[meteorite-list] Canadian Material for Americans has to wait

From: RJP <yellowengine_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2008 12:40:06 -0600 (GMT-06:00)
Message-ID: <3818352.1228588807064.JavaMail.root_at_mswamui-andean.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Perhaps I should have left out the word "Institutions". My intent was to discuss the acquisition by private collectors only, being that Institutions clearly have an unequal advantage when it comes to acquiring fresh falls. More so in Canada as opposed to the U.S., however. But when the government steps in and confiscates, thats just communistic.


-----Original Message-----
>From: MeteorHntr at aol.com
>Sent: Dec 6, 2008 12:02 PM
>To: yellowengine at earthlink.net, meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com, mccartney at blackbearddata.com
>Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Canadian Material for Americans has to wait
>
>Ryan,
>
>I'm not sure I understand your logic here.
>
>If you wished American Institutions would care enough to pay a fair retail
>price to the legal owners of new meteorites, then I think we would all agree
>with you.
>
>But America has the principles of freedom and property rights that go
>strongly against confiscation laws. I think the ACLU would even consider stepping
>in if such a law would be proposed.
>
>When I find anything that I think a museum or a research collection would
>like, either to purchase or to trade for, I eagerly approach them at the start.
> But most take so long to reply, or don't reply at all. Some do, but
>express that they are not interested. And then occasionally some do reply wanting
>to make a trade. But unlike in Canada, here in the States a very tiny
>percentage of institutions will pay cash for anything.
>
>And due to some of the red tape that is involved with some places, I would
>LOVE it if the transaction could happen in less than 6 months time. I think
>hoping for any bureaucracy to do anything in as little as 3 months is a bit
>overoptimistic.
>
>And I am not sure how if US institutions would have had first dibs on buying
>any and all of the Park Forest specimens found would have helped YOU get a
>Park Forest specimen for your collection?
>
>In fact, during your 2-3 days in Park Forest IF you had found something, and
>the government confiscated it from you, and paid you $1/g or $5/g or $20/g
>or whatever they determined was fair, my guess is that you probably would not
>like the idea so much.
>
>Steve Arnold #1
>www.SteveArnoldMeteorites.com
>
>
>In a message dated 12/6/2008 11:34:33 A.M. Central Standard Time,
>yellowengine at earthlink.net writes:
>I think the next time the U.S. has another significant fall (..like Park
>Forest), American collectors and instituntions should have first dibs on the
>material. You know, a good 3-6 month head start over non-Americans. I still
>don't have a nice piece for my collection, and I was in Park Forest for 2-3 days!
>
>I'll bet there are plently of other collectors who will agree with me on
>this one.
>
>Ryan
>
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Received on Sat 06 Dec 2008 01:40:06 PM PST