[meteorite-list] Fw: Re: - "witness" to July 6 Fireball PA

[MeteorHntr at aol.com]

Hey All,

Just for everyone's  information, I personally think that if at least two 
good video's can be found  from two different locations, the intersection can 
be found where the MD-PA  bolide extinguished.  That should be the heart of 
the strewnfield.   

My primary purpose in going ahead and talking with the media today  was to 
solicit people to check the recordings from the security cameras.   There is 
a tiny widow of opportunity to get the media to cooperate when making  such 
a request, then quickly all interest will be lost.   If this  ground was 
easy to search (not massive amount of green, trees, grass, weeds,  crops, 
hills, rivers and such) it might be easy for a few people to search  hundreds of 
square miles in a short period of time.  This is a fall that  will need to 
get the bulls eye identified real close or I am afraid it will be a  lost 
cause.  

And I am not certain, but actually having some  of the locals look, might 
not be a bad thing. If because of some media  exposure, some people start 
looking down, it is a bad thing?  A few  thousand people taking a little time 
to check out the ground might do better  than a couple dozen professional 
hunters could do in a few weeks  time.

Once the heart of the potential area can be ascertained, then  at least 
there will be a shot that something might be found.   

There is always a risk when dealing with the media that things  will be 
misconstrued, but object number one is to find where the meteorites  are.  
Then, if and when that happens, we can worry about dealing with a  land owner 
that might find one and thinks it is worth more than it really  is.  I would 
rather have a land owner look and find one and not want to  sell it, than not 
to look and not to find it, especially if it might be  the first one.

I suppose when I was pressed I could have said  "Meteorites are worth 
$1/g." But then I run the risk that someone will accuse me  of trying to steal 
meteorites for too little.  I could say "Meteorites are  worth $100/g. then if 
someone find ones, and I only offer a fraction of that for  it, then I am 
accused of over stating what they are worth.   I could  say "I don't know 
what meteorites are worth" and I would have looked like a  fool, since as a 
"professional" I probably should know what meteorites are  worth.

I told both reporters that were there when I arrived  tonight, that 
meteorites can be very cheap, as low as $0.05/g while ultra rare  meteorites, like 
ones from the Moon, can be worth up around $1,000/g.   Totally true 
statements.  Somehow Reuben squirmed out of not answering that  question.  Good for 
him.  I tried to qualify my statements when I made  them, as I wanted to be 
honest.  

I am also keenly aware that  fireball events like this have an opportunity 
to attract new collectors to the  market.  In fact, while it is possible no 
meteorites will be found here, I  would bet some new collectors will be 
found.  Being honest and letting  people know that there is a real collectors 
market out there, I feel is a good  thing.

I intentionally stayed away from saying "I will pay $10,000  for the first 
pound recovered" or anything like that, and stayed on focus that I  was 
looking for more footage from various areas to do the triangulation. I made  no 
offer to buy any meteorites if someone else found them, just that I was on  
the hunt myself.

I know I can't make everyone happy, but I am doing  what I think I need to 
do to locate the strewnfield in this particular  case.  

Steve Arnold
of "Meteorite  Men"



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