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Dear List Members, We have been asked many questions about our recent trip to Northwest Africa. The main question is how we did at acquiring new material and is it true that fewer meteorites are being found. I do not mind answering these questions. I feel we did well at securing rare pieces but the Moroccans, disputed zone trade route villagers and nomads are now all aware of the prices being realized outside of their countries and are asking extremely high prices, in some cases higher than the retail amount. The word has seemed to spread to even the most remote places. The amount of material they are finding is about 25% by weight of what was coming out only two years ago. The good news is they are getting better at spotting achondrites so educating them on what to look for magnetic or not is paying off. They are also doing a better job of remembering where they found the meteorites so they can go back and look for more (expect a lot more pairings). Instead of selling their meteorites to Moroccan dealers several villages having been saving up material for us for months and this is what made the trip worthwhile. Each village we had an agreement with was excited to see us and one very remote village had a celebration both because they had visitors and we brought money and gifts for them. This village is so remote that no tourist has ever been there before plus it is in a very dangerous area. It used to be in Algeria but nobody knows now because it is in the most disputed area of the desert. I will write more about this fantastic village in a secret oasis later. We feel good that the nomads who are finding these meteorites are being rewarded for their hard work more directly now. Luckily our translator can speak several Berber dialects included Algerian Berber or these relationships would not be available to us. On our way out of the desert we stopped by several cities and checked out all of the major dealer's offerings and were surprised at the lack of new material. Most of this material my brother Greg recognized from our teams last expedition in April. I was glad to meet some of the people I have been corresponding with for years and the unexpected treasure of making new friends along the way. Is the Moroccan El Dorado over? It is a matter of prospective. If meteorites represent El Dorado than the answer is yes, it is 25% of the El Dorado it was just a couple of years ago. Was it worth going? Yes, through creative contacts and relationships we had a very successful expedition. Wishing everybody the best, Adam Hupe The Hupe Collection IMCA 2185
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