[meteorite-list] Unbelievably late package - my story

From: Walter Branch <waltbranch_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Sep 18 18:14:21 2006
Message-ID: <006601c6db6f$cc95f3f0$6e01a8c0_at_DrCollman>

Hi Bernd,
>(sometimes it is good
>people do not know much about meteorites

You are right. This is how I judge whether to dismiss these stories that
make it to the list. Sort of like Hollywood vs. reality.

Who was it that had their apartment broken into and items where stolen,
except the meteorites? Was it you, Martin?

-Walter Branch


-----------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: <bernd.pauli_at_paulinet.de>
To: <Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 1:57 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Unbelievably late package - my story


> 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
>
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Received on Mon 18 Sep 2006 06:14:17 PM PDT