[meteorite-list] Collecting Habits, a walk down memory lane (long)

From: E.J <jonee_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:33 2004
Message-ID: <3F9513A7.9020902_at_epix.net>

Walter had this subject almost right...a habit? Maybe. Addiction?
for many of us.

As to collecting strategy, mine has migrated over the years much as I
suppose many other "Lay Collectors". When I began collecting there was
a scarcity of meteorites exhibits, literature, and photos available for
me to study. I subscribed to the belief that meteorites are all around
us if we cultivate a trained eye we will have a better chance of finding
them. I started collecting about the time Mike Farmer moved from
student to full time seller, long before the concept of hot desert
meteorites. There were perhaps less than 40-50 named meteorites
commonly traded. Fortunately, they included samples of Irons, Stony, and
Stony Irons so those were easy slot to fill. Crust--any Crust, was to
DIE for.

 Gibeon, Canyon Diablo, Sikhote Alin,and Odessa were virtually99 % or
the Iron trade. Common Chondrites about a 50-30-20 split between Western
US, Russian/European locales and the rest of the world and mostly L-6s.
Achondrites- Mt Edgerton, Tatahouine, Pena Blanca Springs, Norton
County, were available and fortunately covered a large portion of the
big 4 Achon. classes: HED's and Aubrites. Imilac,Vaca Muerta, Huckitta,
Brahin and Brenham were practically the only available Stony Irons.
Esquel was and is expensive. Allende was expensive by today's
standards, but plentiful. The other available Carbonaceous Chondrites
you could count on one hand. No primitives, No R's Rumuruti E's
Enstatites--I am not sure if Martians and Lunars had been recognized as
such. From those easily available named meteorites I assembled a good
starter collection of micro mounts to be a field/lab reference to
compare against candidates. I thought this is about it I have enough.
There weren't many die-hard collectors then. For many of us our
collections were limited by the number of times a week we could donate
blood(wink). This was my "Starter" category. I used it in talks to
students and people wanting an opinion on their find. EBay commingled us
with all the other Rocks and Minerals. Here on the list we debated a lot
about meteorite in-flux, and dispensed a lot of information about
Meteorite 101 before Richard and Dorothy Norton put it together for our
community. Harvey H. Was quoted chapter and verse because only a couple
of us had "Catch a Fallen Star" to share with everyone else. Most of the
meteorite list "Founding Fathers" (plus a hand full of ladies) were
here then. Bernd, then as now, had the most obscure questions answered
within the day. Ron also kept us plugged into NASA's related
efforts....Ah the good old days!

 Meanwhile, back at eBay, El Hammami was the cheapest common chondrite
around. Little anyone suspect that this huge fall--caravaned to
civilization by Nomads on camels, would foreshadow the "Gold Rush" of
the 90's. Dar Al Gani aka DAG meteorites hit the market-- so plentiful
were they and, so sparse was DAG for land marks, we started numbering
them. About the time we became accustomed to the convention,
Sahara001,002,003-- who knows? was available to collectors. Meteorites
were so inexpensive, the lay collector could afford 30 and 50 gram
slices and even whole stones! Collecting interest was now fueled by the
variety of matrix colors, shock veins of ringwoodite and, breccia we
could actually see! Weekly, the numbers continued to roll out but they
lacked sequence. A number here-- a number there, the collector now
wanted to get the full Sahara Sequence and seemed a possible collecting
goal. Dohfar and HaH were also commonly seen subsets of hot desert
locations. A palm-sized, full slice, was not to DIE for they were
affordable! A whole stone was still as much as a late used car. It was
worth a near death encounter, only. A partslice, thin section, AND the
rest of a half kilo stone they came from--THAT was to DIE for.

About this time major dealer wars arose (and I don't mean price wars)
over named vs numbered meteorites-- whether or not they were worthy of
even dealing with. The lay community rose up advocating a boycott
against the lowly nomad who brought us these treasures because these
"Camel Operators" didn't subscribe to the professional standards of
recording collection data. When there were quiet times, a subtle
serendipity was emerging. Those missing numbers started showing up but
they weren't the commonly known classifications Angrites? Urelites?
Rumuruti ? What is an "R" chondrite? I had just got used to calling
them L and LL instead of Bronzites and Amphoterites. CH's CR's CK's--
oodles of Subclasses of Carbonaceous Stones. Whole new branches of
collecting fervor happened in the span of a few months. We actually
discussed meteorite science for a while as the classification reports
made it to the list and not just shuttered away in the annals of the
Meteoritical Bulletin(MAPS). When we didn't think it could get any
better... A Shergot-what? From Mars? DAG 400 is from the moo? Some is
for sale? . Not just a egg-sized stone in Bob Haag's vault? Well...I can
afford a few molecules! Well these first planetary stones were far
from cheap. The lay collector begged for just a crumb as if it were a
holy relic. At first the hand me downs were specks from the cutting
process and the fact that they were petrologically insignificant didn't
phase us. ANY piece of Mars or the Moon was to DIE for.

Again many of us who had more money than sense paid any price to have
one or both of these in our possession. Somewhere after planetary
material was available is was "collection" was secondary to
"possession". Myself I stopped updating my collection database-I was
far too busy passing out bids on eBay. Somewhere my field searches lost
out to my computer searches... The weekly announcement of new kinds of
meteorites continues to this day. I haven't decided what to call this
collection--Mini Micro, Planetary, Exotics, Rare?

As they mounted up over the last several years of course I added current
falls to my area of collecting and names like Peekskill, Zag, Bilanga,
Portales Valley, Thuathe, Ourique entered my collection under the
"Contemporary" category. in the "Classic" Category I have been able to
add material such as Ibutra, Acapulco, Luotolax, etc. owing to the
institutional trading that exchanges classic, famous, or unusual
material new unusually African material.

 In the new century, eBay granted us a category all to our own hobby.
NWA's became so available that labs wouldn't classify them if they were
common material. Many were never bothered to number. Adding a kilo stone
or iron center piece was within reach of most collectors now. Before
joining the list even, a newcomer who was already into artifact and
fossil sales got the bug and eventually became the Sam Walton of NWA's,
Right? Dean. Even before meteorites arrived on eBay a the redheaded
step child called Tektites kept a low interest but remarkably steady
companion. One of my abiding favorite categories is "Natural
Glass"mixing the Darwin and Lybian glasses with the Moldivites,
Bedasites, Australites, etc. The rise in field collection from known
impact sites gave rise to Impacties which frequently rival meteorites in
price and beauty. I combine them in the related category of
"Glass/Impacta" which I am sure will make Anne grin. A Georgiasite is
still to DIE for.

In the final category of "Support" I invested in all the books I could
get,library photocopies of the books I couldn't buy, a couple
microscopes, and a slew of thin sections. I put together a rudimentary
database to catalog my collection. I have an internet bookmark file on
meteorites and tektites to DIE for.

An investment? hardly. In retrospect I overpaid for many items but,
many you would have to "overpay" me to buy me out. My micromount
collection remains a valuable identification too. I'll likely die with
it, before it goes off to a minor college's geology department. I may
some day divest the more exotic pieces. I may assemble and sell a
mounted collection in Walter Branch fashion. I relish the impacta which
was witness to untold catastrophe. Today my advice to any collector and
geology department would be to buy up all the NWA's you can find a place
to store. The easy pickings are about over. Interest in meteorites
will grow more broadly due to the advent of internet accessibility and
the fantastic science yet to be discovered . To assemble a comparable
collection 5 years from now will cost me 5-10 times what I have outlaid
to date. Today you can assemble and enjoy a collection of any size
which you will be able to relish.

The way I see it, the name men label these travelers from across time
and space based on the happenstance of their terminal orbit is a flash
in the pan compared to the magnificence of their bringing us directly in
touch with that which existed almost literally before time. I consider
myself in the succession of those who knew those that made meteorites a
science and I have my role to play even if it is to evangelize or just
be in the rooting section for those doing the hard science and the hard
hunting..those who along with the lay collector are collectively moving
the science ever forward while moving our understanding ever backward
into time.

The final category costs me nothing to assemble, and may be the most
understated and undervalued of what I can claim. I've had 10 years of
comradere with fellow collectors and kindred spirits, without whom the
joy of sharing ideas could not have been...

Warmest Regards,
Elton
Received on Tue 21 Oct 2003 07:08:23 AM PDT