hobby  it
> brings....yes, expand does
> > the force as our universe it will.    Agree with
> Master Blood Yoda not, unless
> > seen the Dark Force once, other Jedi  masters and
> children do, hmmmmm.
> > Foolish then is it, morals they have  not.  The
> Jedi who heeds not the counsel
> > of 
> > the Force, to the dark side he  listens, yes...
> > Yoda I am.
> 
>  
> --
> "You and I do not see things as they are. We see
> things as we are."
>      -Herb Cohen
> --
> If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still
> a foolish thing.
> 
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