[meteorite-list] NPA 11-04-2001 Haag Hunters Portales Valley

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Oct 27 10:23:02 2004
Message-ID: <BAY4-F15qOdtCIq1eE300014ddf_at_hotmail.com>

Paper: Star Herald
City: Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Date: Sunday, November 4, 2001
Page: 2B

Meteorite hunters scour the Southwest for space rocks

     PHOENIX (AP) - The sunshine sparking on his meteorite-encrusted wedding
ring and Van Halen blaring from his car stereo, Bob Haag rolled into
Portales, N.M., looking for space rocks.
     He had heard the news less than 24 hours earlier. Rare iron-rich stone
meteorites had landed near the eastern New Mexico town. Armed with a pocket
full of $100 bills and banking on another big score, the self-styled
"long-haired hippy kid from Tucson" hit the road.
     He was in town before the stones had time to cool.
     This the world of the meteorite hunter, where a handful of pros like
Haag and legions of metal detector-toting amateurs comb the Southwest in
search of celestial tidbits more valuable than gold.
     "Without a doubt, I have the best job in the galaxy," Haag said. "But
you don't have to be a rocket scientist. You do a little research find
where meteorites have fallen, and just go there and look. That's it.
There's no magic."
     In 25 years of hunting meteorites, Haag has followed "million-dollar
falls," multiple meteorite drops that happen about every 1,000 days, to
Egypt, Russia, Japan and more than 50 other countries.
     He has built an extensive collection, which he said has been appraised
at $25 million.
     "These are pieces of stars that have never been seen on Earth before,"
Haag said. "It's so 2001 Space Odyssey, so Buck Rogers spaceman, so Marvin
the Martina. These are today's new treasures, and we don't even have to
leave the planet to get them."
     During his search for Portales in 1998, Haag started working the
residents immediately, handing out pictures of the meteorite and posting
"Wanted!' posters at the town's barber shop and Wal-Mart promising a reward.
     Soon, a crew of housewives, teen-agers and retired men were scouring
the desert scrub behind their homes.
     Haag, shelled out about $15,000 for three of the 60 meteorites that
were eventually recovered - including $5,000 to a child on a bike. He
guesses that the three rocks are worth at least twice what he paid though he
hasn't sold them.
     Most hunters agree there's more to the quest than money.

(end)

Clear Skies,
Wichita, Kansas
Mark Bostick
http://www.meteoritearticles.com
http://www.kansasmeteoritesociety.com
http://www.imca.cc
Received on Wed 27 Oct 2004 10:22:30 AM PDT