[meteorite-list] Nininger Moment #25 Part two

[almitt]

Nininger Moment #25 The Sale of the Nininger Collection
Part Two

With the sale of the first part of the Nininger Collection the Niningers 
for the first time in thirty five years were able to pay off debts, 
their mortgage, and go on a cruise. Nininger had carefully filed away 
many letters from people that had meteorite related stories that he wish 
and hoped to someday investigate. While the sale of the first part of 
the collection had relieved a number of the Niningers problems, Harvey 
was still thinking about how to dispose of the remaining collection to a 
suitable home and what to do about the American Meteorite laboratory 
that was run by his son in law Glenn Huss and his daughter Margaret. It 
was Haveys hope that the museum would be self sufficient and self 
supporting. Harvey had figured that in the 4,600 days of operation that 
a half million visitors had visited in that time, that verbal talks and 
lectures had been give to groups of 2 to fifty which meant that some 
7,000 one hour lectures had been made during that time. Even with this 
interest, the American Meteorite Museum couldn't support itself and the 
Huss Family.

After the sale of first part of the Nininger Collection and having a 
basis to go by for prices, the remaining collection was inventoried and 
a price structure was then place on the remaining collection. The 
Niningers were shocked to find out that the remaining collection was 
worth over a half million dollars. Nininger mentioned the importance of 
inventorying his items and a lesson from not doing that prior to the 
first sale and his low estimates. The collection could have been sold 
for much less than its true value.

Later in the fall of 1959, the University of Arizona at Tempe indicated 
a desire  to acquire the collection again. With the growing interest in 
space, missiles, rockets and satellites meteorites were an obvious 
connection to many studies necessary at that time. Many scientists, 
institutions were hounding the Niningers with many requests for material 
they really didn't want to part with. Again the University of Arizona 
expressed an interest in the Nininger Collection and requested a cost 
for the remaining collection. A letter to the University of Arizona was 
written and an offer to sale the collection for half the catalog value 
but they would consider offers from out of state if definite interest 
was not shown in a reasonable amount of time. The interest was on again 
off again as they worked to secure the necessary funds. With no firm 
offers from the university, the Niningers sent out letters to a number 
of major institutions that the remaining Nininger Collection of 
Meteorites was available for sale.

Much thought went into how to preserve one of the only museums dedicated 
to the science of meteorites but in the 1960s finally the Niningers 
decided to close the American Meteorite Museum pack up and store the 
Nininger collection in the advent a firm offer was made on the remaining 
collection. Finally a firm offer came through after the slow moving 
institutional mills completed their operations. The remaining Nininger 
Collection was assured a lasting place in the halls of Arizona State 
University at Tempe at a value that was considered a fair price at 
$275,000 far below listed value. Four days later Glenn and Margaret Huss 
along with their family made the move to Denver for a new life and to 
carry on the name and work of the American Meteorite Lab. An era was 
over and the museum was gone forever.


Source: Find A Falling Star                By H.H. Nininger

The Nininger Moments are articles or books written originally by Harvey 
Nininger and put into a consolidated form by Al Mitterling. Some of the 
items written in the moments might be old out dated material and the 
reader is advised to keep this in mind.

--AL Mitterling