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Re: MetCAB?

  Hi Matt and list,

At 04:07 PM 6/24/98 -0600, you wrote:
> I am not going to bore you with
>"meteorites as investments" because, personally I think they are not
>investments, but enjoyments and luxuries. 

   My sentiments as well....

Just a few months ago, a friend bought a
>25 lb meteorite for 100/lb, yes, per POUND! I attempted to do the same last
week,
>however I was informed from the finder that Monahans was worth 30,000 and why
>shouldn't he be able to get 30k for his. Of course, you attempt to
explain...but.

   Problem #1 - In an effort to be the buyer of such new meteorites (some)
dealers will offer LARGE amounts of money for them. Being the "first" to
have the specimen I guess is important to some folks. This obviously drives
prices WAY up. When they go to sell pieces or parts they have to make their
money back (and make some profit), so they charge a big sum for peices.
Hurting a lot of people who can't afford such prices. The Monahan bidding
for instance blew my mind, this isn't a Mars or moon rock folks! 
 

>We, collectors/dealers/institutions, have to face it, these little celestial
>treasures are exactly that, treasure.  When people hear they are older than
the >sun and may "unlock the keys to the formation of the solar system", of
course >they think and know, they have something VERY special, and
therefore, VERY >expensive.

  This is where some educating comes in. Yes, meteorites ARE very special,
yes they MAY unlock the key to the solar system. As long as dealers pay so
MUCH for them the problem will continue. If dealers refused to pay such
"ransom" ammounts from uneducated (in meteoritics) people then we'd be in
better shape. We'd ALL benefit. 
   

>Furthermore, a few well-known dealers, are economically stupid (INMHO) and pay
>extraordiary prices for un-extraordinary meteorite.  That in turn, hurts
only >the collector and occasionally the institution.  So folks, I don't see
prices >coming down at all, in fact they will get worse if the current
market >continues.  We (from the collector view point) will just have to buy
a 5g slice >instead of a 20g slice, and be happy we can still hold a piece
of another world.  

  You took the words RIGHT out of my mouth. I can't afford the big slices or
the big whole specimens so I have to buy the small ones. Sure, I'd LOVE to
get a big slice of Esquel or Imilac but I can't. That's o.k., I like my
smaller pieces, my 10 gram Allende is just as much a meteorite as a 200 gram
Allende. My 2 gram Murchison is just as much a meteorite as a 300 gram
chunk. I drool at the specimens I see in some of the catalogs and price
lists, "MAN, I'd LOVE to have THAT!", but what can I do? Nothing, until
dealers stop paying rediculous ammounts for them. 

 Regards, 

  Tom Randall