[meteorite-list] Important Message From the IMCA Board

[Jeff Kuyken]

Hi everyone,

Last weekend the IMCA Board received an official complaint in regards to an 
IMCA member who sold three meteorite samples to two different IMCA members 
that were not what they were purported to be. This complaint included 
classification test results on these reported pieces that were confirmed by 
the Board with the highly reputable meteorite scientist who completed the 
testing.

The first sample tested was a small 4.06g stone sold as Ash Creek that came 
back as an equilibrated H-Chondrite and definitely not Ash Creek.

The second sample was a ~1.6g fragment sold as "Zunhua". This specimen also 
returned results of an equilibrated H-Chondrite which do not match the 
current studies on the actual Zunhua meteorite. While the following cannot 
be considered conclusive, the classifying scientist of the fragment 
mentioned that "the olivine and orthopyroxene compositions for the alleged 
"Zunhua" stone (as well as its physical appearance) are consistent with 
available information about stones from the Tamdakht (Morocco) fall".

The third sample was an iron slice sold as "Deport" that was clearly too 
coarse to be that.

To basically sum up, these three meteorites were sold as meteorites they 
were actually not. After receiving the complaint, we did some further 
investigation and approached the seller. We were not satisfied with his 
answer at all. On requesting a more substantial answer and provenance of the 
sold samples, the member resigned before we even had a chance to remove 
them. (The process for removal is in the ByLaws.)

However at the same time, this member assured me that they would make things 
right with the buyers and provide the documentation we requested. I have 
also been helping another non-member who made us aware of his problems this 
week with the same seller. I know his refund request was accepted by PayPal.

I think it is important that all collectors know who this person is that 
sold the misrepresented meteorites as they are a reasonably active seller on 
eBay. If you have purchased any of the above meteorites from this seller the 
potential is there for you to be affected too. The seller in question is:

John (Bryan) Scarborough - #6135
eBay User ID: quietstorm2476

I find it extremely disappointing as a Board member but even more so as a 
fellow member, that on trying to further communicate with this person a 
couple of days ago, I found their yahoo email account had been deleted. - 
"I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following 
addresses. This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work 
out. This user doesn't have a yahoo.com account."

The Board will of course still continue to attempt further communication 
with this individual and assist those affected buyers in any way we are 
able.

On a further note, it's important for us all to remember that it is our 
responsibility as collectors and "temporary custodians" of these 
extraterrestrial treasures to ensure proper curation and provenance history. 
This is ALL part of authenticity and whether mistakes are deliberate or 
happen by accident... well both have the exact same end result of 
misrepresented meteorites. There are people out there who watch very 
carefully and as one IMCA member put it very well this week, the meteorite 
community is very small and at some point all cheats are eventually caught.

While this has been a disappointing episode, I am not disillusioned. This is 
one member. There are nearly 400 now from around the world who do believe in 
the ideals of the IMCA. To put it in perspective, there are thousands and 
thousands of transactions performed with IMCA members every year that all go 
without a problem. This is a learning experience for us all and I'm sure in 
the long-term we can only grow from it.

Remember that IMCA Board members are always available for any questions or 
concerns you may have so please always feel free to approach us.

Sincerely,

Jeff Kuyken
Meteorites Australia
www.meteorites.com.au
Vice President - I.M.C.A. Inc.
www.imca.cc