[meteorite-list] Export permits and African meteorites

From: Rhett Bourland <rbourlan_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:53:59 2004
Message-ID: <IOEBKAHMGFBDJMOFGDFNGEIODFAA.rbourlan_at_evansville.net>

Weird. I can't speak for everyone's experience with Dr. McCoy but I've had
nothing but extremely pleasant interactions with him.
I can understand the governments reluctance to deal with dessert meteorites.
Let's face it, they're part of the government and have to follow all the
laws and regulations that go with that. I don't really see it as locations
vs. scientific value in this case. I'm sure quite a few scientists would
probally love to get their hands on some of the amazing NWA's out there but
due to the relations with some of the countries as well as lack of export
permits just aren't allowed to work with them.
As for myself, I love the desert rocks. I'd prefer to have a nice meteorite
with a known location and all that stuff if they're available but that
doesn't mean I don't love all my beautiful desert achondrites in my
collection that I got for a fraction of the price that they would be if they
had that known location.
Regards,
Rhett Bourland
www.asteroidmodels.com
www.asteroidmodels.com/personal
www.meteoritecollectors.org

-----Original Message-----
From: EL Jones [mailto:jonee_at_epix.net]
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 10:51 AM
To: rbourlan_at_evansville.net
Cc: Meteorite List
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Export permits and African meteorites


You should feel indeed honored that the Good Doctor even bothered to reply
to
your email, little alone, go into detail.

I am loathe to admit it -- but there is something there which starts to make
Canadian's officials look "collector friendly, eager to see you" guys,
compared
to the <ahem> Designated National Repository of US "owned" meteorites.
Seems
again that "National Origins and not Solar Origins" somehow affects the
scientific value of meteorites--go figure...

E

Rhett Bourland wrote:. I

> recently got an email from Dr. Timothy McCoy at the Smithsonian. I was
> trying to get some more Burnwell from him and offered some Dhofar 378 (a
new
> really cool Martian that I've got some of) to him. His response was that
> the Smithsonian does not aquire any meteorites from all of Africa due to
the
> lack of export permits and possibly coming from nations that are
unfriendly
> with the US.
Received on Sat 02 Feb 2002 06:10:38 PM PST