[meteorite-list] Officials Warn Of Fake Meteorites Being Sold

From: Dave Andrews <dandre10_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:22:42 2004
Message-ID: <3EF9CE9D.9060606_at_cybertrails.com>

I believe I know the business and individual(s) that are selling these.
 I was a approached with a bucket full of rocks a year or so ago by this
person who was in cahoots with a local trading post here in town. I
told him that they were NOT meteorites but he insisted that ASU had
authenticated them. I told him there is NO way that happened. Anyway,
he said he was going to start selling them on eBay and replied that I or
others better not catch him doing it because there would be a lot of
trouble in store for him in such a fraudulant scheme. I had run into
the fellow a couple of times since, but there was no further mention of
his "meteorites".

My side of the story in case someone associated me with the story below.

Best,
Dave

Ron Baalke wrote:

>http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=68415
>
>Officials Warn Of Fake Meteorites Being Sold
>Seth Muller
>Arizona Daily Sun
>June 25, 2003
>
>Staff members of the Arizona State University Center for Meteorite Studies
>are warning people about sales of rocks reported as meteorites, which are
>originating from northern Arizona.
>
>Blane Comeaux with the ASU meteorite program said that he received rock
>samples from Patti Harwood of Eureka, Calif., and she asked for the staff
>to verify the rocks as meteorites. Comeaux said that the samples were not
>from space, but instead a terrestrial, non-valuable rock known as magnetite.
>
>Comeaux reported that a man from New Mexico also purchased $400 in rocks
>he thought to be meteorites, when in fact they were magnetite rocks. He
>said that both people purchased the rocks from a dealer in the Holbrook area.
>
>In a phone interview, Harwood said she visited a shop in Holbrook in
>September 2001, and she traded $1,200 worth of fossils she had for two
>supposed meteorites. Recently, she purchased a meteorite with certificate
>of authenticity from a man in California for $300, and noticed a difference
>in appearance.
>
>She decided to send the suspicious rocks to ASU for authentication, and
>received a letter from ASU with the findings.
>
>Authorities in the Holbrook area reported that they did not have any
>investigations going on concerning the sales of fake meteorites.
>
>Comeaux said that meteorites are identified by polishing down a sample and
>looking for reflective nickel-iron specs. He said that magnetite rocks are
>commonly mistaken for meteorites.
>
>The space rocks have become big business. It's not unusual for a person to
>pay upwards of $15,000 for a meteorite. Comeaux recommends potential buyers
>ask to see a letter or certificate of verification before purchasing one.
>
>
>______________________________________________
>Meteorite-list mailing list
>Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
>http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
>
>
>
>
Received on Wed 25 Jun 2003 12:32:29 PM PDT