[meteorite-list] Value of Nationalized Meteorites

From: stan . <laser_maniac_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Feb 21 00:40:41 2006
Message-ID: <BAY101-F822E777C88F35B47E2B2AF0FC0_at_phx.gbl>

I'd have to disagree. the vaule of something is totally dependant upon what
it's WORTH not what it cost to get. Case in point - if you stole a beat up
dodge omni with 600,000miles on it should sentancing reflect the original
cost of sale of the vehical - or the fair market value (probably not even
grand theft for a car like that) or conversely - if we are going to go by
production cost - I'll have to go and steal me a few 1933 st gaudens double
eagles. it only cost the government a few $ to make each one of um and they
are worth what 7 or 8 million each...

sure the guys involved deserved to do hard time for that kind of theft, but
using the aquisition cost of the rock just simply doesnt make sense imho.


>From: "Michael Farmer" <meteoritehunter_at_comcast.net>
>To: "dean bessey" <deanbessey_at_yahoo.com>,"MARK BOSTICK"
><thebigcollector_at_msn.com>,<meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com>
>Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Value of Nationalized Meteorites
>Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 17:39:38 -0700
>
>Car you crazy Dean? Those stones are priceless! The USA spent billions of
>$$$ to go there and get them, so you cant put a market value on them.
>The bastards deserve every second they have rotting in prison. I cant
>believe one of them is dumb enough to break the rules so bad they got sent
>to a Supermax prison, that is where the worst of the worst go. Shows he
>must be a little more than a petty thief.
>Mike
>----- Original Message ----- From: "dean bessey" <deanbessey_at_yahoo.com>
>To: "MARK BOSTICK" <thebigcollector_at_msn.com>;
><meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
>Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 5:32 PM
>Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Value of Nationalized Meteorites
>
>
>>I wonder who the 3 "Individuals who buy and sell
>>meteorites" are:
>>____________________________________________
>>The meteorites, martian samples and lunar samples
>>taken in the theft of the safe from my lab at NASA's
>>Johnson Space Center were appraised by three
>>individuals who buy and sell meteorites.
>>_________________________________________________
>>
>>Obviously they are a little out of touch with the
>>meteorite market and cant differentiate between if .03
>>gram and several pounds were released. I still
>>remember how chessagny was considered by everybody to
>>be worth $100,000 a gram until steve Arnold traded for
>>half a gram driving the price to I believe $10,000.
>>As some people might say on the list I suspect that 3
>>or 4 grams would put their estimated "price in ruin".
>>Those people who got put in jail for years based on
>>stealing meteorites with a market value so hi surely
>>got ripped off during sentensing if the prisen term
>>would have been lighter if the actual price that the
>>meteorites could have been sold at in the market was
>>taken into account rather than a theoritical valuation
>>that has no resemblence to reality.
>>Cheers
>>DEAN
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>--- MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_msn.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Hello list,
>>>
>>>Dr. Everett Gibson, who is not a list member, did
>>>have a few comments along
>>>our discussion, which he is once again is kindly
>>>letting me share with the
>>>group.
>>>
>>>The meat on the pricing related here is: ~103 grams
>>>for 7-8 million on the
>>>low side, to ~234 million on the high side. Which
>>>is $70,000-80,000 a gram,
>>>to a little over 2 million a gram.
>>>
>>>Clear Skies,
>>>Mark Bostick
>>>www.meteoritearticles.com
>>>
>>>
>>>Mark,
>>> The meteorites, martian samples and lunar
>>>samples taken in the theft
>>>of
>>>the safe from my lab at NASA's Johnson Space Center
>>>were appraised by three
>>>individuals who buy and sell meteorites. The
>>>monetary values determined by
>>>the
>>>three appraisers was used in the trial of Gordon
>>>McWhorter and the
>>>sentencing
>>>hearing for Thad Roberts. I would prefer not to
>>>give the monetary values
>>>determined by the appraisers but I can tell you the
>>>value for the ALH84001
>>>sample was staggering.
>>> The attorneys argued over whether the cost of
>>>the Apollo program
>>>should
>>>be "figured" into the value of the lunar samples.
>>>The monetary value of
>>>the
>>>samples figured into the length of the sentences
>>>given the defendants.
>>>Taking the weight of the 53 different lunar samples
>>>stolen (~103 grams total
>>>weight stolen) along with the mass of returned lunar
>>>samples from the six
>>>Apollo
>>>missions, and costs for the missions. The top
>>>value of the appraised
>>>material
>>>came to ~$234 million dollars. The lower value was
>>>in the $7 to 8 million
>>>dollar range-excluding selected Apollo mission costs
>>>. The actual numbers
>>>are
>>>in the court testimony which I have not seen because
>>>as a witness I was
>>>excluded from that testimony.
>>> As a side light, McWhorter was found guilty
>>>and sentenced to ~60 or 70
>>>months in federal custody. He is currently in the
>>>Fort Worth Federal
>>>Mental
>>>Facility and is not scheduled to be released until
>>>April 2008. Thad
>>>Roberts
>>>was sentenced to 90 months federal custody. His
>>>last appeal (based on his
>>>belief that he was sentenced too harshly) has just
>>>been denied within the
>>>past
>>>two months. He has recently been transferred from
>>>the medium level
>>>security
>>>facility in Florence, CO to the Super Maximum
>>>Security Facility (SUPER-MAX!)
>>>in
>>>Florence, CO because of failing to obey the rules.
>>>Roberts is scheduled to
>>>be released the end of January 2009.
>>> Everett
>>>
>>>
>>>______________________________________________
>>>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 Tue 21 Feb 2006 12:40:33 AM PST