[meteorite-list] Re: "Bessey Specks"

From: Darryl Pitt <darryl_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Oct 17 16:45:15 2006
Message-ID: <9657E72C-B3B3-4B3B-905A-1247A2FF8615_at_dof3.com>

Checking in, saw the following and wanted to provide a bit of proper
history:

The first person I know to have sold "specks" on a regular basis was
Blaine Reed who packaged exotic specimens in gelatin capsules. I was
inspired by Blaine's idea and took it one step further--
pharmaceutically-milled Zagami for the Mars Cube "The First
Interplanetary Collectible." Shortly thereafter Dean popularized
specks of all stripes and colors.



On Oct 17, 2006, at 3:58 PM, MexicoDoug wrote:

> Hello Adam, Listees,
>
> Bessey Speck
> (1) A commercially marketed, submillimeter-sized, granular or
> irregular,
> intentionally broken petreus meteoritical fragment which collectors
> prize as
> a token possession of an expensive meteorite or of one with limited
> distribution, typically used more as a conversational piece or to
> satisfactorily fill a primal participatatory instinct for
> collection and
> coat-tailing on the "wow-effect" of possession of the parent specimen.
> Compare to "Particle", "Stardust", "Crumb", "Micro" and "Micromount".
> (2) Any, almost microscopic-sized particle originating from a
> larger (macro)
> meteorite specimen.
>
> Note, I'm not disagreeing with Adam' response to Ed in the sense
> that the
> term micromount is a term in the toolbox, although I think the word
> particle
> is more descriptive for most of our uses. I am agreeing with
> Michael Blood
> that the term Bessey Speck has a place.
>
> The questionably honorific term "Bessey Speck" seems like a much more
> descriptive term to me than micromount for many collectors. To me a
> "micromount" implies some sort of serious grand plan of scientific
> investigation or illustration of specific attributes. Size alone
> doesn't
> count, as much as purpose. For example, Stardust particles are not
> micromounts unless prepared that way despite Adam's definition, and
> they are
> not Bessey Specks, though micro-Besseyspeckies are certainly
> hypothetically
> possible.
>
> "Bessey Speck" consideres that not all particles commercially sold
> in venues
> like eBay find scientific use regardless of who is doing the
> selling. That's
> where Bessey Speck is a unique and interesting term. Adam's
> definition
> clearly has the weighted meaning toward a usually higher
> "scientific" use in
> observing material properties: appreciation with binocular microscope,
> better developed crystals, etc... The short comment in that definition
> "obtaining for less," especially given the profit and pleasure motives
> between buyers and sellers, really seems quite out of place to me.
> Adam's
> post wasn't clear, at least for me, if he disagreed with the use of
> the term
> Bessey Speck or just was offering Ed an alternate (which I
> definitely agree
> with Adam in doing).
>
> I am not comfortable with the term micromount being more properly
> used for
> specimens purposefully shattered into small bits with a sledge for the
> unadulterated and pure pleasure of collectors filling holes in their
> collections, a majority of which are not "better appreciating"
> their samples
> in a binocular microscope which many don't have nor have too much
> motivation
> to get.
>
> Didn't "Bessey Speck" usage start with Dean's Mars rock sales many
> years
> before most of our times? I am trying to remember Kevin Kitchinka's
> comments in "The Art of Meteorite Collecting" (don't have handy
> here) where
> an explanation of the etymology of this colorful term was published
> and my
> Mars' comment references. Bessey Specks, though, gets the point
> across much
> better for me! It's ll in the intended use and market. While I
> don' think
> a "Micromount" is an appropiate common sense description for
> something not
> carefully prepared and mounted to exhibit some characteristic, heck
> - if
> their not even carefully mounted...
>
> So, unless Dean objects to being immortalized in this fashion, that
> is my 2
> centavos.
> Doug
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Adam Hupe" <raremeteorites_at_comcast.net>
> To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 2:53 PM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Re: "Bessey Specks"
>
>
> The term micromount has been used for decades to describe this type of
> specimen.
>
> Micromount:
>
> Micromount is term used by mineral collectors and rockhounds to
> describe
> mineral specimens that are best appreciated using a binocular
> microscope.
> Micromount specimen collecting has a number of advantages,
> specimens take up
> less space, rare minerals can be obtained for less and smaller
> crystals are
> more perfectly developed.
>
>
> All the best,
>
> Adam
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "E.P. Grondine" <epgrondine_at_yahoo.com>
> To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:07 AM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Re: "Bessey Specks"
>
>
>
>> Hi Michael, list -
>>
>> I see you list your Bessey Specks as "frags".
>>
>> (Your price of $25 seems very fair for Nakla specks,
>> but I already picked up Mars Bessey Specks for
>> childrens' gifts at Christmas from Hupe.)
>>
>> Clearly, there is a need for a more elegant term than
>> "Bessey Specks" for these. Does anybody have any
>> proposals? If not, is Dean(?-stroke damage) Bessey
>> going to be immortalized by having these formally
>> named after him?
>>
>> Hupe also sent the Bessey specks in small tubes
>> suitable for young hands, along with 1 nice pair of
>> cards (BTW I need a second pair of cards for the
>> second set of tubes, Greg), instead of gelatin
>> capsules.
>>
>> Perhaps microscope slides would be more suitable for
>> adult use, but as I don't remember any discussion of
>> these on the list, I'm bringing it up now.
>>
>> good hunting -
>> Ed
>>
>> --- Michael L Blood <mlblood_at_cox.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Greetings fellow space treasure lovers,
>>> This post includes a fabulous, large iron
>>> and an entire new
>>> page of historic calls.
>>>
>>> FIRST:
>>> A beautiful 6.5 Kg / 14.3 Lb S-A Shrapnel piece that
>>> appears for all
>>> the world to be an oriented shield on one side and a
>>> flat, oriented
>>> specimen heading to the left in a downward angle on
>>> the other side.
>>> This piece includes an custom build display
>>> stand to facilitate
>>> a very impressive display of its virtues.
>>> If no one snaps this up on sale it will go
>>> into my catalog
>>> at $3,250- but the first to contact me will take it
>>> in this sale for 2,750-
>>> (price includes shipping and insurance inside the
>>> US)
>>> This spectacular piece can be seen at:
>>>
>>> http://community.webshots.com/album/554884324rEfSPa
>>>
>>> SECOND:
>>> I have set up an entire page dedicated to hammers
>>> meteorites that have
>>> struck man made objects, animals or humans. This is
>>> a collection of the
>>> most impressive of all the recorded meteorite falls
>>> in history. I have 35
>>> different recorded falls (including Bessey Specks of
>>> Sylacauga, Yurtuk and
>>> Burnwell). About half of the falls can also be found
>>> elsewhere with diligent
>>> searching and you will find my prices are as low
>>> as anyone's. The others
>>> cannot be had anywhere else. They are priced
>>> according to cost. This page
>>> is
>>> worth checking out even if you don't want to buy
>>> anything it was 5 years
>>> in the making and includes historical photos, links,
>>> etc. See at the URL
>>> below:
>>>
>>> http://www.michaelbloodmeteorites.com/Hammers.html
>>>
>>> Pieces on the Hammer page will be marked "SOLD" as
>>> orders come in
>>> so, if it is still listed when you email me, it is
>>> available.
>>>
>>> PayPal preferred (sent to this email
>>> address) Visa/Mastercard
>>> and personal checks gladly accepted.
>>> Happy Hunting! Michael
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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Received on Tue 17 Oct 2006 04:45:10 PM PDT