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

From: Walter Branch <waltbranch_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2008 18:08:04 -0500
Message-ID: <003601c87d83$70616d00$6601a8c0_at_DrCollman>

>Guys, there is no problem here.

There is a potential problem. When a dealer buys say,
a collection, who is to say that the seller has not
substituted one specimen for another. For example,
Claxton, in the size of a speck, looks like any other L6.
A well intentioned, well meaning, completely honest dealer
has to trust that the seller is being honest with them
and of course, on down the line.

-Walter Branch
(going home now. I hear a chillie cheese dog (or dawg, as we say here)
calling my name.)
-----------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Farmer" <meteoriteguy at yahoo.com>
To: "Walter Branch" <waltbranch at bellsouth.net>; "Frank Cressy"
<fcressy at prodigy.net>; "Meteorite List"
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 4:30 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Speck Issues - Reply to this subject


> 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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>> >> >
>> >>
>> >
>>
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>> >> >
>> >>
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>> >
>>
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>> >
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Received on Mon 03 Mar 2008 06:08:04 PM PST