[meteorite-list] Meteorite smugglers anger scientists

From: Greg Hupe <gmhupe_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:46:12 -0400
Message-ID: <02dd01c78068$45478e60$ceb42041_at_Gregor>

Hi Darren, Mike and List,

I couldn't have said it better myself! It takes a huge investment to limp
away from Morocco with a planetary or other rare meteorite these days. I
would have said "walk away", but after having to give up your right arm,
left leg, first born, etc. to get one of these. Well, you get the idea!

Happy collecting!
Greg

====================
Greg Hupe
The Hupe Collection
NaturesVault (eBay)
gmhupe at tampabay.rr.com
www.LunarRock.com
IMCA 3163
====================


----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Farmer" <meteoriteguy at yahoo.com>
To: <cynapse at charter.net>; <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 4:27 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorite smugglers anger scientists


> The Moroccans are smarter now than most collectors.
> You will not get a lunar or Martian meteorite cheap
> there now. 90% of them can recognize one in a second.
> Don't feel too sorry for most of the Moroccans, they
> make much more money than most of us dealers who pay
> nearly retail for the material IN MOROCCO, and they
> live quite well off of the meteorites. It has greatly
> impacted the financial well-being of most of them
> involved in the meteorite trade. I mean come on, now
> they get tens of thousands of $$$ for a black rock
> they picked up in the sand. How often does that happen
> to someone in Germany or the UK?
> Michael Farmer
> --- Darren Garrison <cynapse at charter.net> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:06:52 -0400, you wrote:
>>
>> >Hello Moni and List,
>> >If the article is referring to unclassified
>> material,which would make sense,
>> >thereby allowing material never to reach the
>> scientific community, the point
>> >is well taken.
>>
>> The problem with that argument is that from the
>> stories that the people who go
>> to Morocco tell, those nomads aren't nearly as
>> clueless as the article writer
>> claims that they are. They may have been at first,
>> but they learned to notice
>> the difference between a common meteorite and a
>> valuable one. Which is why
>> people like MF and the Hupes have to make big
>> negotiations to get their lunars,
>> Martians, and other rare achondrites instead of
>> getting them for 10 cents a gram
>> in heaps of OCs. The rare stuff is going to be
>> recognized by the original
>> dealers and sold at rare stuff prices to rare stuff
>> dealers/collectors.
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Received on Mon 16 Apr 2007 04:46:12 PM PDT