[meteorite-list] Re: Russian samples- Loss Of NASA Work Surfaces At Moon Rock Trial

From: Walter Branch <branchw_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:22:33 2004
Message-ID: <002d01c32a47$36013800$62c59f44_at_b4b9e1>

Hello Everyone,

Long before meteorites, I collected space program memorabilia. Still have a
few astronaut signed items. Interestingly, one can get an actual (albeit
small) swatch of moondust from Apollo 11:

http://www.spaceflori.com/dust.htm

This dealer is completely legit.

-Walter

------------------------------------------
www.branchmeteorites.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Baalke" <baalke_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 5:31 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Re: Russian samples- Loss Of NASA Work Surfaces At
Moon Rock Trial


> >
> > >In 1993, three flecks of moon rocks from a Russian
> > lunar probe sold at a Sotheby's auction for $442,500.
>
> I had sent this out in June 1994 (before this meteorite mailing list
> had existed).
>
>
> MOON ROCK FOR SALE
>
> A Moon rock will be auctioned off by Superior Galleries in
> Beverly Hills, California on June 25, 1994. The Moon rock was returned
> to Earth from an unspecified Apollo mission. The following is the
> exact text from Superior Galleries' catalog on the space auction:
>
> "Lot 318. Moon Rock. An actual black basaltic moon rock
> (.65 carat) mounted on a moonstone pendant surrounded by
> diamonds. The moon rock comes with a provenance provided
> by the consignor tracing it back to a motel owner in the
> Cape who received the moonstone as a friendship gift from
> an astronaut. The consignor has offered this rock to NASA
> with the proviso that they pay him for it if it proved to
> be genuine and/or if it was destroyed in testing. They
> refused, but didn't confiscate the stone. We are selling
> the rock moon (pendant) as is, based on the owner's
> certificate of authenticity."
>
> The estimated value of the Moon rock ranges from $25,000 to $35,000.
>
> This will be the third time that lunar material has been available
> at an auction. The first time was in January 1993 when Moon dust was
> auctioned by Superior Galleries. The Moon dust was collected by a NASA
> technician onto a 2 inch piece of transparent tape from the spacesuit of
> astronaut Dave Scott after his Apollo 15 trip to the Moon in July, 1971.
> This Moon dust sold for $46,750. The second time occurred at the
Sotheby's
> auction house in New York in December 1993. Three small fragments scooped
> up by the Soviet's Luna 16 spacecraft in 1970 sold for a whopping
$442,500.
>
> Ron Baalke
>
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Received on Tue 03 Jun 2003 11:13:02 PM PDT