[meteorite-list] CA "fool's gold" meteorites

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:48:14 2004
Message-ID: <20011030063009.14709.qmail_at_web10403.mail.yahoo.com>

Regarding some recent eBay auctions:

I have received a number of solicitations from various
people from this particular area [Riverside/San Diego
County border] here in southern California. They want
me to help them "sell their meteorites".

Recently one of them has sent me samples of this
material. This material is very similar in
composition to the material that "Romansells" was
foisting on eBay.

This material is composed of a very dense, very finely
granular, brass-colored sulfide that has undergone
some form of heating, such as in a kiln or
ore-roaster, which has partially melted the exterior
of the various oddly shaped and sized "stones" to a
flat-black crust. Although this material has a brassy
metallic luster, there is no metal, it is all sulfide.
In other words, it is "fools gold".

There appears to be quite a lot of this material
circulating within the various local rockhound
circles. I predict that we will be seeing a lot more
of this "partially processed ore" appearing on
auctions with the erroneous description of "Califonia
meteorites"!

Now, there's a new reason to call this "junk" ....
"fool's gold".

Bob V.

--------------- Original Message ----------------
--- In Meteorite-Recovery_at_y..., "<...@...>" wrote:
>
> California meteorite or meteorwrong? See:
>
<http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1021957805>
> Meteorite BIG 19.72 oz or 562 grams Item #
1021957805
> --xxx


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Received on Tue 30 Oct 2001 01:30:09 AM PST