[meteorite-list] "Tucson Ring" Scam

[Notkin]

Dear Listees:

This is an alert regarding an alleged piece of the Tucson Ring, 
currently being offered for sale.

Some months ago, I was contacted by a lady here in Tucson, who stated 
that a family member had found an iron meteorite nearby. She emailed me 
a photo, and there was no doubt that it was the real thing. I went to 
take a look in person. She claimed the ~3 kg iron had been found "near 
Ryan Field" but, conveniently, couldn't remember exactly where. 
Although it was clearly a genuine iron meteorite it was, in my opinion, 
almost certainly a Campo del Cielo, and not a particularly nice one at 
that.

I remarked that the specimen had obviously been wire brushed, and it 
was unlikely it had been found in that condition. With my loupe I 
showed her parts of the original patina that remained in some crevices. 
She stated that the iron had never been cleaned, and was just as it had 
been found.

I explained that the only way to do a positive ID would be to take her 
iron to a recognized lab for analysis. The specimen was taken to the 
meteorite department at the University of Arizona. A number of eminent 
academics looked at it, and spent a great deal of time photographing 
it, making a cast, etc., as the owner had given them permission to cut 
it, once a cast had been made. The owner then changed her mind and said 
she would not allow it to be cut. Only the "new owner" could have it 
cut.

Yesterday, she wrote to me again, saying "everyone [at U of A] thinks 
this is a part of the Tucson Ring meteorite." She offered it to me at 
$5,500. I  telephoned U of A today and spoke with a friend who is 
directly involved with this matter. I was very clearly told that nobody 
at U of A believes this iron has anything to do with the Tucson Ring.

In my opinion, this is misrepresentation at best, and an outright scam 
at worst. As such I wanted to alert the collecting community in case 
anyone is offered this specimen. It weighs 3,230 grams, and has a 
flattish, tapered "scute" shape, typical of many old Campos. It is 
bright silver (has been heavily wire brushed) and has small pits on the 
surface, again similar to many "old" Campos.

Anyone wishing further details, please feel free to contact me 
off-list. I have not used any real names as this is a public forum.

In this case, buyer beware.


Yours sincerely,

Geoff
www.aerolite.org