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http://www.meteoritecentral.com/archive/archive4/June98/msg00000.html

It is refreshing to hear that the Council did what was right concerning the Monahans Meteorite.  The projected bid price of $31,000 seems excessively high for an ordinary chondrite of about 2.5 lbs.  From the phots that I have seen of it there must be more scattered about, so I woud be very cautious about buying any of it--especially at that price. 

Concerning "Truth, Justice, and the American Way"  the issues of ownership still remain.  Had the city council chose not to return the specimen, no lawsuit to return it tohe finders would have succeeded.  And upon the adverse decision, the finders, or whoever pushed the lawsuit could be ordered to pay all of the City of Monahans attorney fees in defending their right to keep the meteorite.  Not a good prospect for the finders.  I studied the case of the Old Woman Meteorite, and I am surprised that the attorney for the finders did not present evidence in favor of their claim by citing Meteor Crater Enterprises mining claim.  It is based on the 1872 Mining Act.  And as we all know it is a very significant structure and as such scientifically important.  It just amazes me that the Meteor Crater Claim was not invoked as a precedent for the finders of the Old Woman Meteorite claim to it.  They did file a mining claim, and that claim was then used by the government to locate then se!
ize it..

Now we all have to accept the consequences of that decision.

In fairness to the concepts and ideals of "Truth, Justice, and the American Way"  I would like to see some ammendment to such policy by allowing the finder a portion of the find.  I think the City of Monahans did that.  They retained in the Public Interest the larger of the two pieces.  The government could have been fair to the finders of the Old Woman by giving them a sizable portion of that meteorite (the meteorite was cut).  I for one do not like the precedent established by the Old Woman decision.  At a time when interest in meteorites is growing, it is counterproductive.  

Steve Schoner, AMS