[meteorite-list] OT: (Probable) meteorwrong story conclusion

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:23:45 2004
Message-ID: <20030306021050.13258.qmail_at_web80404.mail.yahoo.com>

http://home.earthlink.net/~magellon/hotrocks.html

Hey Rob Matson and Ron Hartman,

Here is that web page about the "sulfide slag" that
Ken Newton has on his Meteor-wrong Central web site.
 
I use it all the time, as a reference for this
meteor-wrong topic. Just last week somebody brought
me more of this type of material that they found in an
estate collection. There were a couple of other
"superb" meteor-wrongs in there, as well. Since Ken
is putting together such a great collection of these
-wrongs, I'll be mailing them off to him shortly.

And how about if we form a "discussion group" devoted
to MWs? I think I'll try and talk Ken into being the
moderator on a new YahooGroup just for this purpose,
so that we can have a "home" for all of this good
information, which is essentially OFF-TOPIC, as far as
this M-List is concerned, even though it takes up more
than half our bandwidth (if you include all the Oman
Lunarite messages;-)!

Bob V.

---------- Original Message -----------
Hi Bob, Norbert and List,

I got an interesting message today which I'll share
shortly, but first we must go back to June of last
year when I first noticed a questionable meteorite
show up on eBay. Here's the message I sent to Bob
Verish about it:

From: Matson, Robert
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 6:23 PM
To: 'Bob Verish - home'; 'Bob Verish - work'
Subject: "Mohave" meteorwrong?

Hi Bob,

This has just shown up on eBay:

<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2110888286>

Large, 14-lb "Mohave" meteorite. Seller is from
Chico, so he probably means Mojave. The price is
absurd, and the seller has no feedback, so something
smells fishy. From the pictures, it might actually be
a meteorite -- it certainly looks better than most
meteorwrongs on eBay.
But practically no data is provided other than the
mass. --Rob
 
- - - - -

Bob promptly replied:

> Weighs approximately 6272g/14 lbs.
> And its approximate dimensions are
> 5.75", 4", 3.5"/14.5 cm, 10cm, 13.5"

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the "heads-up".

Is my math wrong, or does this specific gravity look
like it is within the range for most chondritic
meteorites?

Check out my version of his images (see attachments)

Bob V.
- - - - - -

Bob later added: "I meant to add on the previous
message - that I think this is another chunk of
"Sulfide-rich slag"!
(take a look at the corners where a bright interior is
exposed;-)
I wouldn't be surprised in the least, if it is..."
--Bob V.

Since the auction is long since over, the links to the
images are gone, *BUT* I just found I do still have
Bob's versions of his images. With Bob's permission,
I'll post them to my webspace and provide the links
here if anyone is curious.

A day later, Norbert Classen noticed the auction and
posted this message to the Meteorite Collectors
Association list:

Hi there,

Did you see this neat MW from the Mohave desert? Don't
forget, it's "Very Rare! Great Value at $21,280."
Okay, some people might think that $3.40/g is a
reasonable price for something that might be a
meteorite AND from the US - but I really doubt that
this is the real thing. What do you think?
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2110888286>

Ebay Item # 2110888286
Best,
Norbert Classen
IMCA #7606

- - - -

I replied to Norbert and the list:

"I noticed this auction yesterday, and being keenly
interested in any meteorite finds from California
(misspelling of Mojave notwithstanding),
I floated it by Bob Verish to get his thoughts. It
doesn't look like hematite or magnetite, but then
again the seller doesn't mention magnetism. Bob did
some photo enhancement of his images to get a better
look at what appeared to be some specular spots on
the rock surface -- spots which look not unlike some
of the roasted sulfide slags we've been talking about
recently.
 
"A rough computation of the specific gravity suggests
that the stone is indeed in the range of most
chondrites (high 3's to low 4's) -- the density is too
low to be an iron meteorite. I ~have~ found
chondrites
which have weathered exteriors that look a lot like
this stone, but the high price, minimal information,
and the lack of a history for the seller smells bad to
me..." --Rob

Leaving no stone unturned (sorry, couldn't resist!), I
sent the following message to the seller:

"Based on the images in your auction, it is difficult
to say whether your stone is meteoritic or not. If
you haven't cut into it or ground down a corner, it is
probably premature to call it a meteorite.

"Your auction could use some more detail, particularly
given the price you're asking for it. For example,
where was it found; when was it found; is it magnetic;
how do you know it is a meteorite, etc. I have
discovered many meteorites in California, and have an
extensive database of information for all California
meteorites, so naturally I have some interest in your
stone -- assuming it turns out to be a meteorite.
Btw, I assume since you're in Chico that you meant
Mojave rather than "Mohave" -- Mojave is in CA; Mohave
is in Arizona."

Thanks,
Rob

- - - - -

I got no reply to my message. That is until TODAY!
It was short, not terribly informative, and had a
slightly smug tone:

"It was found thirty years ago. I am not an expert on
meteors, or spelling,
but I do know that you will never own this one. Have a
nice day."

My gut response to reading this message before I'd
finished my first cup o' morning joe was to fire back
a nasty reply. But maturity and better taste
prevailed, eventually filtering my vitriol to the
following reply sent a little while ago:


Hi Pete,
 
> It was found thirty years ago. I am not an expert on
meteors, or spelling,

> but I do know that you will never own this one. Have
a nice day.

Not that it really matters, but I sent you my
comment/questions (which were meant to be *helpful*
not discourteous) nearly 9 months ago, so I was long
past expecting a reply (and of course no longer have
links to the specimen images). The question is: why
have you bothered to take the time to respond today?
I must say that I appreciate it -- the tone of your
message tells me all I need to know about the
provenance and identity of your specimen. As for
never owning it, I think I'll live.
If I'm in desperate need of a common rock, I'll pick
one up the next time I'm in the desert.
 
Kind regards,
Rob

- - - -

So the book is finally closed on this one. I believe
Ken Norton is compiling a lot of information about
meteorwrongs on his web site --
in particular, this sulfide-rich slag is something
that keeps showing up again and again on eBay. It
would be nice if there was just one source for this
material, but it seems to be geographically dispersed.

Cheers,
Rob








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Received on Wed 05 Mar 2003 09:10:50 PM PST


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