[meteorite-list] Unbelievably late package - my story

From: bernd.pauli_at_paulinet.de <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Sep 18 14:01:04 2006
Message-ID: <DIIE.000000AE00000DAB_at_paulinet.de>

On Wednesday, October 01, 2003, Mike Farmer sent out my NWA 1909 (AEUC)
and my NWA 1943 (AHOW) specimens. The package did make it safely across
the Big Pond but on October 21, 2003, I wrote to Mike that the German customs
authorities were withholding the specimens and I was battling with them over my
comment that there was no commercial value involved and their idiotic response
that everything had a value.

By November 10, 2003, the package had got lost somewhere between Tucson and
my home town here in Germany after the customs idiots had agreed they would
send it to us via mail. It never arrived. Lots of telephone calls but to no avail
although I had the photo copy from the customs dudes with all the details (sender,
contents, etc.). More calls and the information that the package was probably on
its way back to Tucson. The customs dudes said that if it didn't show up here or
in Tucson sooner or later, the sender would have to start a "tracer".

Wednesday, December 17, 2003, Mike wrote that the meteorites had just arrived back to
him and that the customs idiot had removed the packaging so that the meteorites (worth
$600!) were loose in the box which was smashed - fortunately the meteorites were fine,
not damaged.

The customs people were not the culprits this time. That honor goes to the German mail
company. There must have been a potential thief who opened Christmas mail that looked
promising (precious metals, jewelry, money, etc.). Meteorites were just worthless and
meaningless stuff so he chucked them back into the torn package (sometimes it is good
people do not know much about meteorites :-)

My meteorites were shipped again, and, unbelievable but nonetheless true: Tuesday, Dec.
30, 2003, NWA 1909 and NWA 1943 finally arrived (again) after this transaltantic odyssey
which lasted "only" three months!

Cheers,

Bernd
Received on Mon 18 Sep 2006 01:57:47 PM PDT