[meteorite-list] Speck Issues - Reply to this subject

From: Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2008 13:30:52 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <839155.13079.qm_at_web33105.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Guys, there is no problem here. You know, as a dealer
who cuts and messes with thousands of meteorites per
year, you end up with plenty of crumbs, dust, and
specks. Please don't think that we are smashing these
things with hammers in order to maximize profit!
Specks are a byproduct of making a large piece into
multiple pieces, not taking a .2 gram meteorite piece
and turning it into 20 pieces, at least not on
purpose.
As far as buying these specks on ebay, you must indeed
trust your dealer, someone like Blaine or myself, we
make enough money not to need to waste time scamming
people. If I say it is Mokoia, you can rest assured
that it is not Allende fragments. If you buy from just
anyone on ebay just because they say they have
something, well, buyer beware.
Michael Farmer
--- Walter Branch <waltbranch at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Hi Frank,
>
> I could not agree more with you. Every word, every
> line.
>
> Remember when Blaine Reed brought out DAG 262?
> There
> were a few who looked at the specks and balked but
> because it
> was Blaine who was selling it, the pedigree was
> beyond reproach.
>
> This is not meant to be an indictment of Blaine.
> Quite the opposite.
>
> I understand the economic pressures of ever smaller
> pieces of
> meteorite selling for ever higher prices, but it
> seems the price-to-weight
> graph is almost "U" shaped, with more and more
> material ending up
> as smaller and smaller fragments.
>
> Where is Steve Schoner? I'd always liked to hear
> his comments on this. :-)
>
> -Walter Branch
> (From sunny and beautiful Savannah. What the heck
> am I doing
> indoors. Oh, that's right - I have a job!)
>
-----------------------------------------------------
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Frank Cressy" <fcressy at prodigy.net>
> To: "Meteorite List"
> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 3:41 PM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Speck Issues - Reply to
> this subject
>
>
> > Hello all,
> >
> > This is a resend of a previous post. I meant to
> > change the subject line but in my fever muddled
> state
> > I forgot. Sorry about that. Please reply to this
> > post to avoid confusion.
> >
> > Frank
> >
> > --- Frank Cressy <fcressy at prodigy.net> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Michael and all,
> >>
> >> The Barboton you mentioned was a 9mg speck and
> went
> >> for $46.67. Many people shopping ebay don't
> blink
> >> until the price reaches a $100 or more. So
> >> price/gram
> >> on a speck means nothing. The problem I see is
> that
> >> this and other hammer specks and rare and
> historical
> >> specks can never be verified. Barbotan is an H5
> >> veined chondrite...see any veining? On the above
> >> example, Peter M was the seller and I have 100%
> >> confidence that this was indeed Barbotan, Now
> what
> >> if
> >> the winner "1randombid" with a "private" feedback
> >> profile finds a larger Barbotan speck next week,
> and
> >> decides to sell this one, maybe even using
> Peter's
> >> original box and card. Still 100% sure of it???
> >> Unless you know the complete collection history
> of
> >> the
> >> piece with everyone involved, can a buyer have
> even
> >> a
> >> shred of confidence that the speck is what it is
> >> described to be. At least the Bessey Specks of
> 10
> >> years ago were either Nakhla and Zagami, and with
> a
> >> good lens or microscope one could be quite
> certain
> >> as
> >> to what he/she had. A little more difficult with
> an
> >> H5 or an L6 to say the least.
> >>
> >> Michael, I also have 100% confidence that your
> >> material is what you say it is, but then I also
> >> wouldn't bet the farm on it. I also know if
> >> something
> >> were to be found in error, you'd stand behind it
> as
> >> would most dealers. However, with the prices
> >> raising
> >> crazily it's might be too tempting for someone to
> >> sell
> >> a bogus speck maybe just once in a while. We
> like
> >> to
> >> think that the people on the list are above all
> >> those
> >> things, but wasn't "the one who still remains
> >> nameless" who got caught with a rock in his shoe,
> >> once
> >> a member of the list.
> >>
> >> For you dealers the rising prices are great, but
> >> hopefully is isn't a house of cards and won't end
> up
> >> like the housing and credit debaucle, built,
> >> founded,
> >> fueled, and distroyed by Greed. The speck value
> is
> >> only based on trust, and should a couple bad
> apples
> >> ever show up, I think it could collapse.
> >>
> >> Just my ramblings on another fun filled day with
> the
> >> flu, Hope you didn't take this personally, just
> my
> >> views on specks. Also seeing historical
> specimens
> >> broken into smaller and smaller pieces upsets me
> >> too,
> >> but that's another story.
> >>
> >> All the best,
> >> Frank
> >>
> >> --- Michael L Blood <mlblood at cox.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> > I noted with interest a small piece of Barbotan
> on
> >> > eBay. I left a reasonable
> >> > Bid on it and just checked it out.....
> >> > It had sold for over $5,000.00 per
> gram.
> >> > I have what I believe are the last 3
> >> > specimens available in the
> >> > world on my hammer site (if anyone knows where
> I
> >> can
> >> > get more, please
> >> > Contact me off list - reward!)
> >> > I will hold this price until the first
> one
> >> > sells. To see these
> >> > extremely rare specimens click on the photos at
> >> the
> >> > following site:
> >> >
> >> >
> http://www.michaelbloodmeteorites.com/Hammers.html
> >> >
> >> > They are easy to find - Barbotan is the oldest
> >> > Hammer listed (1790)
> >> > Best wishes, Michael
> >> > PS: Under 1999 you can find I have 3 last Kobe
> >> > (Japanese hammer)
> >> > Specimens left, as well as numerous other
> recent
> >> > additions to the page.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > ______________________________________________
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> >> > Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> >> >
> >>
> >
>
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> >> >
> >>
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> >>
> >
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> >>
> >
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Received on Mon 03 Mar 2008 04:30:52 PM PST