Hello All,
I'd like to point out a few things.
First and foremost is that we are meteorite collectors. Collectors.
What does that mean? It means that for some irrational reason, we
have all decided that it is a worthwhile endeavor to spend our
hard-earned money on chunks of rock that happen to be a little
different than the more easily available ones that have originated on
earth. We buy them because we consider them to be 'interesting' or
'pretty,' and that's about it.
So when I hear collectors saying that they want to buy the thinnest
slice possible of a given meteorite, it makes me want to stand back
and ask...why? Such a comment does make a lot of sense. Since rarer
types of meteorites are often very expensive (and are priced per
gram), a thinner piece would logically be more easy to see -- if
seeing the specimen were an issue.
But, personally, from a collector's (my) point of view, I'd have to
disagree. If I wanted a piece of a given meteorite, I'd gladly pay
twice as much for the thick slab or endcut that weighed twice as much
as a mm-thick slice of greater surface area.
Why is that? It's because if I want a given meteorite, I don't just
want a piece that feels like a cross between a baseball card and a
credit card. I'd prefer a piece that has some heft to it.
Perhaps that's not such a reasonable demand when one is talking about
a lunar or a martian meteorite -- but there's a reason why Peter and I
personally haven't bought very many of those. The few that we have
purchased have been smaller complete individuals, and we prefer them
to slices of equivalent weights.
And since I'm a collector, and I prefer such pieces, those are the
"better" ones. In my opinion. You guys should stop trying to push
your wants on other people as common sense, because, if you prefer
thin slices, that's your preference -- not mine. And neither one is
"better." Your desire is rational in one sense - if you're willing to
spend only enough to buy a gram or so of the moon, then yes, I can see
why you would prefer a wafer with a larger surface area. And I prefer
specimens that have some weight and heft -- meteorites that I can see
*and* feel.
And there's much more to my rationale than just that. Stability,
difficulty of preservation, and the fact that the prices for such
specimens *are* significantly inflated in general all make these less
desirable to me. That and the fact that I wouldn't feel comfortable
with ever taking them out of a membrane box because I'd fear for the
samples' safety.
But, yes. I see where you're coming from. If visibility is your only
criteria, then a thinner slice would logically appeal more to you. I
personally don't find that attractive.
So, when I emailed the ebay seller that led to this thread and asked
for specimen weights several months ago -- and they crassly declined
-- I opted not to purchase any of their specimens. Can I understand
their supposed rationale for preferring thin slices with large surface
areas? Sure. But they, as the seller, are obliged to give potential
buyers the information they want about the material they're selling.
Let's compare it to buying a house. You are looking at properties and
are told by a seller that you can see some photos of their building,
but they won't let you actually go inside it or know how many bedrooms
or bathrooms it has before you buy it. The price seems fair based on
what you know of the market, and can see from the photos. The seller
assures you that nothing is wrong with the house.
Wouldn't you think it strange? The details they are withholding are a
good guideline for how houses are generally priced. Wouldn't you
think that the house *might* be flawed in some way that the seller
didn't want you to know? Furthermore, would you be willing to risk
spending your money on such a deal?
Meteorites are currently (generally) sold by the gram. That system
makes sense because weight is an easily quantifiable unit. If people
start selling slices by the square centimeter, unless they have some
nifty computer programs and a scanner handy, they're not going to be
able to judge area as accurately -- and furthermore, people wouldn't
know how 'big' the pieces they were buying actually were. Weight
tells you how much you're getting, regardless of shape. Area doesn't.
Photographs can help to take care of that problem, but when slices
are mm-thin...Richard Montgomery noted that, for the specimens he
purchased, "their weights...were far more expensive than usual."
So I was probably right in assuming that the information that the
seller wanted to hide -- the specimens' weights -- would likely have
deterred me from buying them. If you read the description, you'll
note that the seller isn't selling collection pieces that they've
purchased as-is and are now selling. He/she is doing the cutting
personally. Do you honestly think that they personally prefer thin
slices? Well, since they're removing these thin slices from
collection pieces, I assume that they actually own endcuts with quite
a bit of heft, and are thinning them to make some money. *Maybe*
they're just saying that ridiculous stuff about not telling people
specimen weights so that they can sell their paper-thin slices at
inflated prices. Makes sense.
I agree that thin slices should sell for a slight premium because a
thinner slice means that the buyer is getting more area for their
money given the weight of the slice (*relevant only if buyers actually
prefer thinner slices). But that price hike has to make sense with
regard to existing average prices per gram for larger specimens,
because at some point the thin slice will cost as much as a thick
slice of the same area, and at that point there's simply no reason to
purchase the thinner slice.
Even if you prefer a thin slice, you've still got to admit the fact
that meteorites are currently sold by weight. Changing the current
selling paradigm isn't going to happen for practical reasons. I agree
that aesthetics should have a large bearing on price, but....they
already do. Pretty pieces sell for more, and thinner slices are often
priced higher per unit weight than are thicker slices, due to demand a
higher demand for 'cheaper surface area.'
This seller's not saying anything new. They're just getting people to
pay more by withholding information. It's apparently a good gimmick
(and legal, to boot). And if you want to pay more per gram for a
wafer-thin slice of a given meteorite than you would normally consider
paying, then it's a good deal for you.
I'll refrain. I prefer meteorites with mass, and not just area. 3D
is where it's at. For me, though: maybe not you.
Regards,
Jason
