[meteorite-list] Ebay heads up - Tissint/Scarborough

[MexicoDoug]

Don M wrote:

"A provenance can be traced to the former owner and more questions can 
then be brought up on the specimens validity."

Hi Don,

Have you noticed lately we are seeing a number of dealers advertising 
spectacular falls in micro for weekl on the list?  Every time I get 
excited just to see, Oh, another hammer job... not my cup of tea but 
delicious anyway.

I noticed you had some very nice sub-gram material from Rob Elliot in 
your last advertised auctions on the list.  Now, whenever someone buys 
a 3 gram specimen from poor Rob and takes the hammer to it, do we get 
included a free conversation with him that he gave a good deal on it to 
someone who then proceeded to smash it into a hundred pieces and now as 
the piece's grandpa has inherited the responsibility to take everyone 
by the hand, intelligent and "not so much", to explain how the material 
was originally acquired from the BM?  In my opinion, certainly not!  
The prime sources for this material can't be responsible for every 
atomic sized piece that falls off the end of a hammer when some buyer 
gets the idea he is going to be a meteorite speck dealer.

I am not inferring you did the hammer maneuver, BTW, but even if you 
did, regardless of what I think about micros, it is a perfectly legal 
way to deal whether I like it or not and I have been tempted to bid on 
your auctions sometimes when they are larger.

There can be a fine line between overdoing provenance as a marketing 
gimmick and using it, in the context of a dozen other factors to make 
an informed purchase.  From your passion and enthusiasm, I suspect 
keeping provenance sacred is of prime importance.

However, unfortunately the authorities to be still aren't issuing 
meteorite birth certificates, although some have come frightfully close 
as of late (frightfully, I say because this new strategy completely 
excludes me as a primary customer due to the price tag attached, all 
the while kilos are stockpiled for someone's self-directed retirement 
account.  [Now, that I respect, but it strikes me as greedy - note to 
Doug: put this statement in the opinion section, you have no right to 
imply this is bad form until you, Doug, are faced with your own private 
Esquel])

I applaud your enthusiasm but do ask you to consider alternate 
situations which don't fit your concept of a meteorite passing from 
hand to hand in a neat little chain, since this is a very complicated 
can of sardines that doesn't lend itself to blanket statements.  As we 
all know a chain is as strong as its weakest link, and if someone is 
dishonest it really becomes an issue for independent scientific 
verification - because then and only then - the stone must speak.  No 
pile of papers unless photo documented in a Dewey decimal system is 
beyond a con artist's talent in this day and you must come to grips 
that sometimes asking to see the pier and stilt foundations of an old 
houseboat isn't going to happen, even while falling in love with the 
updated cabinetry in the kitchen!

The bottom line is, the buyer has the right and obligation to his own 
wallet to make his own valuation and not lose his head in a speculative 
excitement.  A set of provenance tags works in some cases, but in most 
cases it doesn't.

That was intended to be more analytical than opinionated.  Now let me 
give my opinion:

Micros should *never* be purchased for a higher $/g rate than macro 
specimens.  While I always wince when hearing how I must do something 
to guarantee the future of my children, if I could figure a way to do 
this, l would say the same thing.  Maybe that's one of the 
non-scientific reasons I am so in love with the Tatahouine meteorite.  
When you break it - it's worth less, and it is refreshing to know that 
except for a few talented slicer folk out there experimenting with 
sections, most of the large pieces will be conserved for posterity, 
always convincingly recognizable, and this, because the market 
determined value the way *I said*.  Ok, now I apologize, I understand I 
am lucky to be participating in the meteorite world and I have a debt 
of gratitude so great to all of my peers and giants before me, that I 
am not entitled to preach this thought to other good people doing an 
honest day's work.

Kindest wishes
Doug
PS flame away ;-)