$100/g may seem pricey but then we are collectors of extraordinary (indeed, extraterrestrial) material. If commercial value is to be placed on such items, I think the rarity of such material would qualify it as more valuable than they actually sell for. Out of interest, just how much do dealers think this material would be worth if it weren't for the glut of material from the Sahara in recent years? I reckon it'd be far more. I forget where the quote comes from but "if there was only one rabbit in the world, you can bet rabbit sh*t would be more valuable than diamonds".
I love my meteorites and feel fortunate to have been able to afford what I have at all. Whether they do it for fame, glory, recognition, fun or profit, they provide the market with unique material in sizes and prices that are affordable whatever your budget. AND they provide science with material that they wouldn't have the money to collect themselves with the limited resources they get from the public purse. I don't begrudge the guys who go out there and collect the stuff for trying to recoup some of their losses and let's be honest, many do make losses and there is no guarantee they'll find enough material to cover their expenses. If you really, REALLY must have some right now, you're going to have to pay the price. There are lots of other people who just can't wait, either. As Mike put it, you do have the right not to buy. Rob McC --- On Fri, 2/27/09, RJP <yelloweng...@earthlink.net> wrote: > From: RJP <yelloweng...@earthlink.net> > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] FOR THE RECORD > To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > Date: Friday, February 27, 2009, 8:34 PM > If I were one of you hunters down there in West, TX (..I > wish), I would take my total travel costs, lost wages, ect.. > not even including hours spent head down, scanning the > ground... and divide that by the total weight of the loot > brought back home. Personally, I wouldn't feel it would > be worth it to sell for anything less than the $$$ per gram > calculated using that particular equation. Purchasing > additional stones directly from a landowner throws in yet > another variable, but you get my general idea. > For me, half the fun (or more) would be in finding them.. > so I cannot see spending ~$100 per gram on something that > was just sent to me through the mail (not nearly as > enjoyable). However, I do believe they should be (..and are) > worth at least the amount of time and expense it took to > locate them by the finder. > I wasn't there to participate, so I really don't > feel like anyone should have to offer anything to me, nor do > I feel the urge to spend a large chunk of cash on something > that has all of the fun already taken out of it. Not to say > that I wouldn't bite at a reasonable offering, but I > would totally understand if everyone decided to keep what > they found. These stones will have more meaning to those who > found them. > > All the best, > > Ryan > ______________________________________________ > http://www.meteoritecentral.com > Meteorite-list mailing list > Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
