[meteorite-list] Adventura del Monte Meteorite

[Mike Fowler]

> Mark and all,
>
> What is the story on this "meteorite."
>
> Someone paid big bucks for it. Is it or is it not a meteorite.
>
> Steve Schoner
> AMS
> IMCA #4470



 From Mike Fowler, proud owner of "Aventura del Monte"
Chicago
ebay--starsandrocks

Hi Steve and List,

Although it has not been officially confirmed as a meteorite, I have  
no doubts about it, nor has anyone else who has seen it or Mark's  
very good photo's.

I've been meaning to post to the list about this, but have been so  
behind at work, that meteorite related things have had to wait.  My  
apologies for not keeping all informed.

Before I bid on Ebay, I did all the research that I possibly could,  
which included checking what other iron meteorites had been found in  
Zacatecas, Mexico, where this one was found.  Mazapil, a witnessed  
fall from 1885 bore a striking resemblance to the "Aventura del  
Monte" in the manner of the regmaglypts, and especially the presence  
of many troilite nodules  jumped to my attention.  Of course I was  
fortunate to have a copy of Buchwald handy. See page 809 for a  
picture.  This confirmed to me that the appearance was consistent  
with being a real meteorite, without having to be a misrepresented  
Sikhote-Alin.

Mark Bostick's first hand report and photo's made this possible  
without me having to drive to Wichita before the auction, which would  
have been difficult for me to do.  Although Mark's conclusions were  
somewhat guarded, he provided all the information one needed to come  
to their own conclusion.

Although I had already come to my own conclusion, Steve Schoner's  
post to the list gave me further confidence.

After, I won the auction on Easter Sunday.  I decided to drive to  
Wichita, Kansas to pick up the meteorite, and since I was dealing  
with an ebay newbie, I arranged to transfer the money after I had  
inspected the meteorite.

I left Monday and came back very tired, but happy on Tuesday night  
about midnight.  About 11 hours driving, each way, on interstate  
highway mostly at 80 miles per hour.  I have a Volkswagen Jetta turbo  
diesel that gets more than 40 mpg, even at 80 mph, so the fuel  
expense of the trip was only $103.00.  Much less than flying, or even  
just shipping the meteorite ground.

I spent the night at Mark Bostick's house where he offered me the  
couch.  We talked meteorites over a couple of beers.  Tuesday  
morning  we went to meet the seller, and pick up the meteorite.

Juan Montoya and his wife are very friendly and open people.  They  
invited us into their house, offered us a beer, and we talked quite a  
while, all the time in the company of the most amazing iron  
meteorite.  Juan is a machinist, off work because of an accident.  He  
was selling the meteorite only reluctantly because of the need to  
make up for lost income.

He told me how he saw it for sale in a shop in his home town, Monte  
Escobedo, Zacatecas, and how he bought it from the owner after some  
fierce bargaining.  He says, that even to this day he never told his  
wife how much he paid for it, as it was not sold cheap!

(My wife doesn't know what I paid either, although I tried to comfort  
her with the assurance that it is potentially worth quite a bit more  
than I paid.)

Juan's wife even found a photo of the meteorite at the shop before he  
bought it.  She took a picture of her sister standing in front of the  
shop and the meteorite was on a little cart by her feet.  When she  
took the photo, she had no idea her husband was going to buy it.

Juan said a local farmer kept striking it with his plow, and he  
finally dug it up to get it out of the way.  The son of the farmer  
eventually sold it to the shop keeper.

For those interested, I will email you 2 photos, one of the seller  
and his family, one of me.  If you missed them, when Mark Bostick   
offered them to the list, I can also email the high resolution  
photo's he took of the meteorite.

I have talked to Paul Sipera of the Planetary Studies Foundation   
about getting it classified.  He, of course, said I should send a  
sample to John Wasson.
First, I have to decide where to cut it and how much.  I want to  
preserve it intact, but I may take off a few small slices if I can  
figure out how to do it without detracting from its value or  
appearance. I am also consulting with Marlin Cilz about cutting it.

This one is truly a MUSEUM QUALITY SPECIMEN!  Even my son and wife  
are impressed.

Mike Fowler

PS  I made several major meteorite purchases earlier this year, and  
told my self that I had spent my budget already, and wasn't going to  
"waste" any more time cruising ebay for meteorites.  I hate to think  
what I would have missed if I had kept my promise and didn't search  
ebay for meteorites that week!