[meteorite-list] AD: METEORITE CLASSIFICATION SERVICE

[stan .]

>
>Well, here's a quote from that page...seems as if the writer probably 
>wasn't
>up to speed on his meteorite-related info I guess......huh.

and yet their writter seemed to have a pretty good grasp on the 'sky is 
falling' tone of the SWMC's press releases / interviews.


>Hmmm, and how much are you willing to lose?

a 'small' amount. if in the bigger picture it helps the overall 
industry/state of science. it's not like institutional collections ahve 
never lost any material or made bad choices about it's disposition (grinding 
up perfectly orientated murchison's for bulk compositional analysis, ect)

>
>Well, isn't it odd then, how a new meteorite from New Mexico turns up on
>ebay with a buy it now of a fraction of what it's worth?

No. it's pretty reasonable for someone to sell something that they have no 
idea of what it is or is worth for substantially less that what it might 
apear to be worth - if the sum of money they think they might be able to get 
is substantially enough for their new found hunk of whatever. funnily enough 
that one didnt make it to the dust bin, did it? (OR maybe the owner saw 
prices for gibeons and canyon diablos and didnt realize people pay a premium 
for small american finds)


>*> and this helps recover even MORE meteorites.*
>
>Now there's going to be an institution willing to pay for them as well...it
>still supports the dealers.  I fail to see how you're making any sort of a
>point here.

i think i have made the point all along that i would rather the public still 
be able to buy meteorites. SWMC = less meteorites for the public per their 
mission statement.


>Furthermore, to address the accusation the Darren brought against me: that 
>I
>believe that "that only those with huge budgets should collect meteorites."
>This is untrue.  If you read my post thoroughly, you would have known that 
>I
>would rather have not a collection of irons, but a single one - rather than
>a collection of micros.

Good for you. want a cookie? news flash sport, just cuz you think that way 
doesnt mean everyone else does. You gunna call up David Weird and Norbert 
Classen and let them know they shouldnt buy little chips of stuff and 
instead should save up their money for a new main mass iron? I'm sure they 
will apreciate the wisdom of your enlightened ways and your ever so 
graciously pointing out the error of theirs.

>The prices are all relative...one can have a
>hundred pieces of this and that or one can wait for the main mass of a new
>iron and buy that.  One would then have a single meteorite in his or her
>collection, but it would be a spectacular meteorite.  It's all a personal
>choice, not one dictated by money.

I dont know many dealers that offer a 'life time' payment plan. Not every 
meteorite collector out there can just go out and buy a new iron main mass 
even if they shared your collecting philosophy. Not many 'collectors' would 
be happy with collecting nothing but a dollar here and a dollar there for 5 
or 10 years so they could afford that spectacular new one.


>
>Well, I've yet to see too many private collections on public display, but 
>go
>ahead and prove me wrong.  I know of Mark Bostick's and Marvin Killgore's.
>A small portion of ours will also be up somewhere, as well.

Public display isnt the only way a meteorite gets seen. Just about everyone 
who knows me has held a boulder of 4 vesta in ther hands or a 1/4 lb of 
mars. how often does that happen in collections that are on public display.


>Well, prove me wrong and I'll believe you...I've picked diogenites, CV's,
>CK's, CR's, and several unequilibrated meteorites out of those unclassified
>bins...so I have no doubt that there are a good few out there.

there are a good number of tons of these materials known. what fraction have 
been saved from unclassified bins? how would SWMC's service help pull rocks 
out of unclassified bins when they offer a pay service and the whole POINT 
of an unclassified bin is that dealers dont want to bother to get the rocks 
classified?



>Yes, Stan, tens of kilos.  I personally saw four 1+kilo pieces that were
>parts of a single, broken up stone, as well as two other pieces that fit
>together to make a 3+kg fragment.  I'm not entirely sure about how much 
>more
>there was, but the four fragments that fit together looked as if they'd 
>been
>very recently broken - as if in transit, and there were still several very
>freshly broken faces without fragments to fit onto them when it was
>reassembled.  To whom those were sold to,  I cannot guess.  And I only saw 
>a
>small portion of the show in the weekend that I was there.  Who knows how
>much more went undiscovered or sold for next to nothing...

are you talking about this last tucson? I think somoene was pulling your 
leg. there was a aprox 7kg ureilite that was offered out of morocco for some 
time with no takers. I belive Martin made an offering to the list about it. 
When it could not sell whole the owner broke it up and left the material 
with a few of the tucson dealers for sales.


>It's called an endowment.  I've already stated this.  Yes, they want ten
>million dollars, but that amount will be put into an account so that they
>can use the interest created to buy meteorites.  I'd research the program
>before you start badmouthing it.

an endowwhut? sorry, i dont understand these snooty falooty big words.. what 
exactly do they do with this account and that intrest stuff? :rolleyes:

as i said already - a group with 10 million in funding could buy up a 
sunstantial portion of the meteorites that are avalible to the public from 
the deserts. furthermore what makes you think SWMC will play it 
conservitivly with their funds when they thing that almost all of the 
meteorites avalible are being quickly sold off? Their own statements would 
suggest that they should act as quickly as possible to soak up as much as 
possible before there simply isnt any more to be had.


>  I believe in not cutting pristine material into tiny bits so
>that a few people who want a bit can have one.  You end up destroying the
>meteorite that way, and for what?
>Money, I'm pretty sure....no, really sure.......

Well thats because you are playing the part of a presumptuous arrogant kid 
quite well. For the record when I have sold stuff in the past I did it with 
the intention of keeping prices DOWN, so that the material was acessible to 
more people. thats thew whole point - puttignt he material in the hands of 
more people.

>And yet you seem to have a problem with the University of Arizona doing
>this.  If a dealer gives them a portion, the rest goes to the market.  I 
>see
>no logic in your argument whatsoever.  Except, the university's specimens
>would be on public display, and would be studied, so that people might 
>learn
>from them, whereas yours...well, I have no idea what your hours are or 
>where
>you live...any chance you could help me out with that?

anything that I have would have a type specimin donated for it, so it would 
be studied too. The only other diffrence is that is it's new and special - 
in my hands it will be acessible to the public. At the SWMC, it wont be 
avalible to the public and odds are it wont even be SEEN by the public. Look 
at how many major institutional collections there are, and look at what 
percentage of their collection is on public display.