[meteorite-list] Expensive?

From: Sterling K. Webb <kelly_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:22:43 2004
Message-ID: <3EFBD95F.660176F8_at_bhil.com>

Hi,

    While there are short term fluctuations from availability and medium
term fluctuations from how rare a type is (like lunars), there is
clearly a moderately long term trend over the last three to five years
of declining meteorite prices.
    I have noticed this because, mostly by accident, I bought my
meteorites 3-1/2 to 4 years ago and the prices of the same items have
done nothing but go down, down, down ever since. Yeah, I paid $12,500 a
gram for a lunar chip and $500 a gram for a Martian after much searching
for the very best price. And let's not even talk about simple stones.
Before NWA. Sigh.
    Not whining, you understand, but the trend is pretty undeniable.
    And I'm used to it. Everybody who buys technology items has seen a
similar phenomenon. I bought a DVD player for $300 when that was cheap
as they got and now you can buy one for $80. I remember paying $900 for
a 540 mByte hard drive when that was the biggest drive in the world; now
you can't buy one that small. Fifteen years ago, I bought a one megabyte
computer with a 12" monitor and no hard drive for $1000 and was proud of
the bargain! And so on.
    The interesting question is: how much longer will a general decline
in meteorite prices continue? Is it a lull? A temporary dip? A
re-adjustment? A momentary oversupply? A slide? Was there a "bubble"? Is
this "normal"?
    Your two cents worth?


Sterling K. Webb
Received on Fri 27 Jun 2003 01:42:56 AM PDT