[meteorite-list] Announcment: Rollin' Rock Meteorite Sales Letter -First issue ready for Launch !

From: Martin Altmann <Altmann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Oct 27 16:33:19 2005
Message-ID: <001a01c5db37$58449120$ae6f9a54_at_9y6y40j>

Hi Greg, list

just back from the show - uuuh I saw some stones.....

Certainly you are right, that not all stuff on ebay is boring or of low
quality, especially not yours, which I have to admit, are best prepared even
then if they are only of micromount size.
BUT. Don't forget that meanwhile, I'd guess, the majority of collectors came
to meteorites in the very recent times, at the culmination years of the
desert rush and they have no orientation (and they don't read Kichinka's
book).
Among my clients there were so many, who collected regardless of the class,
outer appearence, weathering degree one ugly brown stone after the other and
thought, this would be the essence of meteorite collecting. Some of them
even bought at the beginning always the same 3 or 4 localities or numbers.
They are not cutting and preparing by themselves - then at least I could
understand, that it would be a thrill, no, they put that unclassified
expressionless chunks in the display cases and are thinking, that's it.
They clearly need some education, to discover the thrilling nuances and
aspects of this hobby (else I'd think, it will be boring for them within a
short time). Another phenomenon is, that, often independend from their
financial means, they are buying specks or micromounts, obviously they
collect numbers and names, but not meteorites. I ask you, where on a
mm-sized micro you can enjoy for instance a good brecciation? Third
problem - and this is caused solely by ebay, they do not appreciate a high
quality preparation and are not able to reckognise outstanding specimens,
because usually every piece of, sorry, crap on ebay is attributed as it
would be the Star of India.
Take please a look to German ebay. It's often a cosmic garbage dump, because
the sellers can't list quality anymore as it is not paid there. For an iron
etched au point with fanciest inclusions and Neumann lines they will pay
exactely the same as for the same iron in form of a rusty rough specimen.
Furthermore they aren't able to value rare or historic falls, as they are
used to pay always the same for the ordinary desert stuff, if they see an
Eagle Station, then they think, humm it's a pallasite, seller says it's
ultrarare, so he can't complain, if I bid 3 times more as for Brahin and it
will end at 5$/g.

Greg, I tell you, the last 4 or 5 years I spend the largest part of my time
in answering questions of rookies or even of those, who never held a
meteorite in their hands, telling them all the facettes of the stones and
our hobby, often mailing 80++ hours per week, felt almost like a virtual
German Nininger (time which I rather should have spent for selling&enjoying
life). Meteorites are rare, they are special, it's an absolutely exotic
niche (ask mineral&fossil dealers, what they and their clientele are
thinking about stones from space...),
accordingly difficult is it for the beginning collectors to find information
at all and to find their way through the jungle of the nowadays offered
material.

And from the economical point of view I would say, if we take them by the
hand, encourage them with our knowledge and help them to develope their
individual styles and taste, we all will profit. The dealers, as good
material will be paid better - the collectors, as they'll be able to
separate the wheat from the chaff (and as long as ignorance or market, tell
it like you want, keeps the prices so low, to make their bargains).

>but the sales end of your message
> really stands out in your posting.

That's why we call it a "Sales Letter".
The sales letter now, is nothing else as an attempt to focus on a monthly
changing selection of extraordinary pieces, a promise not to molest the
collectors with the common stuff, which they find day by day offered -
that's all.

Your attempt is different, you are selling your fine material via your name
and your reputation (and the expections, which result from this), which you
gained because of your work in the last years. I'm convinced, that you would
get out worse results on ebay, if you would sell your stones more or less
anonymous or if you wouldn't introduce them to the list in your elaborate
way (-->education).
(Here we chose the way of suscription, so that only those, who are
interested in specimens of that niveau will recieve it, so that nobody can
complain about unwanted ads. - Have to write this, as someone feared, we
would sell the email-adresses :-).

The discussion, where better to buy - from ebay or from dealers' offers, we
don't have to start here.
Every experienced collector (and dealer too) will agree, that on both ways
one can make advantageous purchases.

Buckleboo!
Martin

PS: When will you make it finally once to the Munich show? From both
Hupe-towns to North Africa it's quite a distance, compared the way from
North Africa to Munich is only a cat's jump, as we say here.




----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Hupe" <gmhupe_at_tampabay.rr.com>
To: "Martin Altmann" <Altmann_at_Meteorite-Martin.de>
Cc: <Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 8:58 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Announcment: Rollin' Rock Meteorite Sales
Letter -First issue ready for Launch !


> Dear Martin and List Members,
>
> Thank you Martin for the invitation to receive your group's monthly news
> letter. I believe you will have great success.
>
> You stated:
> "...which clearly stand out from the unmanageable flood of mediocre and
> really bad stones sold e.g.on ebay..."
>
> I agree that there are many bad and unscrupulous dealers/sellers on eBay
and
> elsewhere, but your statement "e.g. ebay" makes it sound as if all
> meteorites offered on eBay are undesirable. I do not think you are doing
the
> collector right here with this statement as many rare and excellent
> meteorites are first announced on eBay by myself and others. This is where
I
> have announced Lunars, Martians, Brachinites, Angrites and the list goes
on
> and on. It will continue to go on as I have more rare beauties to be
> announced in the near future. I also prepare each specimen as if it were
to
> stay in my own personal collection, using a diamond lap polisher to a
level
> each individual meteorite requires.
>
> I prefer to use eBay instead of a web site as I have had several Internet
> concerns over the years and prefer not to go that route anymore for sales.
I
> find that I have more personal time for travel and other interests without
a
> web site to tend to.
>
> I prepare and offer choice specimens from larger museum quality down to
> smaller, more affordable specimens. I consider all ranges of collector
> needs. If someone wants a larger specimen after my first initial offering,
> they simply email me to see if I have something they are looking for.
>
> I think your news letter is a great idea, but the sales end of your
message
> really stands out in your posting.
>
> I mean no offense to you or any member of your news letter group, just
want
> to clarify what I believe was an unjust statement in your email.
>
> Best regards and I look forward to receiving your news letter,
>
> Greg Hupe
> The Hupe Collection
> NaturesVault (eBay)
> gmhupe_at_tampabay.rr.com
> IMCA 2185
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Martin Altmann" <Altmann_at_Meteorite-Martin.de>
> To: <Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 4:32 AM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Announcment: Rollin' Rock Meteorite Sales
> Letter -First issue ready for Launch !
>
>
> > Dear meteorite enthusiasts,
> >
> > not without a certain pride, we are glad to announce to the meteorite
> > collecting community the forthcoming launch on Nov 1 of the first issue
> > of:
> >
> > The Rollin' Rock Meteorite Sales Letter !
> >
> > This sales letter is our new instrument to address to the interested
> > collector, who shares with us the fondness for exceptionel collection
> > specimens of premium quality & aesthetics, rarest localities and
uncommon
> > types. Once per month this e-letter will be delivered to you by e-mail,
> > offering a new selection of choice specimens, which clearly stand out
from
> > the unmanageable flood of mediocre and really bad stones sold e.g.on
ebay,
> > which in the recent years was threatening our beloved passion for those
> > rare
> > guests from space to fall into a certain arbitrarness, last but not
least
> > leaving the beginning collector in nebulous nesciences, what this
> > fascinating occupation could be about at all.
> >
> > Additionally for your entertainment and also for those, who aren't
> > focussing
> > on such dimensioned meteoritic examples yet, the sales letter is
seasoned
> > with articles containing actual news from the world of meteorites.
> >
> > The Rollin Rock Team consists of dealers, prospectors and collectors of
> > excellent reputation,
> > who naturally adhere to the highest standards.
> >
> > Suscription is free, can be revoked anytime, hence:
> > Watch the preview
> > www.rollin-rock.com
> > and suscribe for not missing the first issue on 1st of November!
> >
> > Martin Altmann,
> > on the behalf of the Rollin' Rock Team
> >
> > ______________________________________________
> > Meteorite-list mailing list
> > Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
Received on Thu 27 Oct 2005 04:45:18 PM PDT