[meteorite-list] The Pelisson,s. METEORITE GODS

From: LABENNE METEORITES <metlabo1_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:54:05 2004
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20020215122350.00ebcdf0_at_worldnet.fr>

Just some correction on these informations,

As you know, all the SAHXXX meteorites are our find from a location that we
don't want to disclose at present time and for example the Sahara 99555 is
the stone number 555 found in the year 1999. It's an official
identification number which was used by our family and published in the
meteoritic bulletin(Labenne family =3D Marc, Luc and Jim Labenne, not three
brothers but two broters, me and Jim, Marc is our father). In the past we
sold many unclassified individuals with 99XXX and 00XXX even if some are
probably from the same large shower paired with the SAH98222 (a brecciated
L6 with ringwoodite). The raison is that we have collected thousands of
meteorites but only the "best" was classified. If a dealer have a analysis
result and classification of one of these stones, it will be a pleasure to
communicate the coordonates we have in our data base (except the degree).
Yes, you'll find the list of the official meteorites named "Sahara xxxxx"
in the different publication of the Meteoritical Bulletin and yes only few
was classified and published but note that hundreds of samples are in
different laboratories (the main part in M=FCnster in Germany) still waiting
that some researcher have interest in classified "ordinary chondrite" !! So
we have sold also individuals with a sample removed and in this case the
sample still wait classification...

I'm sure the quantity of meteorites discovered is now go down because, even
if the desert area in the world are large, there are not so many good place
easy to visit to organized suystematic research. From our view, our best
place we know in the Sahara (not disclosed) are almost empty, only few
more good places exist in Libya but not easily accessible, the Dhofar and
SAU places in Oman were a very good place (we have found twelve individual
Lunar meteorites) but seem now almost empty and about the NWA, those
returned recently from Marocco say that the quantity they saw in not so
bigger that before. Now it' s the time to acquire the rare and common stuff
from hot desert at a very good price, for example you'll find classified
chondrites with black fusion crust (SAU001) at only $250 by kilo, thin
slices (1mm thick) of SNC at $300/g and Lunar at $1500/g (1g minimal
order). In my opinion in probably one more year when only few new
meteorites will appear on the market (if you compare with the hundred of
new meteorites now), the prices will increase. For me there are not good or
bad meteorites (the bad supposely from Marocco/NWA and the good from USA or
other places), there are well documented or poorly documented meteorites,
well preserved or weathered meteorites, nice or bad looking meteorites and
scientificaly important or not meteorites, with all the intermediate state.

Meteoriticaly,

Luc Labenne for Labenne Meteorites,

Visit our new web site at http://ww.lunar-meteorite.com=20
http://www.labenne-meteorites.com
                                               =20
A 16:21 12/02/02, dean bessey a =E9crit :
>As many of you know I have sold artifacts for longer than I have sold=20
>meteorites. One of the ploys that some slimy artifact dealers do is to tell=
=20
>anybody who brings them something for them to authtenticate is to tell them=
=20
>that it is a fake. That way they think that the potential nieve customer=20
>will feel that he is a very knowledgable dealer and in the future only buy=
=20
>stuff from him. I once had a dealer do that to me with an egyptian artifact=
=20
>with prominance from a famous collection that was shown to several experts=
=20
>including one of the worlds leading experts of artifats with the British=20
>Museum.
>Meteorite dealers might try this also. I had a customer who bought a common=
=20
>chondrite from morocco from me once who contacted another dealer who said=
=20
>that he would classify it for him (Since my understanding is that Marvin=20
>Kilgore is the only dealer who can classify meteorites you know that they=
=20
>story is fishy already because it wasnt kilgore who did this) and then told=
=20
>him that it was not a meteorite.
>What does this have to do with the Pelissons? Absolutely nothing. However=
 it=20
>is an example of slimy tactics that certain dealers use when they try to=20
>undermine some aspect of a business that they dont like (Such as=
 competation=20
>for instance).
>Here is a letter written by the Pelissons to some collector asking if they=
=20
>could authtenticate a desert meteorite. I make no comments here (Dont want=
=20
>Art mad at me) but the slime speaks for itself. The Pellisons are of course=
=20
>technically right in what they say here. Its just that one would think from=
=20
>reading the Pelisson letter that desert meteorites are nothing short of a=
=20
>scam that wouldent be touched by serious dealers or researshers. The=20
>Pellisons are distorting facts to put down a part of the sahara meteorite=
=20
>business that they dont like. It should be noted that this letter was not=
=20
>written to a customer of mine and was given to me by another dealer.
>This is a sad reflection of an hobby when certain people in it like the=20
>Pellisons continues to act like this and to continue stating that their way=
=20
>of doing things is the only correct way that the world should work. The=20
>meteorite hobby will never become mainstream until this stupid infighting=
 in=20
>the interest of short term profits ends. While the letter is technically=20
>correct it is very misleading about the status of desert meteorites. There=
=20
>is no effort to tell this new collector of meteorites that desert finds=
 have=20
>a special status in the meteorite world. Thats why the meteoritical society=
=20
>recogonizes meteorites using a NWA or Sahara name.
>Below is the letter that the pellisons wrote to a potential new collector=
=20
>looking to maximize the amount of meteoritic material that he wants to buy=
=20
>with limited funds. Just look at the time spent into creating this letter=
=20
>and the ffort to totally confuse a new collector.
>With sad reflections
>DEAN
>___________________________________________________________________
>Sahara 99937 is the stone number 937 found in the year 1999, it's a
>temporary identification number which was used by the Labenne family.
>It will never be recognized as a new meteorite, excepted if you find a
>laboratory to classify your sample. But laboratories need a type
>specimen archived for future studies and a thin section for microprobe=20
>measures (200 points).
>Each year in July, the Meteoritical Society publishes a supplement to
>METEORITICS AND PLANETARY SCIENCE in which are recorded all the new
>meteorites of the previous year. This document is really the bible for
>any serious meteoricist. The info given there present the most reliable=20
>source for the entire community. Here is the list of the official=20
>meteorites named "Sahara xxxxx" in the last publication of the Meteoritical=
=20
>Bulletin. Only 17 have been recorded last year and all are meteorites with=
=20
>unknown location. See page 23:
>http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/metsoc/metbull/mb85.pdf
>TKW, is the Total Known Weight of the piece, the sample 99937 was
>probably a 200 grams piece before cut. It is a commercial rock which
>will never be officially recognized as a meteorite, many Sahara xxxxx are=
=20
>paired specimen which come from the same old fall, but the information is=
=20
>unavailable and can't be verified. Everybody can use a NWA or Sahara name=
=20
>today to sell a rock which is not a meteorite because there is no=
 scientific=20
>work done and type specimen preserved on the majority of these stones.
>Best Regards,
>Richard & Roland Pelisson
>http://www.SaharaMet.com/
>http://www.saharamet.com/desert/meteorite/prospect.html
>PS: copy of a mail from Dr. Jeffrey N. Grossman, Editor, Meteoritical
>Bulletin US Geological Survey People buying/trading meteorites should also=
=20
>keep in mind that if a meteorite name (including its number, if any) does=
=20
>NOT appear in the Met. Bulletin (published or on-line), then there is no=20
>guarantee that it has ever been looked at by a meteorite expert or that the=
=20
>NomCom has ever scrutinized the name, location data, classification, etc.=
=20
>(or worse,
>it HAS scrutinized the information and rejected/changed it!).
>
>
>
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Received on Fri 15 Feb 2002 06:23:50 AM PST