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Re: Agriculture and Meteorites



>
>
>Does anybody know if Nininger's method of meteorite recovery still works? I
>would suspect that farmers no longer keep stacks of rocks around, with all
>the powerful equipment now available.
>
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Yes, it still works-- that is how Lamont, KS was found.  But unfortunately
because of the internet a new twist has been introduced.  People are 
becoming aware of what they are supposedly worth.  Even those in remote
parts of the earth are becoming aware as to what dealers sell meteorites
for-- not what they are actually worth.

Yesterday, I got two requests for purchases of meteorites.  One from Russia,
the other from Brazil.  The finders in Russia were "offering me a deal"
on a "new" meteorite (unidentified) at a great price of "18.00 US dollars
per gram/piece"---

Boy that is a "great deal"-- what would I in turn sell this for if I bought
it at $18 per/gram?  (It had better be a nice rare meteorite for my overhead
of $18 per/gram)

Then the other was for a new 52 kg pallasite (probably Imilac).  Now I would
love to have a nice 52 kilo Imilac sitting in my collection.  Why even
Bob Haag would be envious of that-- But, the finders down there want--

$10 per/gram for it-- uncut. 

A little math here-- 52,000 grams times $10 per/gram = $520,000

God, it would be nice to have $520,000 sitting in my bank account right now!

Better than that meteorite sitting in my collection, I would say.
And with that kind of cash laying around I would invest in stocks, safe
bonds whatever, make at least 5-10 % interested per year ($25,000 - $50,000).

I would not have to work another job-- I could sit back and watch my money
grow-- I could go on and on and on--

It is nice to dream isn't it?

But the bottom line is the bottom line.  

Those guys in other countries, and on the farms here in the US are thinking
dealer prices simply because of the internet.  "Oh, I'll just sell it for
high prices on the internet," they say.  


Some do, most don't.

But all the while there is a perception that "meteorites are worth their
weight in gold"  (at $10 - $18 per/gram they would be)


Nearly all of those people out there do not realize how hard it is to
*actually* get $10 per/gram out of a large meteorite.  And there are
pitfalls in doing so.  What if more is found, and it floods the market?

What is the cut pieces beging to fall apart after they are sold?

What about all of the cutting loss to make *affordable* pieces?


Lots of questions, and not many of those are even asked by the initial
finder who finds then expects to sell their meteorites at *internet prices*


How do we as collectors, dealers, and scientists address this?---


By organizing.

Forming a high profile association that will present this and other
information about meteorites so that those on the internet can get 
reliable information about what meteorites are actually worth, and what
their significance is to science.

It can be done.

It should be done.

It must be done.

It is up to all of us.


Steve Schoner
American Meteorite Survey.

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