[meteorite-list] Pro's & Con's of Meteorites

[Greg Hupé]

Dear Members of the MetList and IMCA:

Over the last month or so there have been quite a few different concerns 
brought up on these two forums and others. I would like to make a few 
generalized comments touching base on a few of them. It appears that 
desperate times will spawn desperate acts by a small number who affect us 
all.

PRO-fessional or CON-artist? This seems to be the common theme of these 
topics.

* There has been recent concerns about 'Bait-n-Switch' fraud concerning a 
recent fall.
* There have been notices of outright theft.
* There have been discussions of not disclosing certain conditions of 
specimens for sale.
* There have been discussions of false promises, lead-ons, etc.
* There has been talk of extremely poor reporting.

If a particular individual or organization has a history of official or 
casual complaints, you need to ask yourself, "Is this person or company 
purposely committing fraud, a scam, or are they just plain incompetent at 
conducting business?"

Coat-tailing classified meteorites is a crime! We are often 'told' some 
stones are guaranteed paired to "NWA xxxx" or "Mifflin" or what have you, 
when in fact, some times they are not. Dealers who take the cheap and lazy 
route are cheating their customers and undermining the confidence of 
collectors, and in fact, lose sales in the long run. Even the most 
experienced dealers are taken victim to this form of crime, some willingly, 
some not.

On the flip side to collecting and dealing, there are a very small number of 
scientists who refuse to change classifications when proven different beyond 
a shadow of doubt by science and their peers. To me, this is one of the 
worst crimes to science and collectors alike. Is it arrogance?

Reporters commit crimes against our avocation as discussed in great detail 
lately, no need to comment further now. Seems there are a few who just want 
self-glory and recognition.

Some people treat these subjects as 'taboo' and stick their heads in the 
sand or try to silence those who speak out, to keep the 'peace'. There is no 
peace when being wronged!

Call your trusted friends, ask around, ask for references. People will tell 
you what they know. In turn, they will talk to their friends, and so on... 
until the full circle of our small world communicates with each other to 
expose the culprits.

Certain people and organizations need to take a long look in the mirror 
before they decide to cheat another person. Some are known, others will 
sooner or later be exposed by their greed, arrogance or reckless 
incompetence.

Would you prefer to work with a PRO-fessional or a CON-artist? I use the 
term, "Prefessional" in a generalized manner, not referring to being paid or 
not.

These are just a few of my thoughts lately, they are not meant to start a 
mud slinging contest, only to open the eyes of those who do not know or care 
to know. These are some of the disappointments of the world of meteoritics. 
Not all avocations are perfect and without scammers, but at least in our 
very small world, we can point out the less desirables and oust them sooner 
than later.

Best Regards,
Greg Hupé

====================
Greg Hupé
The Hupé Collection
gmhupe at centurylink.net
www.LunarRock.com
IMCA 3163
====================