[meteorite-list] meteorite prices

From: Greg Hupe <gmhupe_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Nov 4 12:47:54 2004
Message-ID: <014301c4c29e$c72d1ba0$b6b22041_at_Gregor>

Hello Jorn,

The wholesale price of the meteorites, in general, in Morocco are at times
higher than the going retail rate after shipping, classifying, cutting,
polishing and marketing these wonderful stones. The U.S. dollar has dropped
dramatically in the past four years and the Moroccans still do not recognize
the investment required to market "their" stones.

As far as the "back rooms" in Morocco, simple, they all want the buck. I, as
well as several others, have been there many times and can tell you the same
thing, the good material is flooding outward and will be over very soon.

Ordinary chondrites or not so common, in a couple years will all be rare and
just as collectible. This brings me to the ongoing discussion of NWA
standards and/or status. If it were not for the NWA's, we as collectors,
scientists and dealers would not have had this bountiful collecting
experience like we have had this past decade!

Keep on collecting,

Greg


----- Original Message -----
From: "J?rn Koblitz" <koblitz_at_microfab.de>
To: "Greg Hupe" <gmhupe_at_tampabay.rr.com>; "Michael Farmer"
<meteoritehunter_at_comcast.net>
Cc: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 11:16 AM
Subject: AW: [meteorite-list] meteorite prices


Certainly, there are many more ordinary chondrites (OCs) from the hot desert
and rare types like achondrite probably make up just one or two percent of
it...

...but, considering the fairly high prices for the rare types and the
limited spending capacity of this market segment (collectors as well as
museums/research institutes), my impression is, that OCs are easily sold in
"tons" at price levels of 50 to 100$/kg, wereas the rare stuff is being sold
on a gram or even milligram scale.

Wouldn't it take a very long time, to get all the howardites, polymict
eucrites, rumurutiites, martian meteorites (considering alone the TKWs of
DaG 476 or SaU 005 and pairings) hiding in the back rooms of Moroccan and
non-Moroccan dealers?

I assume, that the prices for OCs - especially those with nice shapes or
fairly unweathered interior - will rise soon, whereas most of the rare types
will stay at high level or will even decline.

Any objections?

Cheers,
J?rn

> -----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Greg Hupe [mailto:gmhupe_at_tampabay.rr.com]
> Gesendet: Donnerstag, 4. November 2004 18:44
> An: Michael Farmer
> Cc: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] ebay auction meteorites
>
>
> Hi Mike,
>
> I concur! The gold rush is already showing signs of ending.
> The Moroccans
> are pulling out their "good" material and acting in a
> feverish, money lust,
> frenzy to get the last buck from those who deal there.
>
> Greg
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Farmer" <meteoritehunter_at_comcast.net>
> To: "Martin Altmann" <Altmann_at_Meteorite-Martin.de>; "MARK BOSTICK"
> <thebigcollector_at_msn.com>; <meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 10:27 AM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] ebay auction meteorites
>
>
> > On two expeditions in Oman, we found over 100 meteorites
> before finding my
> > first achondrite, a rare type of Ureilite.
> > Achondrites are rare, the flood from Morocco will soon end.
> > Mike Farmer
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Martin Altmann" <Altmann_at_Meteorite-Martin.de>
> > To: "MARK BOSTICK" <thebigcollector_at_msn.com>;
> > <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> > Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 7:19 AM
> > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] ebay auction meteorites
> >
> >
> >> Hiho Mark,
> >>
> >> the region does not make the difference, the finders do!
> >>
> >> In Antarctica it's the common process, to number each
> stone seperately -
> >> take a look at the Bulletins, there you'll find rare
> types, found in the
> >> same place on the same day with different numbers.
> >> Sahara in general is different, in Oman never were so much
> hunters around
> >> as
> >> in Libya and the Oman stuff does not end up in Morocco.
> >> And the teams in Oman give always all their finds from one
> aerea as a
> >> bunch
> >> in classification, most in the same place. So different
> conditions as
> >> with
> >> the NWA-stuff.
> >> Meanwhile a beginning collector must have the impression, that a
> >> howardite,
> >> a mesosiderite, a CV3 or a olivine diogenite must be
> something extremely
> >> common, as always when a new one is coming out, in the
> months to follow,
> >> appears a dozen numbers of the same material.
> >> But ask f.e. Afanasjev or Haberer how many ordinary
> chondrites you have
> >> to
> >> hunt down, until you'll find an achondrite! Make some
> stats NWA versus
> >> Dho,
> >> with the latter I suppose you will get different ratios of
> rare types to
> >> common ones, if you count the numbers as own finds.
> >>
> >> And of course many of the OCs from Oman are similar
> looking as in most
> >> cases, they ae very weathered, W3-4. But take a look in
> the lists from
> >> the
> >> Bulletins, where you can see from the date of find and the
> coordinates,
> >> that
> >> mostly a large series of subsequent numbers were found on
> the same trip,
> >> there you have a wide variety of Ls and Hs with different
> Fa and Fs
> >> values
> >> and weathering degrees.
> >>
> >> So I think, if it costs the same, Stevey is not wrong to
> prefer Dho
> >> instead
> >> of NWA, as in my eyes, they have a higher collector's
> value (and I'm
> >> really
> >> no fan of desert chondrites, I'm sooo conservative and
> collect names).
> >>
> >> Cheeers!
> >> Martin
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "MARK BOSTICK" <thebigcollector_at_msn.com>
> >> To: <Altmann_at_Meteorite-Martin.de>;
> <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> >> Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 2:38 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] ebay auction meteorites
> >>
> >>
> >>> Hello Martin,
> >>>
> >>> I do not keep a list of paired meteorites or possible
> paired meteorites.
> >>>
> >>> Dhofar is no different then DaG or other like regions. I
> have traded
> >>> more
> >>> in DaG so I could tell you some pairs in it. I have seen
> a few tables
> >>> of
> >>> Dhofar's where you have several H5 or L6's that look a lot alike.
> >>>
> >>> There have been pairing studies done in DaG, Roosvelt County and
> >>> Anartica.
> >>> In all of these high collection places pairings were
> found to be pretty
> >>> common. Which I do not see as any problem and that was
> not a negative
> >>> Dhofar comment. Anyone thinking it was negative is free
> to send me all
> >>> their Roosevelt County meteorites. Should a pairing
> study be made, I
> >> think
> >>> the numbers say you will find Dhofar no different then
> other areas of
> >>> meteorite concentration.
> >>>
> >>> The naming rules in all these areas say pretty much,
> unless it fits
> >>> together, it gets a different name...or number as it is.
> We seem to
> >>> have
> >>> changed this a little to, found within a few feet, as
> many of the DaG's
> >> with
> >>> the same number do not fit together.
> >>>
> >>> On my website you will find I have many Dhofar, DaG and other like
> >> numbered
> >>> meteorites. However, if you check the gallery, you will see in my
> >> personal
> >>> collection, I avoid like classification meteorites from
> regions of high
> >>> meteorite concentration.
> >>>
> >>> http://www.meteoritearticles.com/photogallerymeteorites.html
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Mark Bostick
> >>> www.meteoritearticles.com
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ______________________________________________
> >>> Meteorite-list mailing list
> >>> Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> >>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
> >>
> >> ______________________________________________
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> >>
> >
> >
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Received on Thu 04 Nov 2004 01:47:46 PM PST