[meteorite-list] Keith's Tucson Meteorite of the Day

[Martin Altmann]

Hi Dave,

"It is unfortunate that this
business has a built-in financial incentive to cut meteorites into very
small pieces for distribution (because there is a larger market for smaller
pieces at a higher per-gram price many meteorites are essentially
destroyed...this is a plain fact"

I wouldn't second that regarding the iron meteorites.
Cutting, preparing, stabilizing iron slices is very cost-intensive.
One needs machines, consumables, the cut loss is high
and a proper cut, grinding, polishing, etching etc is an extremely
time-consuming process.
So that I would suppose that most iron preparators would rather prefer to
sell larger rough specimens and then at a lower price per gram, than smaller
slices.

Btw with Cape York I feel it more inappropriate
to see two of the masses rotting for decades in the Danish rain in the court
of the museum in Copenhagen.

http://kuerzer.de/iwascapeyork
(Photo M.Graul)

Best!
Martin

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von Dave
Gheesling
Gesendet: Montag, 4. Februar 2008 06:54
An: 'Arizona Keith'
Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] Keith's Tucson Meteorite of the Day

Hi, Keith,
I'd figured there was enough banter amongst the group already, but here is a
last ditch effort to provoke some thinking.  We haven't met yet, but I'm a
collector in Atlanta.  While I don't necessarily think it was a "horrible
end" for this particular meteorite, the point, generally speaking, is a
quite good one to consider (not taking and distributing photographs, which
I'm sure everyone very much appreciates).  It is unfortunate that this
business has a built-in financial incentive to cut meteorites into very
small pieces for distribution (because there is a larger market for smaller
pieces at a higher per-gram price many meteorites are essentially
destroyed...this is a plain fact).  I'm not a tree hugger by any stretch,
and in the case of this particular meteorite specimen the principles may not
fully apply.  But the larger point might be that it is, in fact, truly
"stupid" to call someone else stupid for opening up the dialogue.  Isn't
respectful collaboration and exchange the point of a list such as this,
anyway?
Best to all,
Dave