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Re: Fw: Meteorite "worth"



>
>Steve,
>	What IS sophmoric is exactly that - the "debate" re "worth" - that is a
>VERY different subject from price!

In the context of *economics* worth and price are VERY related.


 One can argue infinately re "worth"
>as it is as subjective as  humor or art or any number of very subjective
>"tasts." So, to argue about "worth" is, at best, sophmoric. 

Sorry to butt heads with you, Michael.  But I VERY strongly object to
your assertion that to "argue about worth is, at best, sophmoric."

The nothing of *worth*  touches upon the motivation that drives us to
collect meteorites, and it is that that is driving the prices up.

(see how *worth* and *price* are related in terms of our meteorite
collecting-- simple economics)

>	 "...from the very dawn of civilization,....gold has been valued many
>times that."  NOT true for all cultures - not by a long streach. Even
>human LIFE is valued differently in different cultures - and certanly
>gold.

Yes, and that is why the Egyptians, the Aztecs, they Mayans, and other
cultures valued gold so much that only their kings and leaders had the
right to own it.

That is why the Etruscans coined the first coins (money) out of it at about
700 BC. 

How man decides the *worth* of a thing does depend on culture, but the fact
is that for the majority of human beings, money has over the last 6000 years
been equated with gold.

And this is especially true with our western culture.


>	PRICE is an entirely different issue.


I STRONGLY disagree with you again, Michael.  Price is not an entirely
different issue.  If an item is *worthless*, that is having no value
in and of itself, then there will be no *price* for it.  No one will
*want* it.  Want, (demand) is tied to the notion or *worth* and *price*
is tied to both.

Wanting (demand) is keyed to the very motives that drive us to possess
a thing.  And this force if you will is itegral in understanding an
object's *worth*

As I stated earlier, the *worth* of gold is recognized world wide.
There is 6,000 years of demand history behind it.  It also has over
that time commercial uses.  (Some of the cultures that you have in
mind may not have monitized it like western culture, but they
nevertheless reserved it for images of their gods.  In this gold 
was just as special to them as it was to the money makers of the 
west.)


 Indeed, I fully agree, the topic
>of price is a very worthy one. I also agree it involves factors far
>beyont the actions of one, or even a good many, individual(s).

Right, and this is a subject that needs some exploration.
 
>However, the vast majority of posts in this "string" have primarily
>focussed on the very subjective issue of "worth."

Excellent observation, Michael.  Remember one author recently posted
to our group his interest in writing about *why* we collect meteorites,
what was it that *motivates* us.

And his question touches upon the *the very subjective issue of worth*.

That *is* what this thread was all about.

Best,

Steve Schoner
AMS

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