[meteorite-list] Meteorite Value

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:08:20 2004
Message-ID: <F10hv5TH9GBrBT5ihCl0001aad4_at_hotmail.com>

Hello List,

I recently recived a good question from one of our list members. If was a
private e-mail to me so I won't paste the name or e-mail but I am posting it
because I think it may interest other listees.

I was asked..

Hello Mark, How does a collector know how to price meteorites? Is there a
price list?
Thanks, CENSOR

You didn't ask a very easy question but here we go. Meteorites like all
items have a value. That value is what anyone will give you for it. This
like most things very depending on several factors. Some controllable and
others not. For a collector, I think one really needs to decide the
direction of one's collection. Perhaps you wold like all the Texas
meteorites, or a nice specimen of every type, ect. If a person is new I
would suggest they try to aquire a nice iron slice, a stony-iron, a
carbonaceous along with a big moroccan or otherwise bargin priced meteorite,
NWA869 is a good example. Having a nice big stone I believe helps in one's
interest into meteorites. This is kind of off track of your question and I
will now try to answer that...

The main factors that will decide how much you are charged for a meteorite
is, 1. Classification, (As a real general rule, the common classification
find meteorite outside of Africa are $2-3 a gram in slicess, while African
are around $1.00.) 2. Find or Fall (falls are worth more then finds), Irons
are retailing around $1.00 a gram for the common ones in etched slices. 3.
Size, You can usualy buy a 3 kilo stone much cheaper then you could a 20
gram of the same type. Larger more expensive stones are harder to sell and I
often find them to be good bargins. 4. Appearence, a meteorite with a hole
is worth more then one without, a meteorite that has nice crust is worth
then a weathered one, ect. While there are several different factors here,
all collectors seem to agree on what a nice looking stone is. 5. Total
weight on the market, the Total known weight is a factor but it is more the
total weight that is on the market. It doesn't really matter if there is a
lot of the stone, if only 100 grams is available to collectors. 5.
Documention/Source of meteorite. I am grouping both of these together. A
meteorite with a nice label from a Museum or someone like Nininger is worth
more then one without. I know I would like all my meteorites to have labels
from the Smithsonian and others would to. In the same sense a meteorite
sold from one dealer that is well liked and good in the community will often
sell higher then from one that has not. The reason here is simple. The
good dealer will have a strong customer base, with more people feeling safer
spending their money. 6. Prepration, A slice is worth more then a wedge,
Irons seem to be taking the road that a slice is worth more then an
individual. For stones this verys more. A small stone will often cost the
same or less depending, then a slice of it. If a dealer can cut up a kilo.
size meteorite, he or she could make a lot of small partslices. Where
buying a lot of baby individual of the same meteorite might be much harder
if not impossible. 7. Micromounts. These small part slices and fragments
are often priced higher and should be. Here you are in as much paying for
the selllers time as well as the meteorite. 8. How many dealers have the
meteorite. If several people are selling it. They have to compete for
sales to a degree and the price is generally a little lower.

So to answer your question.....it depends. I like to go with a basic of
$1-3 a grams for commons and then vary it from there depending on what I am
wanting and the factors listed above. I am more in likely going to buy a
Kansas Stone over a Nebraska stone. I would pay more for a stone I did not
have, then one I have. On rare types it's really hard to decide what is
fair and what is not. Going back to my earlier comment on deciding the
direction of your collection helps buffer a purchase that later finds that
stone dropping in price. If I buy a small partslice of a rare Kansas stone
and it drops in price, thats good. Now I can get a big slice.

As a side note, Mike Martinez has been working on a complete listing of what
meteorites have been priced and sold this last couple years. At shows, on
the internet, and in auctions. Perhaps one day he will share his information
in a book or like document.

Since I have sent this to the list I am hiding behind my firewall now...:-)

Thanks, Mark Bosick

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com
Received on Mon 02 Sep 2002 11:05:07 AM PDT