[meteorite-list] METEORITES STOLEN IN JAPAN

[Darryl Pitt]

For Japanese and Japanese-speaking List Members in particular:

It pains me to write the following, but I do so at the request of dear  
friends Akiko Umai and Gene Oshima who run TIMA---the Tokyo  
International Mineral Association---and the "Tokyo Show" of early  
summer.

Shoichi Saito is a Japanese meteorite dealer who had a little nook in  
the TIMA offices at the Century Hyatt from which he transacted  
business the last few years---primarily consignment pieces.  As the  
generous spirit he is, Gene subsidized Saito, whose business fell into  
decline.  I am now advised Saito and the entire inventory of  
meteorites---including many specimens from Gene's personal  
collection---have disappeared.

I was just asked to contact the Meteoritical Society as my friends  
were hopeful that Saito's membership in the Society might prompt some  
type of intervention.  More realistically, I am awaiting the names of  
the missing meteorites.