[meteorite-list] Note on meteorite descriptions

[Michael Farmer]

I would like to note that people need to learn a little about how to describe their meteorites. I have been perusing ebay, and I note so many flawed descriptions. People are either 1, trying to deceive, or 2, just clueless about what they have.   For instance, Steve Arnold list a piece of Orissa that broke off of his larger piece, then calling it a "complete individual". People, this is a fragment, NOT an individual. An individual is a complete piece, or almost complete, where you can see it was completely covered in fusion crust, or if broken, you can see that it is nearly complete, not a broken off fragment from a much larger piece. Casper used to pull the same crap, describing complete individuals then selling you fragments with a scrap of crust.   Another problem I see alot is "oriented". Most of the stones I see on ebay described as oriented never were, nor even begin to look oriented. To be oriented, it needs to clearly show that it maintained a particular flight orientation, and in doing so will show flow lines in one direction, usually the backside is flat and lipped. Some of the boxy pieces that I see as oriented on ebay could not be further from the truth. We need to clear this up and jump on these people who take liberty to trump up the pieces they are selling with false claims.   Mike Farmer