[meteorite-list] Editorial

From: capricorn89 <capricorn89_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:43:29 2004
Message-ID: <001c01c105a7$fb6bae20$df36b2d1_at_earthlink.net>

That is not quite what was written. What was said was that "there are
stories circulating that if the supply ... becomes too slim ... dealers
order ... from elsewhere in the world ... resell at ... markups." The
article continues to state that a meteorite is more valuable (to science) if
its location is known (as mentioned in Bob's post).

A "circulating story" is no more that a circulating story. And, Bob, you
are correct, if the NWA's are the least expensive, where would the others be
coming from? There are one or two incidents where a Campo was purchased at
Tucson and an attempt was made to resell it in Morocco, but that was
promptly put down as the scam it was (to the credit of Messrs. Farmer and
Cottingham who had "sharp eyes" and even sharper minds!

I must say that with all the debating on this list regarding location, I see
very little (if any) input on this list, or elsewhere in print, from the
researchers who are the primary individuals for whom this matter should have
(scientific) importance. I was pleased to see this discussed in Dr.
Cassidy's editorial.

Ron Hartman
www.meteorite1.com

----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_yahoo.com>
To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2001 11:29 AM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Editorial


> ... but seriously folks...
>
> It looks like the marketing of meteorites from NWA has
> received another black eye, this time in print, on the
> "Editorial" page of the most recent issue of "MAPS" -
> Meteoritics & Planetary Science (Volume 36), Issue 6,
> 2001 June.
> The editorial is by W. A. Cassidy: "Meteorites on the
> Greenland icesheet?" - you'll have to look it up,
> because I don't have permission to reprint it.
>
> But the gist of the statement, which was in the last
> paragraph, was that, if the supply of meteorites for
> sale [in the bazaars of North Africa] becomes too
> slim, [the Moroccan] dealers order specimens of other
> meteorites from elsewhere i n t h e w o r l d and
> resell them at generous markups as "North African"
> meteorites.
>
> Now here are my questions:
>
> Correct me on this, but aren't NWAs the cheapest
> selling meteorites "in the world"?
>
> If not, where "in the world" are the Moroccans going
> in order to get these cheaper meteorites?
>
> Is it possible that the Moroccan importers are better
> at their job than their counterparts in North America
> and Europe?
>
> Okay, I guess comments like the one in the editorial
> about NWA meteorite markets are to be expected, since
> the purpose of the article was to extoll the value of
> Antarctic meteorites to science over those from hot
> deserts.
>
> The editorial ended with this sentence, "Hopefully,
> whoever may visit the suggested sites in Greenland
> will arrive prepared to collect and document any
> recoveries in the same way it is done in Antarctica,
> and thereby insure that any Greenland collection will
> have the same value to science as does the Antarctic
> collection."
>
>
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Received on Thu 05 Jul 2001 07:12:37 PM PDT