Guys, there is no problem here.
There is a potential problem. When a dealer buys say,
a collection, who is to say that the seller has not
substituted one specimen for another. For example,
Claxton, in the size of a speck, looks like any other L6.
A well intentioned, well meaning, completely honest dealer
has to trust that the seller is being honest with them
and of course, on down the line.
-Walter Branch
(going home now. I hear a chillie cheese dog (or dawg, as we say here)
calling my name.)
-----------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Farmer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Walter Branch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Frank Cressy"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Meteorite List"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 4:30 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Speck Issues - Reply to this subject
Guys, there is no problem here. You know, as a dealer
who cuts and messes with thousands of meteorites per
year, you end up with plenty of crumbs, dust, and
specks. Please don't think that we are smashing these
things with hammers in order to maximize profit!
Specks are a byproduct of making a large piece into
multiple pieces, not taking a .2 gram meteorite piece
and turning it into 20 pieces, at least not on
purpose.
As far as buying these specks on ebay, you must indeed
trust your dealer, someone like Blaine or myself, we
make enough money not to need to waste time scamming
people. If I say it is Mokoia, you can rest assured
that it is not Allende fragments. If you buy from just
anyone on ebay just because they say they have
something, well, buyer beware.
Michael Farmer
--- Walter Branch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hi Frank,
I could not agree more with you. Every word, every
line.
Remember when Blaine Reed brought out DAG 262?
There
were a few who looked at the specks and balked but
because it
was Blaine who was selling it, the pedigree was
beyond reproach.
This is not meant to be an indictment of Blaine.
Quite the opposite.
I understand the economic pressures of ever smaller
pieces of
meteorite selling for ever higher prices, but it
seems the price-to-weight
graph is almost "U" shaped, with more and more
material ending up
as smaller and smaller fragments.
Where is Steve Schoner? I'd always liked to hear
his comments on this. :-)
-Walter Branch
(From sunny and beautiful Savannah. What the heck
am I doing
indoors. Oh, that's right - I have a job!)
-----------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank Cressy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Meteorite List"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 3:41 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Speck Issues - Reply to
this subject
> Hello all,
>
> This is a resend of a previous post. I meant to
> change the subject line but in my fever muddled
state
> I forgot. Sorry about that. Please reply to this
> post to avoid confusion.
>
> Frank
>
> --- Frank Cressy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> Hi Michael and all,
>>
>> The Barboton you mentioned was a 9mg speck and
went
>> for $46.67. Many people shopping ebay don't
blink
>> until the price reaches a $100 or more. So
>> price/gram
>> on a speck means nothing. The problem I see is
that
>> this and other hammer specks and rare and
historical
>> specks can never be verified. Barbotan is an H5
>> veined chondrite...see any veining? On the above
>> example, Peter M was the seller and I have 100%
>> confidence that this was indeed Barbotan, Now
what
>> if
>> the winner "1randombid" with a "private" feedback
>> profile finds a larger Barbotan speck next week,
and
>> decides to sell this one, maybe even using
Peter's
>> original box and card. Still 100% sure of it???
>> Unless you know the complete collection history
of
>> the
>> piece with everyone involved, can a buyer have
even
>> a
>> shred of confidence that the speck is what it is
>> described to be. At least the Bessey Specks of
10
>> years ago were either Nakhla and Zagami, and with
a
>> good lens or microscope one could be quite
certain
>> as
>> to what he/she had. A little more difficult with
an
>> H5 or an L6 to say the least.
>>
>> Michael, I also have 100% confidence that your
>> material is what you say it is, but then I also
>> wouldn't bet the farm on it. I also know if
>> something
>> were to be found in error, you'd stand behind it
as
>> would most dealers. However, with the prices
>> raising
>> crazily it's might be too tempting for someone to
>> sell
>> a bogus speck maybe just once in a while. We
like
>> to
>> think that the people on the list are above all
>> those
>> things, but wasn't "the one who still remains
>> nameless" who got caught with a rock in his shoe,
>> once
>> a member of the list.
>>
>> For you dealers the rising prices are great, but
>> hopefully is isn't a house of cards and won't end
up
>> like the housing and credit debaucle, built,
>> founded,
>> fueled, and distroyed by Greed. The speck value
is
>> only based on trust, and should a couple bad
apples
>> ever show up, I think it could collapse.
>>
>> Just my ramblings on another fun filled day with
the
>> flu, Hope you didn't take this personally, just
my
>> views on specks. Also seeing historical
specimens
>> broken into smaller and smaller pieces upsets me
>> too,
>> but that's another story.
>>
>> All the best,
>> Frank
>>
>> --- Michael L Blood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>
>> > I noted with interest a small piece of Barbotan
on
>> > eBay. I left a reasonable
>> > Bid on it and just checked it out.....
>> > It had sold for over $5,000.00 per
gram.
>> > I have what I believe are the last 3
>> > specimens available in the
>> > world on my hammer site (if anyone knows where
I
>> can
>> > get more, please
>> > Contact me off list - reward!)
>> > I will hold this price until the first
one
>> > sells. To see these
>> > extremely rare specimens click on the photos at
>> the
>> > following site:
>> >
>> >
http://www.michaelbloodmeteorites.com/Hammers.html
>> >
>> > They are easy to find - Barbotan is the oldest
>> > Hammer listed (1790)
>> > Best wishes, Michael
>> > PS: Under 1999 you can find I have 3 last Kobe
>> > (Japanese hammer)
>> > Specimens left, as well as numerous other
recent
>> > additions to the page.
>> >
>> >
>> > ______________________________________________
>> > http://www.meteoritecentral.com
>> > Meteorite-list mailing list
>> > [email protected]
>> >
>>
>
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>> >
>>
>> ______________________________________________
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>>
>
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>>
>
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>
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