[meteorite-list] Meteorite worth thousands...........

[michael cottingham]

Hello,

It should be of great concern. Every news article, every TV show,  
every special that features meteorites as "treasure" first, and  
science second, will most likely result in a distorted view of what  
meteorites are worth.

In my recent interview with the Washington Post writer, we spent  
nearly 20-30 minutes talking about the pricing of meteorites. I  
expressed to him that it was extremely important to report the pricing  
accurately. I told him almost every time a story is done on meteorites  
and prices are mentioned, well the reporter seems to forget the  
pennies per gram and goes with the ten's of thousands that a meteorite  
could be worth.

I told him when you state the high end only, you get a distorted view  
of pricing, and the results can be extremely negative. I believe you  
have more fraud on ebay, because people think they can get $10,000 for  
the meteorwrong, not $10.00. This is most likely a direct result of  
distorted news reporting and TV shows.

I know many of you dearly love the Meteorite TV shows of late, and  
think they are nothing but great for the field of meteorites. Well, I  
know of 4 meteorites in the field, who's owners/finders want tens of  
thousands of dollars, more than these little chondrites are worth-  
simply because of the Cash and Treasure Show and the first Meteorite  
Men episode.

So, because I will not pay, $45,000 for a 1 kilo chondrite from North  
Texas, it will sit, like many others meteorites with the owners- who  
believe, because of TV shows that were done poorly, that they are  
worth $50,000 or more.  Science will loose out if reporting is not  
done accurately.

Best Wishes

Michael Cottingham




On Feb 3, 2010, at 9:34 AM, Michael Groetz wrote:

> List-
>    Maybe many of the rest of you don't feel this way- but to me it
> generally seems the news media and television shows are more concerned
> about a quick buck rather than the science and appreciation for
> meteorites for what they are- treasures from space that you can hold
> in your hand.
>    It seems like initially meteorites are viewed as something special
> and usually wind up "How much is it worth?" after buyers roll in.
>   The doctor in this case tried to maintain the scientific value for
> all to appreciate while helping the people of Haiti. Then the $$$ was
> thrown at them and greed seems to be winning out.
>    Sorry for the frustration.
> Mike
>
> http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/02/03/meteorite-worth-thousands-stirs-ownership-debate/
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