[meteorite-list] Crystalline surfaced Nan Tan AD

[Michael L Blood]

Hi All, 
        The stable NanTan meteorites show phenomenal crystalline structure
on the surface and have been almost entirely overlooked by the meteorite
collecting community. This is due to the fact that though there were many
stable specimens, they were all purchased by a few American dealers and the
Chinese then proceeded to dump the completely undesirable shale balls on the
market ­ calling them "Nan Tan Meteorites" ­ when what they were were shale
balls ­ pure rust. It wasn't that they were prone to rusting ­ they were
pure rust to begin with.
        I have had two of these spectacular examples of "3 dimensional
Widmenschtaten Pattern" specimens for several years. They manifest the
crystalline structure right on the surface, just as this one does. One is
still shiny as a new nickel in appearance and the other has developed a
patina over the years similar to the surface one sees on a Gibion. However,
neither has shows any sign of rust, whatsoever - and I live in San Diego,
THE rusting capital of the world.
        I wrote an article in the now defunct VOYAGE! magazine (The
publication that had more editorial errors than Reese's has Peanut Butter
Cups) about these fabulous specimens - and the smaller "stand alone"
geometric specimens sold for exceptionally high prices - far higher than
Taza did in its hay day. Meanwhile, most of the large specimens were sold
to individual buyers who were not meteorite collectors, but who could
appreciate a spectacular iron meteorite because they hadn't been conditioned
to think RUST when they heard the name, NanTan.
        Tonight, at 7:49 PM California Time, one of the more spectacular of
the giant stable iron NanTans will be closing on eBay. The minimum bid is
at $111 per LB - very low considering the price for S-A irons these days -
and S-A is the only iron that can compare with the beauty of the large,
stable NanTan specimens.
        As I said, this is one of the more spectacular ones, with most of
the surface area covered with the 3 dimensional Widmenschtaten Pattern.
        Of course, many will be held back by their prejudices because of the
Chinese sales of NanTan Shale balls having been sold under the name of
NanTan Meteorites - but that leaves the more discerning collectors with a
much smaller competitive field.
        In any event, with 6 photos showing the shape and various surfaces
this puppy is most certainly worth a good look at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110010849598&ssPageName=A
DME:L:DS:US:8

        Best wishes, Michael