[meteorite-list] Value of Nationalized Meteorites

[Michael Farmer]

WOW, these morons sure ruined their lives didnt they?
Mike Farmer
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "MARK BOSTICK" <thebigcollector at msn.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 5:15 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Value of Nationalized Meteorites


> Hello list,
>
> Dr. Everett Gibson, who is not a list member, did have a few comments 
> along our discussion, which he is once again is kindly letting me share 
> with the group.
>
> The meat on the pricing related here is: ~103 grams for 7-8 million on the 
> low side, to ~234 million on the high side.  Which is $70,000-80,000 a 
> gram, to a little over 2 million a gram.
>
> Clear Skies,
> Mark Bostick
> www.meteoritearticles.com
>
>
> Mark,
>      The meteorites, martian samples and lunar samples taken in the theft 
> of
> the safe from my lab at NASA's Johnson Space Center were appraised by 
> three
> individuals who buy and sell meteorites.   The monetary values determined 
> by the
> three appraisers was used in the trial of Gordon McWhorter and the 
> sentencing
> hearing for Thad Roberts.   I would prefer not to give the monetary values
> determined by the appraisers but I can tell you the value for the ALH84001
> sample was staggering.
>       The attorneys argued over whether the cost of the Apollo program 
> should
> be "figured" into the value of the lunar samples.   The monetary value of 
> the
> samples figured into the length of the sentences given the defendants.
> Taking the weight of the 53 different lunar samples stolen (~103 grams 
> total
> weight stolen) along with the mass of returned lunar samples from the six 
> Apollo
> missions, and costs for the missions.   The top value of the appraised 
> material
> came to ~$234 million dollars.   The lower value was in the $7 to 8 
> million
> dollar range-excluding selected Apollo mission costs .   The actual 
> numbers are
> in the court testimony which I have not seen because as a witness I was
> excluded from that testimony.
>      As a side light, McWhorter was found guilty and sentenced to ~60 or 
> 70
> months in federal custody.   He is currently in the Fort Worth Federal 
> Mental
> Facility and is not scheduled to be released until April 2008.    Thad 
> Roberts
> was sentenced to 90 months federal custody.   His last appeal (based on 
> his
> belief that he was sentenced too harshly) has just been denied within the 
> past
> two months.   He has recently been transferred from the medium level 
> security
> facility in Florence, CO to the Super Maximum Security Facility 
> (SUPER-MAX!) in
> Florence, CO because of failing to obey the rules.   Roberts is scheduled 
> to
> be released the end of January 2009.
>      Everett
>
>
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