[meteorite-list] Further precision re "Bessey Specks"

From: almitt <almitt_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Oct 18 18:46:15 2006
Message-ID: <4536AEB0.6050600_at_kconline.com>

Hi Ed and all,

Why not go to the local pharmacy and buy gelatin capsules. Small items
can be stuffed into those and placed in a small ryker mount along with a
label and description information at a fairly reasonable cost. I've done
this for a long time and sold to many adults, kids and so forth.

As far as Bessey Specks are concern or material that is boarding on
impossible to see, I'll address this to collectors of such items, such
items have a limited scientific value as they can't be verified and
trying to do so would destroy them. I am wondering how difficult such
small items will be to sell when a collection is offered up. It's a good
thing to try to offer up crumbs and items that break during cutting and
polishing, it's another thing to grind up a useful specimen for this
purpose.
Our job should be meteorite preservation when ever possible and trying
to do no damage to specimens that have been around for a long time.

I realize that not everyone can afford nice size chunks of certain rare
material but if such collectors were to budget then I think they would
be happier with more realistic sizes. Our attitude of I've got to have
it now (am I am guilty here) results in a collection with many more
times the cost in the long run than an item that has some heft and
doesn't need a quality microscope to see it. Just my perspective from
selling and not trying to make anyone feel bad here.

--AL Mitterling
Received on Wed 18 Oct 2006 06:46:08 PM PDT