[meteorite-list] Unclassified NWAs: What's the attraction?

From: Bob Loeffler <bobl_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 11:07:47 -0700
Message-ID: <20080112180643.0999110594_at_mailwash5.pair.com>

Hi all,

I've seen on some websites that dealers are selling unclassified NWAs.
Maybe it's because I'm such a newbie, but I don't understand why anyone
would want to buy them, especially if they look like just a typical ordinary
chondrite or iron? It's just a space rock that was found somewhere in NWA
(not a specific place) and isn't even classified yet, so you don't know if
it's an H, L, LL, etc. Do people buy them because they are cheap, or
because they are a mystery, or for some other reason? If someone else gets
one classified, you have no way to know if the one you just bought is paired
with it, or another one or is unpaired. There is no record, so no way to
find out later.

I'm sorry if this has been talked about on this list before. I've been
lurking for only a couple months and hadn't seen it mentioned.

Thanks for any feedback!

Regards,

Bob
Received on Sat 12 Jan 2008 01:07:47 PM PST