[meteorite-list] STILL not clear - Park Forest Meteorite, Winslow St. House

From: martinh_at_isu.edu <martinh_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Jan 29 16:40:24 2005
Message-ID: <934fa392fbd0.92fbd0934fa3_at_isu.edu>

> Darren Garrison wrote:
> ...seem insane to me for something that isn't of an exceedingly
> rare type...

Hi Darren and All,

I believe that what one considers a ?rare type? goes well beyond the total weight of any given classification. For example, prior to 1969, carbonaceous chondrites of types CV3 and CM2 were exceedingly rare. But today Allende is on ebay 24/7 for a few dollars per gram at most and Murchison is surprisingly easy to acquire.

On the other hand, when an H6 falls out of the sky in front of thousands of people, many with video cameras, then plows into the back of a Chevy Malibu, it becomes a ?rare type? in that it has many characteristics that set it apart from both other H6s and almost all other meteorites for that matter. An just think if you happen to be both a space buff and a collector of Chevy Malibu cars!

Further, as the meteorite collector hones his or her collecting focus, the concept of rare type takes on specific meanings. For example if you co
llected particular locations, like US states, then the sole fall from New Jersey, even though an L6, would have enormous importance to you. Or if you were after your birthday fall, few others might share your excitement for a high TKW ordinary chondrite, and you would likely pay without hesitation an amount that might seem way out of line to other collectors (right Rob E.?)

So in a nutshell, if you are a collector of meteorite classification types, there are many rare ones to chase right now, but for me, while I appreciate rare classes, with reckless abandon I usually throw my money at historic L6s.

Cheers,

Martin H.
Received on Sat 29 Jan 2005 04:40:22 PM PST