[meteorite-list] Meteorites Money Morocco

From: Martin Altmann <altmann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:54:07 +0100
Message-ID: <00f201ca64ab$d51ca550$07b22959_at_name86d88d87e2>

Good Evening,

maybe I should tell our experiences with our Moroccan colleagues,
as NWA is our main field of our occupation and Stefan was in Morocco from
beginning on of the NWA-period.
Because some of the assertions made here are in our eyes not acceptable.

First of all we all have to bring to our minds to whome all this wealth of
new meteorites that we have today is due to.
I'm old enough to remember the days before the NWA-rush, where dealers,
collectors and scientists traded forth and back always the same few stones.
Nowadays we got in roughly 10 years more new meteorites than 40 years of
Antarctic hunts will yield, we have all the rare types, where we could only
dream of the hundred years before. And we have them at prices, that finally
each and every collector can take part in that fascinating world.
We got from Morocco stones, of which no scientist could divine, that
something like that could exist at all.
NWA was the historical boost for science, for the collectors and partially
also for the meteorite trade.

And who made this all possible?

The Moroccan people and the people of Maghreb. Full stop.


We hear here on the list so often rants and words of haughtiness about the
Moroccan dealers, hunters, colleagues, experts.
What I never will understand, how people could speak so bad about them;
people, who built up their wealth and their reputation, they pride
themselves today, with the stones the Moroccans delivered to them.

Why they then weren't going searching for meteorites by their own in the
deserts, if their business partners were so lousy as they tell?
Ask the US-hunters, ask the Oman-hunters, how many stones you have to pick
up, until you have a mediocre eucrite or a CV3, those stones, we all take
for granted.

The people in Sahara are doing an incredible job.

Yes of course, there are also black sheeps in Morocco - but those we do have
also among the Western dealers.
And of course down there is simply not the infrastructure, that one would
get each stone perfectly and readily classified and that the weights and the
find data would be known.
But that is a hundred times balanced, by the often lower prices there and by
the circumstance that one gets there such great stones at all!
Of course it can be here and there risky for a private collector, because
they often can't know the dealer yet, but why shall professional dealers
complain about the Moroccans? It is plain & simply part of their job, to
recognize the stones there, to recognize pairings, to buy them in Morocco
and to bring them to classification. If they don't want to do that, then
they shall sell classic and historic meteorites.

And some of the recent posts here on the list ignore the positive
developments, the Moroccans made. First of all you find a lot of true
experts there, who know their stones very well. Partially they started to
send samples to classification. Note also, that we started to integrate the
Moroccans into IMCA.

And that sweeping blow, condemning all Moroccans - we can't confirm that
perspective in no way.
Our experience is rather, that our partners, if a stone turns out to be a
pratfall, often are exerted to limit the damage, in taking back stones or in
balancing it with the next deal.

And why?

Because there exist a very simple rule. Not only for Morocco, but for life:

Treat your partner with respect and fairness
and he will treat you the same way too.


Our opinion.
Good night!
Martin
Received on Fri 13 Nov 2009 04:54:07 PM PST